Multiple Crises Won't Hurt Thailand's MICE Market

[webfact]

Multiple crises won't hurt MICE market

By Suchat Sritama

The Nation

Thailand is expected to remain a competitive destination for the meetings, incentive, conventions and exhibitions (MICE) business despite disruptions caused by the crisis in Japan and floods in the Southern region.

Akapol Sorasuchart, president of the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB), said problems in Japan triggered by last month's earthquake and tsunami would have negative impacts on Thailand for no more than three months.

He said some events from Japan had been cancelled, and business travel to Thailand is also expected to slow. More than 40,000 Japanese businesspeople travel to Thailand each year. The TCEB forecasts that business trips from Japan will drop by 20 per cent because of the current problems.

Akapol said the current floods in the Southern region of Thailand would also damage the country's image, and this would be reflected in overseas travellers' confidence. The flooding has already hit domestic MICE, as many meetings and seminars scheduled for affected areas have been postponed.

However, the TCEB has maintained its targets of 720,000 business arrivals and Bt57-billion income this year despite many negative factors.

The bureau yesterday announced that Thailand would host "Publish Asia 2011" from April 27-29. About 400-500 Asian managers and reporters will participate in the conference.

Publish Asia 2011 is the most significant conference on printing and newspapers in the Asia-Pacific region. It is arranged by the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA).

Pichai Chuensuksawadi, chairman of WAN-IFRA's Asia-Pacific committee, said Thailand was supposed to host Publish Asia 2009 but the political situation at that time forced the association to move the conference to the Indian city of Chennai.

Again last year the conference was scheduled to be held in Bangkok, but the conference was moved once again, this time to Kuala Lumpur.

"There was a great deal of uncertainty in May last year in Kuala Lumpur before the decision was made to try to host the conference in Bangkok this year," Pichai said. "Some key members of the Indonesian media wanted to host the conference."

-- The Nation 2011-04-02

[boggle]

I thought this would be about the rice field mice industry.

Oh well. Yummy any way.

[asiawatcher]

Just remain price competitive and rely on Farangs to bring in the business!