TCEB announces 2009 offensive for thailand to be mice leader

The Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) has unveiled a planned offensive to turn Thailand into the preferred meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (MICE) destination in Asia next year.

Since the state agency's inception in 2004 to support and promote the MICE industry, the market has grown rapidly in terms of both visitor numbers and revenue.

"The TCEB will use a budget of Bt850 million to make a greater effort to expand the MICE market, particularly in terms of high-quality international exhibition events. This will help stimulate the economy, commerce and investment within the country", said president Natwut Amornvivat.

This year, the TCEB expects to attract 940,000 visitors, up 20 per cent from last year and generating Bt65 billion worth of revenue. Despite the political unrest and global economic slowdown, the bureau remains optimistic about next year's market outlook, with a target of 1.2 million travellers, up 19 per cent from this year and generating Bt100.46 billion worth of revenue.

Under next year's strategic plan, the TCEB will focus on three main areas: approaching new foreign businesses, building Thailand's image as a MICE destination and improving human resources and information technology.

Natwut said the TCEB would hold a roadshow in 11 potential markets, including Australia, Japan, China, Taiwan, Europe and the Middle East, bringing local operators to meet MICE associations and organisers.

Meanwhile, the bureau will lead local operators and organisers in joining international trade shows and invite Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat to participate in some especially important events.

The TCEB will also launch campaigns to enhance Thailand's image, as well as its competitiveness as the preferred destination for MICE events.

With international accreditation for its world-class convention and exhibition centres, hospitality and variety of tourism products, Thailand's MICE industry has much potential for growth.

Moreover, the Kingdom offers lower costs than competitors like Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Macau and Malaysia. The bureau plans to team up with educational institutes and private organisations to formulate a curriculum to produce more specialists and related services. Training courses will also be created to enhance the quality and capability of employees in the industry.

Natwut said another new initiative was "MICE Intelligence", designed to provide comprehensive marketing data and crucial information for crafting a competitive advantage in Thailand's MICE industry.

The TCEB also acts as a central body to coordinate with relevant state agencies, including the Customs Department and the Immigration Bureau, to facilitate and assist MICE visitors.

The TCEB will soon propose to relevant agencies that business law be revised to remove obstacles to further MICE development.

Two urgent matters should be a tax rebate and amendment of regulations to allow exhibitors to leave used materials in the Kingdom instead of sending them back to their home countries.

A recent survey conducted by Industry Survey magazine found Bangkok had the potential to become a regional MICE hub, because of its many well-established venues. Bangkok's prolonged traffic chaos has been substantially alleviated with a greatly more efficient transport infrastructure system.

The government also plans to build more convention centres in major tourist destinations like Chiang Mai and Phuket.

The survey also found that Bangkok's hotel rates were only half of those in Singapore, which could motivate more customers to come to Thailand.