A total of more than 650 travel bloggers from 50 countries attended the first TBEX in Bangkok between 15-17 October, 2015. They also participated in a range of tailor-made tours around the country before and after the event.
BANGKOK – The first Travel Bloggers Exchange (TBEX) in Asia turned out to be an extraordinary success for both the hosts and organisers, with a record over 100 million impressions of the event tracked worldwide.
A total of more than 650 travel bloggers from 50 countries attended the first TBEX in Bangkok between 15-17 October, 2015. They also participated in a range of tailor-made tours around the country before and after the event.
They generated a voluminous output of photos, videos and travel blogs concerning Amazing Thailand which were distributed and shared worldwide via various social media platforms with hashtags such as TBEX, TBEXAsia, TBEXAsia2015, TBEXThailand, AmazingThailand, DiscoverThainess, Thailand and much more.
Mr. Yuthasak Supasorn, Governor of Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) said, “Travel bloggers are the new generation of travel writers with millions of followers across various social media networks. We were truly pleased to see such a large turnout and are overjoyed with the positive response. There is no doubt that the millions of impressions generated by the participants will go a long way towards enhancing our brand image and marketing profile in our key source markets worldwide.”
In his speech at the farewell party, Mr. Rick Calvert, CEO of TBEX said, “Between 14-17 October, 2015, more than 21 million viewers visited the TBEX website generating over 100 million impressions. The feedback has been exceptional. Everything was perfectly organised and all our Thai hosts did a great job. We are truly grateful for the hospitality and sponsorship support.”
TBEX is an annual convention of travel bloggers, which is normally held in the United States and Europe. Hundreds of bloggers get together to network, listen to expert speakers and attend workshops to help them boost their writing, production and business skills.
The event was sponsored by Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB), Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) and supported by Thai Airways International Public Co., Ltd. (THAI), True Corporation Public Co., Ltd., Bangkok Airways Public Co., Ltd., Thai Smile Airways Co., Ltd., S.R.T Electrified Train Co., Ltd., the Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA), the Thai Hotel Association (THA) and the SUPPORT Arts and Crafts International Centre of Thailand (SACICT).
In 2014, TAT successfully approached the TBEX organisers to do their first event in Asia. This was part of the strategy to build up the Thai tourism industry’s social media skills, which are now the most important component of TAT’s communications and brand-building strategy.
The entire TBEX programme was designed to ensure maximum exposure for the “Discover Thainess” theme. The opening welcome dinner was held at the Retro Live Café, Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre and the closing ceremony at Asiatique the Riverfront, the chic new outdoor shopping and recreation centre on the riverside which was sponsored by TCEB.
In between, bloggers enjoyed Thai massage, shopping for Thai handicrafts and sampling Thai cuisine. Many of them went off on their own to tour Bangkok and its environs in pursuit of good story content tailored to their respective audiences.
As many of the bloggers were visiting Thailand for the first time, the tour itineraries were exclusively designed to expose them to the amazing range of tourism attractions and products that have emerged nationwide in recent years.
Mr. Yuthasak said, “We will now be working to maintain close contact with the bloggers to ensure they spread the word to their friends and colleagues. We look forward to having many more of them come to Thailand in the future. I would like to thank all the sponsors and supporters and all those who worked so hard both up front and behind the scenes to make this unique event such a success.”
Photo caption: A closing photo shot of TBEX Asia 2015 in Bangkok, Thailand by Mr. Cheeptham Kumvisate
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
