TCEB promotes Thai tourism through MI

BANGKOK, June 20 (TNA) - The Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) is promoting the domestic tourism through the meetings and incentives (MI) market, focusing on attracting visitors from Europe, North America and Oceania this year. TCEB Senior Vice President Nichapa Yoswee told journalists of the policy on June 19, projecting that the MI market in Thailand should grow by 7 per cent year-on-year on average this year, or attracting international visitors for the MI purpose about 596,000 who are welcome to the country for their long-haul stay during their MI-related activities. Besides, TCEB is drawing more international visitors in the country through the Thailand Incentive & Meeting Exchange 2018 (TIME 2018) event, the third of its kind this year, in which visitors from Europe, North America and Oceania are the main targeted groups invited to participate. According to the TCEB vice president, the Thai MI market has attracted 101,514 international visitors during the first half of this year, or a 8.43 per cent year-on-year growth, earning the Thai Kingdom more than 7.9 billion baht. The TCEB vice president stated that her public organization has worked out three main activities to promote and support the Thai MI market, including those on providing information and learning platforms to Thai business operators on the overseas MI market prospect, on opening the so-called social club where Thai business operators and their foreign counterparts can contact for their business negotiations and networking and on organizing field trips through which international visitors have good opportunities to visit potential areas of the Thai MI market, namely Samui Island in Surat Thani Province of the Thai South. The TCEB vice president said her public organization also develop the MICE eco system, in which a sound ecological system has been created for international visitors arriving in Thailand for meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE), aimed to support the government's Thailand 4.0 Policy, through activities organized to promote MI for the industry 4.0 policy, to promote five MICE cities in the Thai Kingdom, namely Bangkok, Chiang Mai in the Thai North, Khon Kaen in the Thai Northeast, Pattaya City in the Thai East and Phuket in the Thai South, as well as Hua Hin seaside area in Prachuap Khiri Khan Province in the Upper Thai South, Chiang Rai in the Thai North, Samui Island and the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), and to build up capacity of Thai business operators of MICE. (TNA)