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 MICE. It will leverage innovation and sustainability as travel normalises and international MICE continues on a path of rapid recovery. The plan will be supported by the "TCEB Go" strategy and Thailand MICE to Meet You Year 2023 campaign.
TCEB President, Mr. 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 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 TCEB Go strategy is made up of five themes:
T: Thailand as Global MICE Leader
TCEB will position Thailand as a premier destination for world-class MICE events to generate income, boost the country's economy, facilitate industry collaboration, and create new business opportunities. It will do this by attracting high-profile international events to Thailand, such as the International Horticultural Expo 2026 in Udon Thani, and collaborating with government agencies to bid for events under the One Ministry, One Convention framework. For instance, TCEB is working with the Ministry of Finance to bid for the Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group 2026. TCEB is currently spearheading the bids for two mega events - the International Horticultural Exposition 2029 in Nakhon Ratchasima and Expo 2028 Phuket Thailand. An international campaign to garner support for the latter is underway. To bolster Thailand's position as a global MICE leader, TCEB will initiate marketing activities in new regions and markets such as Israel, the UAE, and Kazakhstan, while still maintaining its focus on core Asia-Pacific markets such as the CLMV countries, India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Korea, Japan, and China, followed by North America and Europe.
C: Create Destination Competitiveness Through Diverse Local Identities
TCEB is seeking new opportunities to deepen collaboration with local communities and networks to improve their capabilities in MICE. It will promote a city or province's unique cultural identity and highly localised experiences for MICE groups by developing a series of 7 Magnificent MICE Routes and adapting local products and services as souvenirs, snacks, or gifts under the Product MICE Premium. These initiatives are augmented by TCEB's efforts in identifying the unique characteristics of a city and translating them into compelling selling points for MICE planners. Other TCEB initiatives to create destination competitiveness include upgrading local festivals - such as the Phuket Vegetarian Festival and the Khon Kaen International Silk Festival - to national and international prominence. The development of new MICE destinations throughout Thailand is part of TCEB's efforts to sharpen Thailand competitive edge through product diversity and excellence.
E: Execute Innovative MICE Solutions
TCEB is dedicated to enhancing the competitiveness of Thailand's MICE industry by fostering digital skills and innovation in MICE services. To this end, TCEB will continue investing in its MICE Intelligence Center as a resource for MICE entrepreneurs and stakeholders, and the Thailand MICE One Stop Service as a digital platform to facilitate MICE logistics. Furthermore, TCEB will extend the MICE Winnovation project for the third consecutive year to incubate innovative solutions that can solve immediate industry challenges and help organisers achieve new efficiencies in managing MICE events.
B: Build Agile and High-Performance Organization
TCEB has set its sights on transforming itself into an agile and high-performing organisation through the implementation of the AAA strategy - alignment of work processes, agile work practices, and agenda-based project orientation. TCEB will prioritise professional and personal development among its staff as well as instill an ethic-based corporate culture. The goal is a balance of productivity and personal well-being.
Go: Go for MICE Sustainability
TCEB is committed to transforming Thailand's MICE industry through sustainability and environmental responsibility. In this regard, it will support destinations in their efforts to obtain international sustainability certification from the Global Destination Sustainability Index and support MICE organisers to obtain the ISO 20121 certification. Additionally, TCEB is working to advance sustainable event management practices, help organisers achieve a more efficient carbon footprint, enhance support for carbon-neutral events, and get more than 450 MICE organisers and entrepreneurs across the country certified under the Thailand Sustainable Event Management Standard (TSEMS). As a certifying body in five segments of the meetings and exhibitions industry - incentive travel organisation, meeting organisation, exhibition organisation, event organisation, and venue management - TCEB is expected to evaluate and certify no less than 500 MICE professionals over the next five years. This steady injection of qualified personnel will ensure Thailand's MICE industry remain on a sustainable growth path.
Mr. Chiruit said TCEB will continue strengthening Thailand's position as a hub for global meetings and exhibitions by bidding for high-potential international events during its fiscal year 2023 (October 2022-September 2023). Thailand has already been chosen as host for several major events this year, such as the World Congress of Nephrology (30 March-2 April), the 29th International Montessori Congress (2-5 August), the AFECA Annual General Meeting 2023 in October, the 62nd ICCA Congress 2023 (12-15 November), and the World Allergy Congress (WAC) 2023 (1-3 December). 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 (8-10 March), both of which are aligned to the food production and processing industries, and ASEAN Sustainable Energy Week (ASEW) 2023 (30 August-1 September), 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.
Apart from the TCEB Go strategy, TCEB has also been actively promoting the Thailand MICE to Meet You Year 2023 campaign to stimulate the economy through MICE events like conferences, training programs, professional meetings, exhibitions, corporate events, and festivals. The campaign will help generate revenue and create job opportunities in different regions across the country.
On 26 April, TCEB will be celebrating National MICE Day to highlight the MICE 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 MICE industry can benefit from. More than 400 MICE professionals are expected.
In the first quarter of the fiscal year 2023 (October to December 2022), Thailand welcomed 7.93 million MICE travellers, resulting in 28.53 billion baht in revenue. Of that figure, 183,618 were international MICE travellers, bringing in 12.03 billion baht in revenue, while domestic travellers numbered 7.75 million, generating 16.50 billion baht in revenue.
Of all international MICE travellers, 97,015 attended exhibitions and generated the highest revenue of 6.88 billion baht, followed by corporate meeting sector which brought in 55,687 travellers, generating 3.24 billion baht in revenue. International conventions attracted 17,653 travellers, generating 1.06 billion baht in revenue. The incentive sector brought in 13,263 travellers and a revenue of 851 million baht.
Likewise, exhibition was the sector bringing in the highest number of domestic MICE travellers, 7.31 million, and generating 14.82 billion baht in revenue. This was followed by convention which attracted 304,826 domestic travellers and generated 1.11 billion baht in revenue. The corporate meeting sector welcomed 129,054 domestic travellers and generating 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 18.55 million MICE travellers, generating 109.00 billion baht in revenue for the country. This includes 760,000 international MICE travellers with a contribution of 50 billion baht, and 17.79 million domestic MICE travellers with a contribution of 59.00 billion baht. As for the 5-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 945.00 billion baht," said Mr. Chiruit.