MESSAGE FROM

President

Re-open. Re-think. Re-boot.

Dear TICA Members,

Though Thailand is fully open and there is a sense of adequate normalcy all around, business has not bounced back in the way we all have anticipated. Setbacks caused primarily by the Ukraine-Russia conflict, skyrocketing inflation, and fuel prices have drastically affected long-haul business to Thailand, resulting in more expensive fares. Another major impediment that has compounded the situation is the limited flight-handling capabilities at major airports in the US and European regions. All of these factors have, without doubt, taken a toll on our MICE growth. However, there is an upside to all of this and that is that Destination Thailand continues its magnetic attraction to MICE visitors, with its beautiful beaches, age-old heritage, and world-class hospitality with a smile, which successfully draws business our way.

To further strengthen our marketing drive, TCEB has launched its campaign to maximise Thailand’s reopening. Entitled Thailand MICE Back, this campaign will strategically implement campaigns to ‘B’ – build trust, ‘A’ – accelerate MICE development through a host of activities, ‘C’ – communicate to highlight Thailand, and ‘K’ – kick-off world-events bidding. If properly implemented, the Bureau has projected 6.13 million MICE visitors to Thailand, who are expected to generate THB 24.8 billion in revenue for the country.

In addition to Thailand’s flourishing MICE business, the Kingdom’s tourism industry is definitely on the rebound, and is expected to draw 7.5 million foreign arrivals that will contribute a massive THB 403 billion to the economy. South Asia, led by India, could see 989,322 tourist arrivals, with a total spending of THB 50 billion. The tremendous growth of this market is a result of Thailand’s robust flight connectivity, which is seeing no shortage, unlike other well-known tourist destinations. Another boost in the income of tourism has been the Middle Eastern market, which is now poised to generate THB 40 billion revenue from 449,800 travellers; followed by the US market, with 257,420 travellers contributing THB 19 billion in revenue.

To add to this vision, the Southeast Asia Startup Assembly (SEASA 2022), organised by NIA, has laid the foundation of cooperation and goodwill within the ASEAN region, China, and India, in order to enhance the strength of the overall start-up ecosystem.

TICA has also stepped up its promotional activities, and in August, we took over 20 DMCs to Buriram in order to establish it as a leading MICE destination. The three-day tour helped lay out a creative round-up of unique and cultural incentives for business travellers to visit the region.

I would like to end by assuring everyone that good fortune is surely ahead. However, even with Thailand re-opening, I would like to caution our members to be careful, and to anticipate and factor in the fluctuating prices due to inflation. Nevertheless, the good times have already started, and now that Thailand is fully open, we can soon go back to the good old days – we just need to hold on tight, and soon we can finally say, “open sesame.”


Sumate Sudasna
President,
Thailand Incentive and Convention Association