The Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) has unveiled a 2009 offensive to enhance the local meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions market as the preferred MICE destination in Asia.

Since the inception of the TCEB, a state agency to support and promote the MICE industry, in 2004, the market has been growing rapidly in terms of number of visitors and revenue.

“TCEB will be making a greater effort to expand the MICE market with a budget of Bt850 million, particularly in terms of high-quality international exhibition events. This will help stimulate the economy, commerce and investment in the country”, said Natwut Amornvivat, president of TCEB.

This year, TCEB expects to attract 940,000 visitors, up 20 per cent from last year, generating Bt65 billion in revenue. Despite the political unrest and the global economic slowdown, the bureau remains optimistic on the 2009 market outlook with a target of 1.2 million travellers, up 19 per cent from 2008, generating Bt100.46 billion in revenue.

Under its strategic plan for 2009, the bureau will be focusing on three main areas: approaching new overseas businesses, building Thailand’s image as a MICE destination and enhancing human resources, including IT improvement.

Natwut said TCEB is preparing to organise a roadshow in 11 potential markets, covering 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 to join international trade shows, and also invite the prime minister to participate in some crucial events.

Secondly, TCEB will launch campaigns to enhance the image of Thailand and its competitiveness as the preferred destination for MICE events.

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

Moreover, the Kingdom offers lower costs than competitors such as Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Macau and Malaysia.

Finally, 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 is MICE Intelligence, created to provide comprehensive marketing data and crucial information for crafting a competitive advantage in Thailand’s MICE industry.

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

In addition, TCEB will soon propose to the agencies concerned that business laws be revised in order to lift obstacles for further MICE development.

One urgent matter 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.

Without doubt, the government will be seriously focusing more on the MICE market as a driver for growth in the tourism industry and the overall economy.

A recent survey conducted by Industry Survey Magazine found that Bangkok has the potential to become a MICE city in the region because of its many well-established venues. Meanwhile, the prolonged traffic chaos of Bangkok has been substantially alleviated with a greatly more efficient transport infrastructure system.

The government is also planning to build more convention centres in major tourist destinations such as Chiang Mai and Phuket.