THE THAILAND Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) is working on a three-stage strategy to battle the impact from the flood crisis, which is expected to cost the country’s MICE industry up to 3.32 billion baht (US106.5 million) in revenue and 250,860 foreign visitors in 2012.
TCEB president Akapol Sorasuchart said the strategy would last from now till March 2012, and would involve immediate measures to handle MICE visitors during the ongoing crisis.
Between this month and next, TCEB will be working to maintain market confidence, and will pump in financial subsidies for events that have been postponed or relocated, including 25 international trade fairs scheduled to take place between November this year and June next year.
A rehabilitation initiative has been planned for January to March next year. This will include tax incentives for companies organising events during the period, updates on the situation in Thailand through marketing and publicity activities, and financial support to stimulate domestic meetings and seminars and international trade shows.
Akapol said the strategy would hopefully enable TCEB to maintain its initial targets for next year –750,000 foreign MICE visitors and 60.12 billion baht in revenue – including numbers from the Rotary International Convention scheduled to take place in Bangkok next May, with about 30,000 delegates from 20 countries in attendance.
