Thailand boosts MICE business

Country hopes to build on momentum to take leadership position in industry, Wang Sujuan and Ye Jun report.

At a recent media event held by the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau in Bangkok, industry insiders and government officials shared strategies to boost international confidence in the country's Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions industry. The authorities hope to build a leadership position for Thailand's MICE industry in the ASEAN economic community.

The TCEB reported that Thailand welcomed 919,614 business event travelers from Oct 2013 to Sept 2014, contributing more than $2.69 billion to the country's economy. The organization said that momentum continued in the first quarter of the 2015 fiscal year - October to December 2014 - during which 190,660 business event travelers generated more than $547 million, representing a 2 percent year-on-year increase in both visitor numbers and revenue. Conventions contributed the strongest growth and highest revenue, with each growing nearly 6 percent to 62,000 visitors and $191.9 million revenue.

Nopparat Maythaveekulchai, president of the TCEB, said the organization's primary role is "to ensure international confidence in the sector". He said "solid growth across key segments confirms that our direction is attuned with market demands".

At a TCEB media conference in March, Issara Wonkusolkij, chairman of the Thailand Chamber of Commerce, said Thailand is a much safer place now that the National Council for Peace and Order has been in place for eight months, following political turbulence in the country last year.

"The business community is very confident that now we can do normal business," he said. "We are looking for ways to collaborate."

Sek Wannamethee, director general of the Department of Information and spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the government is taking steps to restore stability.

He said the Constitution is to be redrafted, with the final draft scheduled to be released in October. That will be followed by a general election. The new government once elected will carry out reforms to enhance bureau efficiency and political transparency.

"The confidence we have earned from the international community works well for the MICE business here in Thailand," Wannamethee said.

"Thailand has strong positive points in term of culture, tourism and its rich heritage. Many people want to come to Thailand, because they know once they are here, there are so many events for them to participate in."

The Thai government has also issued policies supporting the business events industry, according to the bureau. These include more investment in transport infrastructure and a "2015 Discover Thainess" high-quality tourism promotion, which showcases the Thai way of life, Thai culture and Thai experiences, aiming to encourage tourists and business event travelers to stay longer and spend more.

The TCEB has launched two global initiatives. One is "Thailand Connect the World", an integrated campaign featuring the country's key features as a business events host. These are its unrivalled destinations, business prospects and people, according to the bureau. Another is Thailand's "MICE United II", a strategic campaign with collaboration from nine public and private organizations, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

Supawan Teerarat, TCEB's vice-president of strategic and business development, said the bureau has launched a series of targeted, regional key market development initiatives around the world. She said Asia is the largest source of business event travelers to Thailand and China was the top contributor in 2014. Other top source markets are India, Malaysia, Singapore, the United States, Australia, Korea, Indonesia, Japan and Hong Kong.

China is Thailand's number one source for business event travelers. In 2014, there were 120,684 Chinese business visitors to Thailand, generating $353.62 million.

To further boost the Chinese market, the TCEB focuses on "high-quality corporate customers" based in key target cities including Beijing and Shanghai; secondary cities with potential, such as Guangzhou, Chengdu and Shenzhen; and other "developing cities" with connecting flights to Thailand, such as Hangzhou, Chongqing and Kunming.

According to Teerarat, a recent survey showed Thailand is number one in the exhibition industry in the region in terms of scale, with 240,000 square meters of space in exhibition centers in its cities. She said the country wants to brand Thailand as the top exhibition platform for ASEAN member countries.

The TCEB said it is ready to support organizers with its "Mega Event Support" campaign, to attract major events with more than 1,000 delegates from China to Thailand. The bureau recently forged tactical alliances with major travel agencies in China and the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Exhibition Department. It has also appointed Chinese marketing representatives to effectively tap into its target cities in China.

The bureau has also launched initiatives in the Oceania market and in crucial and emerging markets inside ASEAN.

It will focus on winning bids for major MICE events, as well as appointing marketing representatives in countries such as Russia and the US.

Wonkusolkij said the country has reached a mutual understanding with China regarding the "north-west corridor", to link the countries, and things are underway. In the future, Thailand will be connected by roads and railways to Kunming, the capital city of Southwest China's Yunnan province. It is also looking to connect with Japan through an "east-west corridor", and discussing water management with Korea.

The chairman said financing is not a problem for Thailand, although the country does need some technical assistance. Japan is still the biggest investor in Thailand. Meanwhile, applications for investment have reached a record high so the country is changing its criteria for investment approval and focusing more on environmentally friendly and high technology applications, as well as industries with high value share and high efficiency.

The TCEB also announced a line-up of confirmed business events in 2015 in Thailand. These include Bangkok Entertainment Week 2015, One Young World Summit 2015 Bangkok, FDI 2015 Annual World Dental Congress, TBEX Asia 2015, Herbalife Asia-Pacific Extravaganza 2015, Intermach 2015, Propak 2015 and Food & Hotel Thailand 2015.

Teerarat said: "We are confident that the Thai Business events sector will continue to grow strongly in 2015. As a result of deeper collaboration with our key source markets and among the private and public sector, Thailand expects to welcome 1,036,300 business events visitors in 2015, generating revenue of approximately $3.55 billion."

Contact the writers at yejun@chinadaily.com.cn