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In a clear sign of resurging confidence in the Thai travel and tourism industry, especially the MICE sector, a number of high-level ASEAN conferences and events have been successfully concluded in Thailand, and more are coming up, including the ASEAN Summit in October.
Thailand, which holds the chairmanship of the regional 10-member grouping for 2009, has just hosted the ASEAN Inter Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) Meeting in Pattaya between 2-8 August, 2009, and the 42nd Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, Post Ministerial Conferences (PMC) and 16th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) in Phuket between 17-23 July, 2009.
These meetings have paved the way for the 15th ASEAN Summit to be held on 23-25 October, 2009, in the Thai resort island of Phuket.
These meetings are especially important because they will help put in the legal, administrative, and financial structures for the implementation of the first ASEAN Charter, strengthen ASEAN cooperation on education, promote integration among the peoples of ASEAN, and see the launch of the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights.
Mrs Juthaporn Rerngronasa, Deputy Governor for Marketing Communications, Tourism Authority of Thailand, said the fact that all these meetings went off without a hitch was a clear indication to meeting planners that Thai infrastructure and security facilities are back to normal.
She noted that MICE events organisers will be able to get a first-hand look at the situation when they attend the “double bill” Incentive Travel and Conventions, Meetings Asia and Corporate Travel World to be held between 6 – 8 October, 2009, at the Bangkok Convention Centre.
Thailand is also preparing to host the 122nd Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Meeting in Bangkok during 27 March – 1 April, 2010. To be attended by representatives of 153 IPU member countries and 8 international organizations, this will be the third time the IPU meeting will be held in Thailand.
MICE delegates and their accompanying persons are one of the most important visitor groups to Thailand which has all necessary facilities for MICE events including hotels and venues which can accommodate a large number of participants in Bangkok and other major provinces nationwide.
Domestic political events disrupted an ASEAN leadership summit earlier this year and impacted on confidence levels when Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport was closed briefly last year.
However, Mrs Juthaporn said, all that is a thing of the past, and there is no doubt now that all MICE events in Thailand will proceed normally as planned.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
