The number of international travellers in the meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (Mice) segment this year is expected to contract from last year, due to US trade and tariff policies and an unsafe image of Thailand, according to the Thailand Incentive and Convention Association (Tica).
Prachoom Tantiprasertsuk, the newly-elected president of Tica, said the size of international Mice groups has shrunk, and they have tended to shorten the duration of their trips or reduce activities to save costs.
She said some long-haul groups, such as those from Europe and the US, only requested quotations but later decided to postpone their trips until next year.
According to the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB), during the 2024 fiscal year Thailand welcomed over 1.1 million international Mice travellers, generating over 69.5 billion baht.
Also, as a board member of the TCEB, Ms Prachoom said since October last year Thailand has gained over 590,000 foreign Mice travelllers, generating 33 billion baht.
However, the bureau has revised down the 2025 forecast to less than 1 million arrivals in response to several uncertainties.
Sumate Sudasna, Tica's president emeritus, said destination management companies are expecting a lower margin of only 10-15% this year, compared with over 20% typically gained before the pandemic, as meeting groups are more selective and cautious about using their budget.
Ms Prachoom said even though some groups opted for emerging destinations such as Vietnam for meeting and incentive programmes, in the long run Thailand should remain a preferred Mice destination, thanks for its value for money and the quality of Mice facilities that consistently attract repeat customers.
In the short term, she urged the government to offer hard-sell campaigns to drive short-haul and domestic tourists, which are easier to boost than long-haul markets, such as providing incentives for travel packages before and after their business meetings.
A tax reduction would also help drive domestic meetings in second-tier cities.
The association also suggested the government elevate the Mice ecosystem, including improving public infrastructure, developing skilled workers to combat the labour shortage and upgrading sustainability standards for all venues.
Amid global economic uncertainty, the government should focus on targeting potential industries that are still thriving, such as food, medicine, healthcare, education and technology.
Given the government's plan to develop entertainment complexes, including hotels, meeting facilities and a casino area covering 10% of the total area, Mr Sumate said developments remain unclear.
If enacted, this bill should help boost Mice travellers, as the new activities for travellers would be added to their itineraries.