Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau Projects Growth In International Meetings & Events Visitors

Despite the recent financial instability affecting Europe and the U.S., in 2012 Thailand’s economic growth accelerated to 5.5 percent per year, driven primarily by increased public and private sector investment. The meetings, incentives, conferences and international exhibitions (MICE) sector has shown stable and continuing growth, contributing to the country’s economic recovery.

From 2011 to 2012, Thailand saw major infrastructural developments, including construction of hotels and convention and exhibition centers, which continued to drive MICE sector growth. Overall, the MICE industry was responsible for 9.49 percent of all tourism earnings in 2012, accounting for 0.58 percent of total GDP. Conventions contributed 33 percent, followed by corporate meetings and incentive travel, which contributed 25 and 24 percent respectively. International exhibitions and trade shows accounted for 18 percent of total MICE revenues for 2012. Thailand welcomed 895,224 MICE visitors in 2012, exceeding the target for the year by 19 percent; MICE earnings reached $2.66 billion or 79.8 billion Baht. The government is now promoting Thailand as a regional hub for the MICE industry in Asia-Pacific and as a highly competitive destination for business meetings, exhibitions and trade shows in the global arena.

Summary of international MICE visitors and revenues, 2008 to 2012

Source: TCEB Strategic Planning Department

In 2012, Thailand hosted a total of 7,382 MICE events, up 6.84 percent from 2011. The average length of stay for overseas MICE visitors was 5.54 days, with an average contribution of $2,672 or Baht 16,084 per person per stay. The figures indicate that international meetings represent the most important MICE subsector, with a share of 33 percent of the total MICE industry, followed by corporate meetings and incentive travel. Although international exhibitions currently represent only 18 percent of the total Thai MICE industry, this subsector has major potential for further growth in the future. According to a comparative study between the countries in Southeast Asia, China, Japan, Korea, India, Pakistan and Australia, as reported in the 2012 Statistical Yearbook of the Association of the Exhibition Industry UFI, Thailand’s international exhibition industry is Asia’s eighth largest, and the largest in Southeast Asia.

MICE industry breakdown, 2012

Source: TCEB Strategic Planning Department

The recent economic crises in Europe and the U.S. led to a slowdown in the global MICE industry during 2012. Despite the global downturn, Asia’s MICE industry has recovered quickly and returned to a growth trend; reflecting the new business optimism across the region, the phenomenon has been dubbed “The Asian Era.” Thailand’s MICE industry has shared in this broader Asian dynamism, as indicated by the growth in numbers of MICE travelers from Asia to Thailand in 2012. Asia represents 65 percent of all overseas MICE visitors to Thailand and is considered as key to the sector’s future growth. The five top-ranked countries are India, China, Singapore, Japan and Malaysia, respectively.

Thailand’s Top Ten MICE Markets (January-December 2012)

Source: TCEB Strategic Planning Department

In 2013, Thailand’s MICE industry is expected to grow by 10 percent (by revenue) with the target of 940,000 visitors, with revenue of 88,000 million baht or $2.9M.

MICE visitor numbers and revenue by subsector, 2012-2016

Source: TCEB Strategic Planning Department