Earlier this month, on the 13th and 14th November, a Lanna Mice and Travel Mart was held at Centara Riverside Hotel, attended by 44 representatives from MICE related tourism businesses from four Northern provinces (and an extra ten attendees online) to discuss ways for the region to attract more Meetings, Incentives, Conference and Events (MICE) tourism.
The aim was also to ready the region for the steady and expected increase of MICE tourism, ensuring that expectations of MICE tourists are aligned with our ability to deliver.
According to the President of the Chiang Mai Tourism Council, “MICE tourists tend to delve deeper into their stay, and are known to spend more money than other groups of tourists, often more than double or triple the amount. We are aiming to build seven MICE themes to attract these visitors to stay longer, explore more and spend more.” The members of the meeting agreed to work together to develop more arts and crafts to attract MICE tourists as well as focusing more on sustainability and working alongside local communities. The Head of the Chiang Mai Tourism and Sports said that MICE tourists are very attractive as they are quality tourists and by increasing their numbers, the entire economy could benefit.
“Orachorn Wongpan-Ngam, Director of MICE Capabilities Department, Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau, said, “In order to build sustainability in the MICE industry, we need to start by raising our own standards. Only then can we move forward into the development of businesses across the board.” She went on to discuss the importance of adding value to products and services as one way of doing so. “If business owners focus on analysing the needs and feedback of their clients, then that is one clear way that they can develop their products and services into the right direction.”
