Thailand saw more than 8 million Mice travellers generating 54 billion baht in the second quarter of fiscal 2019, increases of 2.9% and 6.3% year-on-year, says the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau.
TCEB president Chiruit Isarangkun Na Ayuthaya said international Mice (meetings, incentives, conventions, exhibitions) travellers during the period, which ended in March, stood at 353,256, up 11%, for 26.7 billion baht in income, up 7%. The key category was corporate meetings.
The top five in international Mice arrivals in the quarter were China, India, Japan, Hong Kong and Indonesia, Mr Chiruit said.
Domestic Mice travellers represented a bigger chunk with some 7.75 million travellers in the period, a gain of 18%, generating 28 billion baht, up 180%, with exhibitions and incentives the key categories.
The strong Mice business in the quarter of 193 meetings lifted the ranking of Thailand's Mice sector to fourth in Asia, up from fifth place last year.
Based on the report of the International Congress and Convention Association, Japan, China and South Korea, in that order, led the region's Mice business.
Mice has been a key engine used by Thailand to drive tourism and the economy in recent years. The agency predicts a total of 35.9 million Mice travellers this year, with spending of 221.5 billion baht, up from 34.2 million travellers and 213 billion baht in the last fiscal year (October 2017-September 2018).
To achieve the goal, the TCEB plans to introduce the Thai Mice sector in Asean, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Japan, China and India as short-haul markets, focusing on Europe as a long-haul market, by joining global Mice marketing events and trade shows.
These events include Imex Frankfurt 2019 in Germany, May 21-23; CLMV Media Fam Trip (Bangkok-Pattaya), June 10-14; and Incentive Travel & Conventions, Meetings Asia and Corporate Travel World 2019 in Bangkok, Sept 24-26.
The major Mice events in Thailand through September 2019, expected to attract at least 100,000 visitors each, are Lanna Expo 2019 in Chiang Mai, Thailand Toy Expo 2019 in Bangkok, Bangkok Entertainment Fest 2019 and TTC Fair in Khon Kaen.
