Myanmar, ASEAN emergence to boost Thai MICE sector
The emergence Myanmar, combined with the launch of the ASEAN Economic Community by 2015, will boost Thailand’s meetings and conventions sector, delegates attending a MICE event were told last week.
These emerging opportunities, as well as the accompanying challenges, were the primary topics of discussion at the first Thailand MICE International Forum (TMIF) 2012 held on 21 June.
The one-day forum – a side-event of the 7th Annual General Meeting of Asian Federation of Exhibition & Convention Associations (AFECA) – was attended by more than 200 MICE industry professionals and included updates on developments and trends in the industry and sessions connecting local MICE operators with overseas buyers from India, Russia, Australia, Singapore, the US and a number of European countries.
MICE arrivals to Thailand totalled 820,224 in 2011 while domestic MICE visit totalled 1.9 million. Both are expected to increase significantly this year, and current developments in the region are set to offer even greater opportunities in the years ahead.
Edward Liu, President of AFECA said that the founding of the ASEAN Economic Community in 2015 is expected to attract more events to Southeast Asia. “European organisers are launching more mergers and acquisitions of local organisers as well as replicating some of their own events in ASEAN, with Thailand being among their most-favoured markets,” he said.
Liu added that Thailand has a “high level of expertise” in organising industry-specific exhibitions such as those catering to the tourism, energy, agriculture and automotive sectors.
M Gandhi, Managing Director of ASEAN Business, of the exhibition arm of UBM Asia, noted that the opening of Myanmar would also see more businesses from the country coming to attend the exhibitions in Thailand both as buyers and sellers.
He said that Myanmar lacked both the hardware and software to develop its MICE industry, and would need to rely on help from neighbours such as Thailand until these facilities were developed.
Delegates also highlighted Thailand’s geographical location as the centre of the new Asian Highway network as another factor that will help its development.