Mice industry fillip

TOURISM: The Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) will seek cooperation from Asean members in strengthening regional meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (Mice) industries.

Yesterday it kicked off its Asean We Stand programme, a platform for the public and private sectors of the various nations to exchange views under the framework of collaboration between the Asean Economic Community (AEC) and the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS).

The programme follows the success of the Asean Mice Collaboration project, which helped Thailand to prepare for AEC integration in late 2015.

TCEB director Jaruwan Suwannasat said cooperation will include promotional and networking opportunities among regional public and private sectors, with an emphasis on exhibitions.

Activities will includes GMS panel discussions by representatives from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam and the GMS’s Mekong Institute. An AEC networking event is planned featuring exhibition industries.

The TCEB anticipates the Mice industry, particularly exhibitions, will play a bigger role under the AEC and its population of 601 million.

Thailand is expected to receive 172,660 Mice travellers in fiscal 2013 ending this month, up by 16% from fiscal 2012, for revenue of 14 billion baht, up by 12%.