MICE Visitor Numbers to Thailand in 2012 Exceeds Target by 19 Percent
January 22, 2013
This year was a very good one for the MICE industry in Thailand, with targeted visitor numbers for 2012 of 750,000 being exceeded by 19 percent to 895,224 visitors.
"Thailand's MICE industry is growing strongly despite the economic crises in Europe and USA. The 2012 figures have exceeded our annual target of 750,000 MICE visitors in 2012, and are a clear vote of confidence in Thailand as a cost-effective MICE destination,” said Thongchai Sridama, acting president of TCEB.
Thongchai added, “Last year, we saw an increase of 19 percent above target to 895,224 MICE visitors, earning US$2.66 billion, or 79.8 billion baht."
Overall, the MICE industry was responsible for 9.49 per cent of all tourism earnings in 2012, accounting for 0.58 percent of total GDP.
Conventions contributed 33 percent, followed by corporate meetings and incentive travel, which contributed 25 and 24 percent, respectively. International exhibitions and trade shows accounted for 18 percent of total MICE revenues for 2012.
"In 2012, Thailand hosted a total of 7,382 MICE events, 6.84 percent up from 2011,” Thongchai said.
He added, “However, the number of visitors grew by 19 percent, reflects TCEB’s success in attracting mega-events to Thailand. Last year, the average stay for overseas MICE visitors was 5.54 days, with an average contribution of US$ 536, or Baht 16,084 per person per day.”
In 2012, MICE travelers from Asia were largely responsible for the strong growth in Thailand’s MICE sector, representing 65 percent of all MICE travelers last year.
National MICE statistics indicate that MICE visitors to Thailand were dominated by 10 Asian countries- India, China, South Korea, Malaysia, The Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong, respectively.
"For 2013, TCEB’s strategy for Thailand will continue to focus on maintaining existing markets as well as expanding new target markets, particularly the ASEAN+6 market, which has a very high potential for growth,” Thongchai said.
He added, “We are also in the process of reconfiguring and rebranding TCEB’s own organization in order to drive growth and development of Thailand’s meetings and trade show business. We will also be modernizing the TCEB logo to reflect a new working paradigm that fosters creativity and innovation. We believe that this repositioning will help drive and develop the MICE industry, create new economic value and generate revenues for the country.”
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