Tica sees small growth in 2010
December 22, 2009 by Chanida Sa-ngiamphaisalsuk
Filed under News
Thailand Incentive and Convention Association president, Sumet Sudasna, believes meetings and incentives could improve by 10% next year, but the more lucrative markets of conventions and exhibitions are not expected to improve.
His forecast contrasts with an assessment made by the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau that claims 2010 could bring a 25% growth in the events business. TCEB estimates the country will welcome 785,816 event-related visitors who will generate a revenue of Bt56 billion.
Mr Sumet said: “Meetings and incentives will increase, but not enough to take us past the performance we enjoyed prior to the 2008 crisis. It will take another two or three years to regain lost ground.”
He suggests that TCEB should concentrate on eastern European markets that are more resilient to recession.
“It would require serious research first, followed by familiarisation trips and road shows. If tapped correctly, it could grow 25%.”
Asked about TCEB’s plan to position Thailand as a serious bidder for World Expo 2020, Mr Sumet said he would recommend that the bureau focus on developing existing resources such as improving local events to give them the potential to develop into international-sized events.
I think that TICA leadership should perhaps take a more middle path approach.
If its pessimism is to show TCEB leadership that its optimism is misplaced, then it is helping neither the industry nor TICA itself. TICA should indeed also look at markets, like India and China, in addition to Eastern Europe which are growing by leaps and bounds and show the way rather than making prophesies of doom and gloom.
Thank you indeed for the comments. An association is as strong as its members, and participation, starting by input, is always helpful. The purpose of such grouping is to be a forum of the industry, to think, speak and act together. Unfortunately not a lot of stakeholders participate.