event industry talk
The SARS epidemic had a
disastrous effect on Thailand's international M.I.C.E. industry
during the first half of 2003. The Thailand Incentive and Convention
Association (TICA), in conjunction with the Tourism Authority of
Thailand (TAT), worked hard to reassure international organisers
that Thailand remains a safe haven for their events.
TICA and TAT organised a M.I.C.E. Mart in the middle of the year to encourage
the domestic market to hold more events, while roadshows to Malaysia, Singapore
and Korea aimed to stimulate renewed interest from these markets post-SARS.
Major events hosted by Thailand during 2003 include a series of APEC meetings
throughout the country, culminating in a gathering of heads of state in October,
followed by Asia's most important M.I.C.E. Travel Mart, IT & CMA in November
2003.
Next year, TICA, together with the newly-established Convention and Exhibition
Bureau, will continue to promote Thailand's M.I.C.E. industry overseas through
country pavilions at major trade shows, such as: AIME in Melbourne, IMEX in
Frankfurt, IT & ME in Chicago, EIBTM in Barcelona, and IT & CMA 2004
in Bangkok, together with roadshows and sales promotions all over the world.
Vanida Tulalamba
2nd Vice President
Thailand Incentive and Convention Association (TICA)
This has been a turbulent year for Thailand's meeting
and incentive travel industry. Government travel advisories warning of potential
terrorist threats and the inflated media coverage surrounding SARS resulted
in mass cancellations and postponements of events planned for 2003-2004.
The congress sector suffered least, but also saw curtailment of some major
medical meetings resulting from concerns over SARS. Meanwhile, incentive trips
to Thailand took a nose dive, as the kingdom lost its allure as a highly desirable
and motivational destination. We missed out on many long-haul incentive programmes
and now have to wait for the next round of destination selection in 2004 for
events to be held in 2005.
These past few months have seen the regional corporate meeting market rebound,
as event planners scramble for hotel rooms in a rush to arrange conferences
before year end, postponed since mid-year.
At the same time, the international marketing of Thailand, as a premier M.I.C.E.
destination, has been held back as the Convention & Exhibition Bureau continues
its search for an Executive Director, who will be in the driving seat promoting
our industry.
At Diethelm Events, we were blessed with a major event earlier this year that
ran against the tide of industry-wide cancellations, allowing us to keep our
heads above water and our vision on course. We have recently seen an increased
interest in our team-building programmes, from both local corporate and international
markets. Next year looks more promising for the meeting market than the incentive
sector.
David Barrett
Executive Manager
Diethelm Events
Last year, we had the privilege
to host many prestigious meetings at The Rose Garden Aprime Resort, including
the World Congress of Poets, TAT Thailand Action Plan and a gala dinner for
the Asia Pacific League of Rheumatology.
The whole industry suffered this year. We had more than 10 theme parties cancelled,
but the fallout from war and SARS should quickly blow away and M.I.C.E. business
return to normal with sustained long-term growth.
Recently, we have seen renewed interest in theme parties planned for 2004 and
2005. We are also working on a five-day conference for a group of 150 delegates
from the U.K. in May 2004. With the APEC event in Thailand, this will bring
increased image and quality awareness for our destination. With the spotlight
on Thailand, many other up-scale meeting planners will have confidence in holding
their event in the kingdom.
The future trend is for a reduction in the size of meeting and incentive groups,
from 1,000-2,000 to 100-200 participants, with an increased frequency of small
events instead of big one-off gatherings. Our Aprime resort properties, Phulay
Beach Krabi and Layan Beach Phuket are attracting many small M.I.C.E. groups.
Delegates are more likely to come from a single country or a regional destination,
rather than from many countries worldwide. I anticipate that there will be
an increase in niche segments, such as spa, golf and medical tourism, to substitute
the regular corporate meetings and association business. There will be bright
prospects for Asia and intra-regional travel.
Danai Wansom
President & CEO
Aprime Hotels and Resorts
The Kingdom of Thailand is regaining the confidence
of meeting and incentive travel planners in Australia. By late 2004, we should
see a renaissance of Thailand as the incentive destination of choice for many
companies.
The overall M.I.C.E. expenditure of Australian clients during 2003 has remained
largely the same as that of last year, but the destinations chosen have been
closer to home. Government travel advisories advising caution do affect the
choice of destination but in Thailand’s case, the SARS outbreak containment
was handled better than in a number of other Southeast Asian destinations,
so I expect speedy recovery of the country’s attractiveness as a M.I.C.E. destination.
The development of new theme events and attractions, continued investment in
promotion and marketing by TAT, and an emphasis on security will keep Thailand
first in mind for Australian meeting planners. Strong competition is expected
from Hong Kong, Singapore and China, as they invest heavily in marketing and
promotion to rebuild their business post-SARS.
Ruth Ellis
Board Director
Meeting and Events Industry Association of Australia
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