Northstar

Feature TCEB exhibition & TCEB Philippines roadshow MICE has been instrumental in contributing revenue from international travellers, despite a dip in the number of visitors, as evident in the statistics released by the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB), for fi gures recorded from the year 2010 to 2011. This year, the country is expected to receive some 750,000 MICE travellers, with estimated revenue of US$1,940 million generated. Even when the numbers go down by 9.9 per cent, revenue gained from international MICE travellers alone increased by 9.04%. Total estimated revenue from the MICE industry grew by 30.67%. And it is not hard to see why. Thailand has certainly pumped in efforts to ensure that it connects businesses in ASEAN and Overview of revenue from international MICE business including accompanying persons, 2010-2011 Overview of International MICE Business 2010 Number of MICE Travellers (persons) Average Length of Stay Estimated Revenue from MICE industry (Baht) Proportion of MICE Travellers : International Tourists Proportion of revenue from MICE Travellers : International Tourists In July, TCEB hosted a business matching for key trade and business fi gures in Manila, and international organisers from Thailand. The exhibition industry in Thailand projects the highest growth in ASEAN, at 70 per cent growth rate annually, in terms of event space sold and the top 10 visitors and exhibitors from ASEAN countries. "With the rise of ASEAN Economic Community, exhibition platform in Thailand will help businesses capture the full potential of the region. Many international trade shows have chosen Thailand as their home because they realise the market potential both locally and regionally and Thailand is located in the strategic location that allows them to reach out to the surrounding markets, especially the emerging market of Greater Mekong Sub-region. As such, 740,412 5.49 53,226,196,203 4.65% 8.98% 2011 799,450 5.56 69,550,734,496 4.19% 9.79% the participation in trade shows organised in Thailand will bring not only the networking opportunities with Thai businessmen but also with regional stakeholders at both government to government and business to business level. This will open up Filipino businesses to increase their trading value through Thailand's exhibition platform," said Supawan Teerarat, director of exhibition department, TCEB. beyond, thanks to its key location. Thailand provides great access to the Greater Mekong Sub-region, including Yunnan (Southern China), Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam, which are considered emerging markets within the ASEAN region. % Change 7.97 1.18 30.67 -9.90 9.04 Poised to grow with more facilities and attractions to the business travellers, TCEB continues to busy itself with the line-up of activities the open up business opportunities, within the MICE sector. That said, getting ahead of the curve is important, to sense and react towards emerging trends in travellers' preferences, needs and cater towards these demands. Events 5 Source: www.tceb.or.th August 2012

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