Since TCEB was set up, Thailand has been hosting 20 international MICE events per year through the bureau’s successful bids while support has been extended to more than 5,000 MICE events in Thailand and overseas.

During the forum, the TCEB also announced reform of its strategies in three parts to promote the sustainable a MICE industry in fiscal year 2019.

She added that the statistics from 2017 showed that the TCEB and operators in the MICE industry had created a positive impact on the Thailand’s economy. MICE expenditure stood as high as Bt231.2 billion, contributing Bt173 billion, or 1.1 per cent, to the country’s GDP. The contribution rate of MICE to the country’s GDP is comparable to that of Singapore. Meanwhile, in the same year, the industry contributed Bt2.16 billion baht in tax and created as many as 167,300 jobs.

In terms of global ranking, the International Congress and Convention Association and the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry in 2017 have rated Thailand the fifth Convention Destination in Asia by number of conventions, and the seventh exhibition destination in Asia in terms of exhibition space sold. The country took the top spot among Asean countries in both categories.

According to TCEB, in first three quarters of fiscal year 2018, Thailand has welcomed 25,291,439 MICE travellers, generating Bt154.779 billion in revenue.

Although the full restoration of the power supply is expected to take some time, people in the earthquake-hit industries have continued their businesses positively.

“We want to welcome many customers while making efforts to save electricity,” a person involved said.

In Hakodate, the city government has taken the initiative to create attractive night views such as by lighting up historic buildings and installing street lights with warm colors.

“We can’t avoid adverse effects, but Hakodate can’t be the only place to use electricity for night views. It can’t be helped,” said Takashi Miura, secretary general of the Hakodate International Tourism and Convention Association. “We have no choice but to endure the situation in Hokkaido as a whole.”

Some stone walls of Goryokaku Fort, a national special historical site in Hakodate, collapsed due to the earthquake. Now is a peak season for autumn school trips, but no students were seen walking at the site while only a few foreign tourists were spotted.

Hakodate Kokusai Hotel, which reopens after renovation on Wednesday, has had about 50 cancellations every day since the earthquake. An official in charge of the hotel’s sales said, “It seems that tourists who are worried about aftershocks are hesitant to travel.”

Asahiyama Zoo in Asahikawa, which is known for its “behavioral exhibition” to show animals’ natural behavior and habits, has remained quiet with few visitor groups since the earthquake.

Due to power outages, the zoo was closed on Thursday, the day when the earthquake occurred, but resumed operations on Friday.

An official of the zoo said: “If rolling blackouts are implemented, the impact will be huge. We want to avoid such a situation.”

The rolling blackouts could affect refrigerating and freezing feed for the animals, water purification and sewage treatment and cooking at shops and restaurants, among other things.

However, if the power supply’s current state continues, the zoo’s operations may not experience problems as long as curtailed lighting and other power-saving efforts are made, according to the official.

“As the animals are in good shape, we’re waiting for many people to visit,” the official said.Speech.

All Air Italy’s new services between Milan Malpensa Airport and Thailand, the US and India are being operated with its new long-haul Airbus A330-200, which offers up to 24 seats in the exclusive Business Class cabin.

This makes it possible to fly with maximum comfort in fully lie-flat seats with signature Italian cuisine accompanied by a selection of champagnes and Italian fine wines, Wi-Fi service, an extensive inflight entertainment service and the personalised attention from on-board staff, the carrier said on Monday.

The Economy Class cabin with 228 seats also provides Air Italy’s guests with highly personalised service, Wi-Fi and a wide selection of entertainment, it added.

The intent of the agreement is to explore a stronger relationship between the two municipalities and create international business opportunities.

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate will travel to Phuket to sign the agreement with his Phuket counterparts.

The mayor is half Thai, originally from Saraburi, and emigrated to Australia at a very young age. He said that Gold Coast and Phuket share similarities in economic success, year-round sunshine and a cosmopolitan lifestyle.

“I want this sister city partnership to work, because I know that Gold Coast and Phuket are a good match. The two cities share a significant beach culture and we could possibly exchange knowledge on lifeguard procedures and training. We will see what Phuket authorities and other business operators will be interested in, this is the first stage,” said the mayor.

He said Phuket has the potential to become a mid-way destination for European travellers to spend a few weeks before flying on to Gold Coast.

He says that for an interim period of one year, the Gold Coast government will send officials to Phuket to explore areas where they can exchange work ideas and knowledge.

“For instance, if Phuket is looking at developing a better waste management policy, or green energy utilisation, we will see how both parties can work together on the initial high-level studies,” he said.

Gold Coast is a multicultural city and a hub for Australia’s tourism with its geography and economy similar to  Phuket.

For Gold Coast, international partnerships of this type are a source of economic growth; provide cultural, educational and professional opportunities, and boost international profiles. These relationships open doors to the world and create real outcomes for Gold Coast residents and businesses.

Traditionally, sister city relationships focus on cultural and education exchanges. It is now recognised that these relationships also have the ability to stimulate economic growth, increase tourism and assist in establishing reliable business contacts, which can create long-term benefits to the local communities in both cities.

They also enable communities to exchange ideas, gain an international perspective and increase their understanding of global issues.

Currently, Gold Coast has eight sister cities and one friendship agreement, all of which have helped shape Gold Coast as a city of global significance by fostering successful business and cultural ties. This is through initiatives that include two-way trade missions, hosting inbound delegations, and offering business and student exchanges.

As for the benefit to Phuket, Andrew Park, the Honorary Consul of Thailand for Queensland, Australia, says that the partnership is important at many levels. Apart from generating government-to-government links between the two cities, it also creates direct links at the people-to-people level.

“Prince Songkla University Hospitality and Tourism School in Phuket is well established and well regarded as one of the world best hospitality, hotel management and tourism schools while the Griffith University in the Gold Coast has the same high acclaim globally,” Park said.

“There is a possibility of academic exchanges between the two institutions for the benefit of both,” said Park.

He also said that in terms of the business linkages, the agreement will be a driver for the government of Gold Coast to express an interest in developing stronger partnerships with Phuket at the business level.

“Next year, Mayor Tate will be taking business delegations across to Phuket and I believe Phuket will be doing the same. The marine sector, with the wealthy high-end yachting industry, is something Phuket does very well and I believe that is something Gold Coast can learn and benefit from.”

Park said that he is excited to be part of creating this inaugural relationship between the two cities to set a good example for further relationships between cities in the two countries in the future.

During the four-day meeting, representatives will review recent activities, discuss new projects, work on tourism development, enhance the responsibilities of state tourism management agencies and strengthen cooperation between municipal governments and tourism agencies, as well as other issues related to the cooperation and promotion of the “Welcome to Asia” campaign.

“With a history of 1,000 years, Hanoi has the potential to develop its tourism industry. The city attached special importance to the CPTA. Since its establishment 16 years ago, the CPTA has proved its adaptability to global development,” said deputy chairman of Hanoi’s People’s Committee, Ngô Văn Qúy, during a working session.

President of the CPTA Yuji Fujita said the focus of the meeting was to work on more effective policies and activities to attract more tourists to Asia’s cities.

He said he hoped the delegates would contribute to stronger and more effective cooperation in tourism development in Asia.

This is the fourth time Hanoi has hosted this event, which is expected to help the city lure more international visitors.

There will be a tourism promotion meeting today, along with a tourism exposition of member cities of CPTA.

On Sunday, participants will visit the Hồ Chí Minh Mausoleum, the Temple of Literature, the Thăng Long Royal Citadel and Bát Tràng pottery village.

The CPTA includes state tourism management agencies from 10 member cities of the Asian Network of Major Cities 21 (ANMC21) –Tokyo, Bangkok, New Delhi, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Seoul, Taipei, Manila, Tomsk and Hanoi.

In the first six months of 2018, Hanoi welcomed more than 13 million visitors, a 10 per cent increase compared to the previous year, among which were 3 million foreign tourists. Total tourism revenue during the period reached an estimated 40 trillion dong (Bt56 billion)

The quake hit on Wednesday morning leaving several homes damaged and a power outage, forcing the closure of New Chitose Airport.

For passenger safety, all commercial airlines have cancelled their Sapporo flights.

Pedestrians cross a street in darkness due to blackout in Sapporo, northern Japan, 06 September 2018. // EPA-EFE PHOTO

Those cancelled include the TG670 from Suvarnabhumi airport on September 6 and TG671 from Sapporo on September 7.

Thai said it would resume flights as soon as the airport reopens.

Passengers can check www.thaiairways.com or call Thai on 0-356-1111, 24-hours a day.

Typhoon Jebi slammed into the west coast of Japan yesterday, damaging the airport and flooding its runways.

The flights to be cancelled are TG672 from Suvarnabhumi airport at 8.25am, TG673 from Kansai at 5.35pm, TG622 from Suvarnabhumi at 11.30pm, TG623 from Kansai at 11.45am.

 An aerial view of flooding at the Kansai International Airport on September 5 after Typhoon Jebi hit. Photo by JIJI PRESS/AFP

Thai passengers holding roundtrip tickets between Bangkok and Osaka until September 15 may reschedule flights or reroute to Tokyo (Narita and Haneda), Nagoya, Fukuoka and Sapporo. Fees and charges will be exempt.

Passengers are advised to contact Thai on +66(0)2-356-1111 or their travel agent.

A hotline +66(0)2-356-1166 has been set up.

According to media reports, 11 people were killed in Osaka and Shiga prefectures in western Japan after being hit by flying objects or buried under damaged buildings. More than 3,000 people that were left stranded at the airport, the biggest in western Japan, are to be evacuated by speedboat.

The typhoon approached Japan on Tuesday at noon, damaging the airport and flooding the runways, Flt Lieutenant Pratana Patansiri, vice president for THAI’s aviation safety, security and standard’s department, said on Tuesday night.

Other airlines have also temporarily stopped flying in and out of Osaka.

The flights to be cancelled are:

1. TG622 scheduled to depart from Suvarnabhumi Airport on September 4 at 11.30pm and arrive at Kansai Airport at 7am (local time) the following day;

2. TG623 scheduled to depart Kansai Airport on September 5 at 11.45am (local time) and arrive at Suvarnabhumi Airport at 3.35pm.

Earlier, THAI had cancelled the Bangkok-Osaka TG672 flight, and the Osaka- Bangkok TG673 flight.

The airline has said it will closely monitor and assess the situation, and resume normal operations once Kansai Airport reopens.

THAI operates two round-trip flights daily between Bangkok and Osaka. For more information, visit thaiairways.com or call (02) 356 1111 (24 hours).

Facebook page @Hokkaidofanclub on Monday posted a video clip showing a live cockroach on the flight from Chitose Airport to Suvarnabhumi Airport on Friday.

The post received much comment from social-media users concerning the national flag carrier’s cleanliness and sanitation.

In a statement issued by THAI on Tuesday, it said the company had a normal cleaning process for each plane, both when it reached a destination and before its next flight.

There is also a big cabin clean during flight breaks and deep cleaning during scheduled maintenance, it added.

However, following the incident on TG671, it has increased the frequency of cabin big cleaning on its aircraft.

As to the plane in which the insect was found, it had passed the normal cleaning process when it landed at Suvarnabhumi on August 31, THAI said.

Moreover, the aircraft in question today additionally passed its cabin big cleaning and will receive deep cleaning during scheduled maintenance tomorrow, it added.

For measures to get rid of cockroaches, the carrier has now placed cockroach traps and used gel to trap the insects, as well as spraying an insecticide not harmful to humans, THAI explained.

The announcement came after the Japan Meteorological Agency warned Japanese residents that Typhoon Jebi is expected to approach Japan, flight Lieutenant Pratana Patanasiri, THAI vice president aviation safety, security and standards department, said on Monday.

For safety reason, the flight adjustments are:

Cancellation of four flights.

• Flight TG646 on the Bangkok-Nagoya route which was scheduled to depart from Suvarnabhumi Airport at 10.45am and arrive at Nagoya Airport at 6.40pm (local time).

• Flight TG647 on the Nagoya-Bangkok route which was scheduled to depart from Nagoya Airport at 12.30am (local time) on September 5 and arrive at Suvarnabhumi Airport at 4.30am.

• Flight TG672 on the Bangkok-Osaka route which was scheduled to depart from Suvarnabhumi Airport at 8.25am and arrive at Kansai Airport, Osaka at 3.55pm (local time).

• Flight TG673 on route Osaka-Bangkok route which was scheduled to depart from Kansai Airport, Osaka at 5.35pm (local time) and arrive at Suvarnabhumi Airport at 9.25pm.

Reschedule of two flights.

• Flight TG623 on the Osaka-Bangkok route which was scheduled to depart from Kansai Airport, Osaka at 11.45am (local time) and arrive at Suvarnabhumi Airport at 3.35pm, reschedules to depart from Kansai Airport, Osaka at 11am (local time) and arrive at Suvarnabhumi Airport at 2.50pm.

• Flight TG645 on the Nagoya-Bangkok route which was scheduled to depart from Nagoya Airport at 11am (local time) and arrive at Suvarnabhumi Airport at 3pm, reschedules to depart from Nagoya Airport at 10am (local time) and arrive at Suvarnabhumi Airport at 2pm.

For more information, passengers may visit thaiairways.comwebsite or contact THAI Contact Center at Tel. 02-356-1111 (24 hours).