Wiparat Tharateerapab, director of government and corporate affairs, said yesterday that the regional grouping’s vision for 2016-2025 aimed to develop Asean as a quality destination for MICE (meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions). She said the TCEB would be a leader in driving the regional plans by playing two major roles.

The first of these is to enhance the competitiveness of Asean as a single market for MICE business by intensifying promotion and marketing, diversifying tourism products, attracting MICE investments, raising the capacity and capability of human resources and the workforce, and expanding Asean MICE standards.

The second entails ensuring sustainability and inclusivity, such as upgrading local communities and public-private sector participation, improving safety and security, prioritising the protection and management of heritage sites, and increasing responsiveness to environmental protection and climate change, Wiparat explained.

TCEB president Nopparat Maythaveekulchai said yesterday that the bureau would collaborate with the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) to provide knowledge and policy exchange, and drive regional ties towards the mutually beneficial goal of accommodating MICE travellers from around the globe.

This marks the first collaboration between Thailand and the UNTWO to raise awareness and showcase the important role of the MICE industry in the region among Asean member countries.

Xu Jing, UNTWO regional director for Asia and the Pacific, said that by 2018, Asean would be able to welcome more than 12 million MICE visitors, out of a total of 119 million travellers from around the world.

Bangkok conference

The “Asean Conference on MICE”, held in Bangkok yesterday, will serve as a platform to help enable a dialogue aimed at leveraging knowledge and policy exchange, and driving growth within the region.

Previously, Thailand has worked closely with the Asean MICE Working Group in a wide variety of ways, including at the 43rd Meeting of Asean Tourism Ministers in Manila, where the Asean MICE Venue Standard was included as part of the 10-Year Asean Tourism Strategy – and Thailand was appointed to help drive the standardisation.

The Asean MICE Venue Standard was developed out of the Thailand MICE Venue Standard, which was the world’s first standard dedicated to MICE venues.

Moreover, the TCEB is looking forward to collaborating to move Asean MICE forward, ranging from marketing and promotions, to product and service development, to capability-building among MICE professionals.

Nopparat said 750,742 international MICE travellers had held meetings and events in Thailand so far this year, generating income of around Bt60 billion. The bureau expects one million MICE visitors will travel to the Kingdom this year, rising to 1.1 million in 2017, when revenue of about Bt100 billion will be generated, he added.

Meanwhile, after launching “Thailand Connect” as a brand-communication campaign four years ago, the TCEB has developed a 2017 campaign under the concept “Thailand Connect Your Vibrant Journey to Business Success”.

The bureau will also debut a new MICE model and MICE event technology early next year as initiatives.

Speaking at a separate event yesterday, Supawan Teerarat, TCEB vice president for strategic and business development, announced that the new campaign had been introduced at “IT&CM and CTW Asia-Pacific”, currently taking place in Bangkok.

Thailand has now hosted the concurrent events for 15 consecutive years. The new brand-communication campaign will promote Thailand as a preferred destination for business opportunities and leisure.

In line with global trends, Thailand can offer diversity of destinations and experiences outside the meeting venues for organising all types of business event, she said.

MICE travellers can enjoy a pre-imagined meeting theme that can transform a usual venue into any type of themed event, including fascinating history and culture, team-building outdoor adventures, CSR (corporate social responsibility) and green meetings, lavish luxury, culinary journeys and “beach bliss”, she added.

Supawan said that Asia remained the bureau’s major market, with China expected to take top ranking in terms of both visitors and revenue.

He said that this year, the combined “IT&CM and CTW Asia-Pacific” events had attracted around 2,800 delegates from over 60 countries.

Importantly, there are 500 potential buyers from all over the world to meet more than 60 Thai MICE entrepreneurs, including small and medium-sized enterprises. It is also the first time that Pattaya and Chiang Mai – which both have MICE City status – have participated in the events to showcase their capabilities and readiness to host world-class business events.

The TCEB expects that the concurrent events will generate around Bt2.5 billion in revenue from business negotiation, she said.

In line with the “Thailand 4.0” model, the TCEB in partnership with public and private organisations will launch a new MICE model early next year with an emphasis on high-value and creative industries, Supawan said.