BANGKOK, 1 December 2025: As Thailand prepares to enter a new era of tourism, the 2026 curtain-raiser, Thailand Tourism Forum (TTF) 2026, will convene on 22 January.

Registration is open for the 15^th edition of the nation’s largest and most influential hospitality. The event returns to the Athenee Hotel, Bangkok, attracting the travel industry’s sharpest thinkers, disruptors, and decision-makers. 

C9 Hotelworks organises TTF as part of the company’s C9 Sessions series. Over 1,000 attendees are expected at the TTF event.

C9 Hotelworks Managing Director Bill Barnett explains: “This year’s theme, ‘A World of Change’, sets the tone for an afternoon designed to challenge assumptions and forward-looking insights. At a time when global tourism patterns are shifting, and Thailand’s visitor landscape is diversifying, TTF 2026 offers an unfiltered view of the market forces shaping the next decade.”

The programme will open with the BRAC prequel — an energetic dive into how food, beverage, design, and technology are rewriting Thai consumer culture. From the fight for culinary identity to the reinvention of food delivery and the rise of “third spaces,” BRAC sets the stage for a larger discussion on experience-driven hospitality.

The main forum moves quickly into the realities of hotel investment, the complexities of Thailand’s evolving accommodation landscape, and the tension between lifestyle and legacy brands. 

Speakers from STR, QUO, Horwath HTL, JLL, Delivering Asia,  Central Pattana, Marriott International, and other major players will decode data, unpack new ownership models, and confront the challenges of resilience in an era where operational vulnerability can no longer be ignored.

Sustainability, a recurring thread, returns with more profound urgency — shifting beyond compliance to become a strategic imperative for long-term value creation. The afternoon concludes with networking cocktails hosted by Marriott International and The Athenee Hotel, offering a rare opportunity for high-level conversations in an informal setting.

With Thailand’s tourism sector at a pivotal moment, TTF 2026 stands as the industry’s annual reset — fast, focused, and unapologetically relevant.

Registration is now open. Link to register CLICK

(Source: C9 Hotelworks)

BANGKOK, 1 December 2025: A spirited mix of science, innovation, big ideas, and even bigger personalities swept through the Thai capital last week as the “We Are the World” 2025 Global Health Summit wrapped up in Bangkok. 

Initiated by Hong Kong entrepreneur Dr Adrian Cheng together with partners Michael Chin and Josephine Ko, the event delivered a refreshing blast of cross-border collaboration and has already been hailed as the unofficial launch of a new “Health Silk Road”.

Hosted over three days, the summit pulled together an impressive constellation of global medical authorities, investors, policymakers, and clinical specialists. 

What made this gathering stand out was its bold attempt to close long-standing gaps between Innovation Western Medicine, TCM, Biotechnology, Regenerative Medicine, versus the Traditional Western medical and pharmacy industry. 

In a world where health information often travels more slowly than a Bangkok tuk-tuk at rush hour, the founders set out to build a platform where ideas can finally catch up.

For the first time, dozens of clinical experts from the US. Representatives from the FDA regulatory sphere, traditional Chinese medicine, regenerative medicine, and innovative Western medicine spoke on the same stage. Collectively, they brought more than a thousand years of professional experience and over a million clinical cases. The result was a lively exchange of solutions for chronic diseases and pain conditions that have long defied conventional approaches.

Across 52 focused sessions, speakers demonstrated practical examples of integrated medicine in action. Public science briefings unpacked real clinical cases and demystified often misunderstood regulatory frameworks. 

A key message was reiterated throughout the summit, “Any form of cell therapy must fully comply with national legislation, undergo thorough animal and human Clinical trials, and receive Local Government formal approval. In addition, according to proposed regional guidelines for Asia, the price per injection should not exceed US$10,000”, agreed the collective experts. 

The summit repeatedly emphasised that patients must obtain Clinical Trial information through official local government channels rather than through hospitals, clinics, or doctors. 

This guidance is particularly critical given the current absence of a comprehensive regulatory framework for clinical trials and treatment guidelines across Southeast Asia. This regulatory vacuum creates a high-risk environment and permits the proliferation of unverified medical practices, including unauthorised human injections.

The founders’ passion was shaped by their own frustrations with rigid medical systems. Their belief in integrated care began after seeing renewed hope through the combined strengths of Chinese medicine, Western medicine, and regenerative techniques. 

Inspired by the spirit of the 1985 anthem “We Are the World”, the founders together donated and supported more than one hundred patients with cancer, diabetes, and severe chronic conditions, helping many regain health and optimism.

More than 1,000 global delegates attended the summit, while the gala finale welcomed over 300 leaders from politics, business, capital markets, medicine experts, and academia. Notable guests included Mohamed Alabbar of Emaar Group, TAY Choon Chong of Temasek’s Vertex Ventures, and Merrill Lynch’s Dr Tony Yin, along with more than 20 ambassadors. 

Five primary outcomes shaped the summit’s legacy. 

These included breaking cross-border information barriers, setting strict safety principles for cell technologies, rejecting paid endorsements, launching the “Doctor Hero Alliance” with more than twenty top global experts, including a US FDA lifetime award for cell regulations, and creating a strategic partnership with the Chinese Medicine Culture Congress to expand the international reach of Chinese medicine.

The next summit is confirmed for the UAE in 2027, continuing its mission of medical co-creation and shared growth to enhance the world.

(Source: Andrew J Wood)

About the author
Andrew J Wood is a British-born travel writer and former hotelier who has lived in Thailand since 1991. Beginning his full-time hospitality career in the early 1980s, he brings more than four decades of experience to the industry. He has held senior roles with Thistle Hotels, Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts, Minor Hotels, The Landmark Lancaster Hotel Group, Chaophya Park & Resorts and the Royal Cliff Group. A graduate of Napier Edinburgh University and a former Director of Skål International, he is also a Past President of Skål International Bangkok, Skål Thailand and Skål Asia. Andrew writes widely for travel and hospitality publications, offering insights into tourism trends across Asia and the global visitor economy.