The Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) has unveiled a five-year action plan (2023–2027) aimed at revitalising the economy and promoting Thailand as a premier destination for international events.
TCEB president, Chiruit Isarangkun Na Ayuthaya, said: “The lifting of domestic and international travel restrictions worldwide is accelerating the recovery of MICE. At this critical juncture, TCEB is embarking on a five-year action plan (2023–2027) to advance Thailand’s MICE industry.
“First, we will have our TCEB Go strategy, which will enable TCEB to partner with local and international organisations and further enhance Thailand’s position as a leading MICE destination in the world. Our immediate focus will be on innovative approaches and the development of sustainability solutions for the industry. The five-year plan will also be expressed through our new campaign called Thailand MICE to Meet You Year 2023, which aims to inspire the organisation of more MICE events throughout Thailand and generate revenue for more local economies.”
The plan will be supported by the TCEB Go strategy and Thailand MICE to Meet You Year 2023 campaign.
The TCEB Go strategy is made up of five themes which comprise collaborating with government agencies to bid for events; initiating marketing activities in new regions; creating destination competitiveness through developing each local city’s identity; fostering digital skills and innovation in MICE services; and committing to sustainability and environmental responsibility.
TCEB has also been actively promoting the Thailand MICE to Meet You Year 2023 campaign to stimulate the economy through events like conferences, training programmes, professional meetings, exhibitions, corporate events, and festivals. The campaign will help generate revenue and create job opportunities in different regions across the country.
This year, Thailand has already been chosen as host for several major events, such as World Congress of Nephrology (March 30 to April 2), 29th International Montessori Congress (August 2-5), AFECA Annual General Meeting 2023 in October, 62nd ICCA Congress 2023 (November 12-15), and World Allergy Congress (WAC) 2023 (December 1-3).
At the same time, exhibitions that serve the 12 targeted S-curve industries – those that will drive Thailand’s economic transformation – will continue to receive TCEB support. They include VIV Asia 2023 and Meat Pro Asia 2023 (March 8-10 ), both of which are aligned to the food production and processing industries, and ASEAN Sustainable Energy Week (ASEW) 2023 (August 30 to September 1), which relates to the next-gen automotive industry.
Other than meetings and exhibitions, incentive travel will also be a key economic contributor. Thailand is expecting more than 80,000 incentive travellers – 50,000 from Asia-Pacific countries and 30,000 from China – from March to November.
Come April 26, 2023, TCEB will also be celebrating National MICE Day to highlight the business events industry’s contribution to the nation’s development through the years. This event will also bring together experts in technology and sustainability to share insights and experiences that the business events industry can benefit from. More than 400 events professionals are expected to attend.
In the first quarter of the fiscal year 2023 (October to December 2022), Thailand welcomed 7.9 million MICE travellers, resulting in 28.5 billion baht (US$830.1 million) in revenue. Of that figure, 183,618 were international MICE travellers, bringing in 12 billion baht in revenue, while domestic travellers numbered 7.8 million, generating 16.5 billion baht in revenue.
Of all international MICE travellers, 97,015 attended exhibitions and generated the highest revenue of 6.9 billion baht, followed by the corporate meeting sector which brought in 55,687 travellers, generating 3.2 billion baht in revenue. International conventions attracted 17,653 travellers, generating one billion baht in revenue. The incentive sector brought in 13,263 travellers and a revenue of 851 million baht.
Likewise, the exhibition was the sector bringing in the highest number of domestic MICE travellers, 7.3 million, and generating 14.8 billion baht in revenue. This was followed by conventions which attracted 304,826 domestic travellers and generated 1.1 billion baht in revenue. The corporate meeting sector welcomed 129,054 domestic travellers and generated 537 million baht in revenue, while the domestic incentive sector generated 39 million baht with a total of 8,076 travellers.
“For fiscal year 2023, Thailand targets to welcome a total of 18.6 million MICE travellers, generating 109 billion baht in revenue for the country. This includes 760,000 international MICE travellers with a contribution of 50 billion baht, and 17.8 million domestic MICE travellers with a contribution of 59 billion baht. As for the five-year action plan under the TCEB Go strategy, during the fiscal year 2023-2027, it is estimated that over 160 million MICE travellers will visit Thailand, generating a total revenue of over 945 billion baht,” said Chiruit.
