The Thai province of Chonburi has been selected as the “new city debut” in the Michelin Guide Thailand for 2025, as the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) continues its work to market destinations through food.
Thapanee Kiatphaibool, governor of TAT said at today’s press conference that both the NTO and Michelin Guide have worked together for more than seven years to promote the value of the food industry in Thailand tourism, as well as drive the economic growth of the country.
“Today’s (announcement) marks another milestone in promoting the soft power of food that will help make Thai tourism experience more meaningful and valuable,” said Thapanee.
Since 2019, Michelin Guide Thailand has announced at least one new city or area of focus annually, including Phuket, Phang-Nga, Chiang Mai, Ayutthaya, Nakhon Ratchasima, Ubon Ratchathani, Udon Thani, Khon Kaen, Koh Samui and the Surat Thani mainland.
Chonburi, already a popular destination with local foodies, includes cities like Pattaya, Sriracha – famed as the origin of Sriracha sauce – and the navy port of Sattahip.
TAT’s deputy governor for marketing communications, Nithee Seeprae, expressed hope that the Michelin collaboration would help to stimulate the economy in Thailand’s secondary destinations.
“We can already see how when famous chefs open their restaurants in Thailand, it drives tourism here. We hope that this collaboration could boost tourism to Chonburi up to 20 per cent,” he shared.
Food blogger and KOL Mark Wiens highlighted seafood as the main draw of the province and said that he hopes the designation of Michelin restaurants will help to draw tourism into local communities throughout the province and help their signature dishes to be more widely known and recognised.
“Tourists currently know Pattaya, but not much about the greater province of Chonburi – it would be great to be able to recognise more areas of (the province),” he opined, adding that the incentive to drive a few hours to a famous restaurant can also lead to travellers booking longer stays for explorations in the area.
Singapore’s growing popularity as a concert destination among music promotors is expected to level up with the opening of Arena@Expo, a new 6,700-seat multipurpose, ready-to-use concert hall that joins Singapore Expo’s cluster of event venues.
Soft-launched in January this year and presented to an exclusive group of music promotors and producers last week, Arena@Expo has already worked up strong interest in the marketplace, thanks to its capacity and plug-and-play capability filling a sweet spot in Singapore’s concert infrastructure.
Arena@Expo packs in a Grand Stage, a production console, and a flexible space that can be configured for up to 6,700 seats or a blended setup with standing pen for 2,500 tiered seats and 4,200 standing. It can also cater to smaller shows with hundreds of people in the audience.
Concert producers are supported by high-quality basic audio and visual technology on site, which are included in the flat-fee venue rental, with half-hall and full-hall options. They are free to supplement their production and event management needs through either Arena@Expo’s partner vendors, or their own preferred ones.
Quality back-of-house infrastructure is also provided, such as comfortable and well-designed hospitality suites for artists. Come May, Arena@Expo will unveil new ticketing and merchandise booths at the front of the venue.
According to Ng Sim Lim, vice president, sales with Constellar, the organisation that manages Singapore Expo, Arena@Expo is now almost half-way to its 2024 target of 25 to 30 shows. These concerts are scheduled to perform throughout the year, and are from a variety of music promoters, across different genres of music and languages.
“Music promotors liked what they saw, and that sparked off positive word-of-mouth,” said Ng, who pointed out that prior to Arena@Expo, Singapore did not have a suitable venue for concerts attracting 5,000 to 7,000 attendees.
“We are able to attract regional artists who have good fan base and are still building up their following,” said Ng.
The new venue has so far welcomed concerts by American singer-songwriter, Melanie Martinez; Lebanese-Swedish singer-songwriter and music producer, Maher Zain; and South Korean idol, Kyuhyun. Come May 11, the venue will host Japanese rock band Radwimps.
As most of these concerts are planned for weekends, Arena@Expo intends to build up weekday content through smaller music promoters and associations that support local artists looking for an opportunity to perform.
Ng believes that Arena@Expo is a valuable addition to Singapore’s venue offerings, especially as the country grows its reputation as a “mecca for artists (and) a destination that (music promotors) must include as a stop in Asia”.
Recent A-lister concerts, such as those put up by Taylor Swift and Coldplay, have positively impacted Singapore’s concert and music industry, and highlighted the city-state’s hardware and supporting functions necessary for high quality performances, opined Ng.
“Singapore Expo works with the hospitality industry to position Singapore as an ideal destination for hosting and attending concerts. We are not just a space for rental; we have a partnership programme with many commercial entities, from production companies to hotels. This partnership programme brings convenience and preferential rates to music promotors, and help them recognise that Singapore is a supportive destination with lots of options,” he elaborated.
Ng has observed a trend among artists to avoid “multiple stops” in a single region, preferring instead “a location that they are very comfortable with and can attract their fans from around the region”.
“They make their (concert tour) decision based on more than just the venue; other supporting functions must be in place. For example, Singapore’s accessibility from anywhere in the world certainly helps promotors to pick Singapore as a destination for regional or world tours,” he noted.