Indian travellers with a penchant for big weddings are flocking to Thailand's meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (Mice) sector as airlines add direct flights from second tier cities, say two hotel groups.
Paul Counihan, cluster director for sales and marketing at Bangkok's Anantara Siam, Anantara Riverside Resort, and Avani Riverside Hotel said the three properties welcomed more Indian guests this year after adding large venues for wedding celebrations.
Anantara Siam Bangkok receives an average of 10-15 Mice groups per year from India. The groups range from 30-50 people, and include senior managers and board members from large companies, said Mr Counihan.
"High-end corporate meetings at the hotel rose by 21% from last year. This increase has largely been driven by direct flights from several secondary cities like Kolkata and Bengaluru, and by the large volume of flights from New Delhi and Mumbai," he said.
Increases in bookings for the last quarter of the year were also supported by the 462-million baht refurbishment of Anantara Siam, he said.
The hotel's first quarter performance was weaker than expected, due to currency restrictions in the Indian market -- especially the removal of large denomination bills from circulation.
Mr Counihan said the grand riverside ballroom at the brand new Avani Riverside Bangkok (which is under the umbrella of Minor Hotels), located next to Anantara Riverside Resort, has attracted large, high-end Indian weddings.
Last year, 11 Indian weddings were booked at the two hotels, contributing 87 million baht in revenue.
Mike Fulkerson, Marriott International vice-president for brand and marketing for Asia Pacific, said Thailand is increasingly offering international-calibre Mice venues.
It is also a top-notch location for corporate tour options, he said, with Thailand's gateway airports connected with all major cities in Southeast Asia and beyond.
One hotel, formally known as Imperial Queen's Park, was closed for renovations and reopened this year under the name Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen's Park.
The hotel, featuring over 70,000 square feet of meeting, conference and event space, and is part of Marriott International's most recent efforts to capitalise on the booming Mice industry, he said.
Thailand's Mice bureau recently organised "India In-depth", a high-level discussion on how to market Thailand's Mice segment within the country.
After China, India is Thailand's second-largest Mice market. The country contributed more than 90,000 Mice travellers, generating revenue of over 8 billion baht.