Thailand has strengthened its role as a regional Mice hub by pushing the country's venue standards to cover a wider range such as regional and international levels.
The Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB), which promotes the Mice (meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions) industry locally, was successful in getting the Thailand Mice Venue Standard (TMVS) picked by Asean members as the model for the whole region.
Orachorn Wongpan-ngam, director of Mice capabilities development for TCEB, said Asean tourism ministers in January approved the TMVS as the criteria for the Asean Mice Venue Standard (AMVS) to certify meeting rooms and exhibition venues.
TCEB wants to add another regional Mice category: special event venue. The standard will be discussed at the Asean tourism ministers meeting in 2020.
Ms Orachorn said since TCEB raised Mice sector standards in 2014 with the help of Mahidol University, Thailand has certified 371 Mice venues with 949 rooms for TMVS.
The agency projects to have more than 600 venues and 1,200 meeting rooms receive TMVS certification by 2023.
Wining the certification helps operators to broaden businesses significantly, with more events be held at their premises, benefiting the local economy both directly and indirectly, she said.
Thai Mice travellers are estimated to spend at least 30,000 baht per trip, while foreign Mice visitors spend up to 80,000 baht per trip, said Ms Orachorn.
TCEB held the "Mice Standards Day 2019" yesterday to present TMVS certification to 156 local Mice venue operators, consisting of 136 meeting rooms, four exhibition venues and 16 special event venues.
Among the winners this round were Singha Park Chiang Rai, Khon Kaen International Convention and Exhibition Center and Ayutthaya City Park.
For Asean region-level certificates, some 20 meeting venue operators from Southeast Asia received AMVS certification.
The venue operators in Thailand who received both TMVS and AMVS certification were Renaissance Bangkok Ratchaprasong Hotel, Angsana Laguna Phuket, Rati Lanna Riverside Spa Resort Chiang Mai, G Hua Hin Resort & Mall and Felix River Kwai Resort Kanchanaburi.