China is the number one MICE market for Thailand, averaging about 200,000 delegates a year.

This article was originally found on M&C/Asia.

The Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) recently ran the Thailand MICE Roadshow in China 2023, marking the 48th anniversary of Thailand-China relations, and underscoring China’s importance for its MICE and tourism industry.

The roadshow was held between 8-11 August 2023 in Beijing and Guangzhou with about 54 Thai MICE stakeholders participating from 38 companies such as hotels, DMCs, attractions and airlines.

Some 90 buyers from 73 companies in the Chinese market attended the event in Beijing, and about 90 buyers from 62 companies in Guangzhou. TCEB expects about 50 group leads with some 15,000 MICE delegates generating 990 million baht (US$28.24 million) in revenue from the roadshow.

Before COVID-19, more than 10 million Chinese tourists and MICE travellers visited Thailand annually, accounting for 28% of the 40 million foreign tourists. In the first half of this year, Thailand received as many as 1.38 million tourists from China.

In the fiscal year 2023, Thailand aims to attract more than 5 million tourists from China, with spending expected to be as high as 446 billion baht. The Thai government has invested in large-scale infrastructure development such as the expansion of airports across the country, and increasing the number of international flights, and expanding railway lines for greater inter-city connectivity.

China is the number one market for MICE travellers entering Thailand, averaging about 200,000 people per year. Before the outbreak of COVID-19, incentive travellers traveling to Thailand made up to tens of thousands of people per group each year, making it a very important market for the country's MICE industry.

The roadshow was to aimed at highlighting to Chinese MICE planners the importance of the Chinese market and to open a platform for MICE marketing.

TCEB was able to showcase its readiness as a government agency and partner to facilitate MICE travellers travelling to Thailand, to accommodate worldclass events, and to boost confidence in Thailand as an event destination.

A new campaign, "Thailand MICE to Meet You Year 2023", was also unveiled to create incentives and new selling points for Thailand. Promotion deals were divided into M&I Plus packages for corporate meeting groups and incentive trips. Budget support was offered for site visits of up to a maximum of 200,000 baht per event and a maximum support budget for organising events of up to 300,000 baht per group. Other support included a dedicated MICE lane, a special express immigration service at Suvarnabhumi International Airport, visa, customs and transportation facilitation, souvenirs, high-quality local products, and Thai cultural performances, among others.