MESSAGE FROM

TICA President’s Message October 2020

Despite already being in the midst of the last quarter of the year, COVID-19 continues to rear its ugly head. However, although the hospitality and MICE industries are still on the road to recovery, we take heart that there are still many ways in which we can forge ahead.

Foremost on the list is self-improvement and strategising. Leading the charge as always is TCEB, which has launched a campaign to reenergise the MICE sector. In a comprehensive operational plan entitled “Four Strategies for Business Recovery and Sustainable Growth,” they revealed that for the fiscal year of 2021, they are targeting 3.5 percent growth in the number of MICE travellers and revenue for the country, a total of 10.4 million travellers and 64 billion baht, respectively. “Thailand: A Safer Place for Meetings” is an initiative aimed at lifting Thailand’s MICE industry out of crisis and strengthening the industry’s core fundamentals for sustainability, creating a sizable momentum to propel Thailand’s MICE industry forward.

The first destination on TCEB’s agenda is Pattaya, where their vision is to encourage tourism industry stakeholders to enhance their new profiles or create MICE events in the east coast of Thailand. The exhibition master plan, called “Thailand LOG-IN Events” strives to re-inject life into business travel within the country. Further encouraging travel to the area is the government’s plans for a “Thai Bridge” that will connect the eminently popular destinations of Pattaya and Hua Hin, a substantial investment of an estimated THB 900 billion.

Similarly, the plan to boost domestic tourism and MICE, especially to extended destinations, has to continue regardless of external factors. With this in mind, in this issue of the TICA MICE Update, we are showcasing a fast-emerging secondary destination that is popular all over the world for its historical and wartime significance. This destination is Kanchanaburi, which offers incentive planners a number of creative ways to host their events.

For these event planners to further their self-improvement, we’ve also included in this edition a ‘Survival Guide and Tool Kit’ for them, which encompasses contingency planning and partnerships with trusted hotels. These hotels remain the centrepiece for planners preparing to return to business when the pandemic subsides.

Through small but measured steps, Thailand will be imminently opening its borders. After the first group of Chinese tourists arrived on October 21, 2020 under the special tourist visa (STV) scheme, we are confident that these first arrivals, though not in large numbers, will be an example to show the readiness of the public health system in Thailand.

Finally, on a more positive note, I would like to encourage our members to remain resilient and optimistic because the darkest of days are always followed by the brightest of mornings. Remember, when the going gets tough, the tough gets going.

Sumate Sudasna
President,
Thailand Incentive and Convention Association