Representatives of business, travel and hospitality from Thailand and neighboring countries learned how Pattaya is growing into one of the country’s primary locations for meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions at the 2nd Domestic MICE Mart.
Chonburi Deputy Gov. Chamnanwit Taerat opened the June 25 event at the Holiday Inn Pattaya, attended by more than 1,000 people representing qualified small- and medium-sized companies and large industrial estates both in the kingdom and in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam.
(3rd left to 3rd right) Deputy Governor Chamnanwit Taerat, TCEB Director Nopparat Methawikulchai and City Councilor Rattanachai Sutidechanai lead the opening ceremonies.
The market distributed information on MICE services and organized activities for travel buyers and sellers in hopes of bringing more conventions and meetings to Pattaya. It also facilitated negotiations between travel buyers and sellers to arrange meetings in the city.
Nopparat Methawikulchai, director of the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau, said that MICE Industry in Pattaya expanded quickly between October and March, with more than 1 million business travelers generating 33.1 billion baht in revenue for the region.
This year, TCEB is taking a pro-active approach to marketing the eastern region in its “Meeting in Thailand” strategy. The bureau wants to expand the ability of the Pattaya area to host meetings and exhibitions related to Royal Initiative Projects and in the military sector.
For military-related matters, he said, the Sattahip area, with its large naval base, is an ideal spot for meetings and community relations activities, such as releasing turtles into the wild.
He also noted that the government this year is offering a 100 percent tax break to Thai companies organizing meetings and conventions before the end of the year.
Despite its name, the Domestic MICE Mart was not just for Thai companies. Firms from neighboring countries also were invited, as hospitality executives realize that many like to come to the Eastern Seaboard for golf and eco-tourism activities.
With that in mind, TCEB is promoting not only conventions like the upcoming AdFest 2015, but the Honda LPGA Thailand women’s golf tournament.
The three key groups being targeted are SMEs in Bangkok and other cities not more than 250 kilometers from Pattaya, organizations and governmental agencies interested in study tours and sports activities, and firms in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam.
