Hosted Thailand MICE promotion event “Thailand CONNECT: Japan Business Events Roadshow 2017” Ambassador to Japan appeared on stage at the press conference celebrating the 130th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Thailand

TCEB (Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau), a public agency in charge of the MICE industry in Thailand, celebrated the 130th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Thailand on March 2 and held an event to promote the promotion of the MICE industry. The conference was held in Tokyo ahead of CONNECT Thailand: Business Events Roadshow Japan 2017 (March 2-3).

MICE is “Meeting” (conference, training, seminar), “Incentivetour” (incentive, training trip), “Convention” (meeting, conference) / “Conference” (international conference), “Exhibition” (exhibition, trade fair ) A general term for business activities that are expected to attract a large number of customers.

Unlike general leisure travel, in addition to the direct effect of attracting customers such as the schedule and the number of people, effects such as “creation of business innovation opportunities”, “economic impact on the region”, and “improvement of the tourism environment” are also expected. The competitiveness of the country and the city”. Because it is possible, Japan is promoting holding and attracting MICE as a national policy.

The Kingdom of Thailand will position the development of exhibition tourism as an important policy, especially since Thailand has established a cooperative relationship with Japan in the exhibition tourism industry since 2007, and will celebrate its 10th anniversary in 2017.

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Thailand to Japan

At the promotion conference, Mr. Bansarn Bunnak, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Thailand to Japan, came to the stage and said: “Thailand and Japan have a long-standing exchange relationship, which can be traced back to the Ayutthaya Dynasty in the 15th century. Today, not only trade, but also political, economic, social, Exchanges in various fields such as culture.

This year also marks the 130th anniversary of the establishment of modern diplomacy between Thailand and Japan. Various projects and activities are planned between the two countries. One of the highlights is this ‘Thailand CONNECT: Japan Business Events Road Show 2017′”, explains the MICE promotion.

He went on to say, “In recent years, Thailand’s MICE industry has continued to grow and has contributed greatly to Thailand’s economic growth. Driven by the ‘Thailand CONNECT: Your Journey to Vibrant Business Success’ campaign, Thailand is not only a tourist destination , but also a tourist destination.” It is also a tourist destination. What I want to call out is that it is also a global business center.

The concept is ideal for the Japanese market looking for a destination that combines business and leisure. I’m happy to say that Thailand has become a very popular destination for Japanese people. In 2016, 1.4 million people visited Thailand from Japan. “This year, 900,000 Thai tourists visited Japan from Thailand, and this year is also a memorable year, so we expect 1 million people.” He emphasized Thailand’s attractiveness as an MICE industry zone and the relationship between Thailand and Japan . Large exchange population.

He added: “Taking this opportunity, the Thailand Exhibition Association “TEA”, which promotes the development of the convention and exhibition industry of the two countries, and the Japan Exhibition Association “JEXA” will establish a deeper cooperative relationship, and we will strengthen the future cooperative relationship between the two countries. “We will There will be a meeting at the Thai embassy tomorrow. We plan to sign a memorandum of understanding for this purpose,” announcing that the partnership will continue in the future.

TCEB on behalf of Mr. Nopparat Metabikunchai

Next, Mr. Nopparat Mehtavikunchay, representative of TCEB, took the stage and said: “This year’s TCEB Japan tour is to celebrate the 130th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Thailand and Japan. I hope that the exhibition industries of Thailand and Japan will continue to flourish in 2019.” In the long run. “This clearly shows that they are interrelated.

In the past ten years, Thailand has received a total of 8.5 million MICE tourists, generating revenue of 782.594 billion baht (approximately 2504.3 billion yen). Among them, 417,000 (or 4.9%) came from Japan, ranking among the top ten in Thailand’s MICE industry. “

“We expect the number of MICE tourists from Japan to increase by 5 percent this year. Overall, 1.1 million MICE tourists visited Thailand, generating 101 billion baht (about 323.2 billion yen) in revenue. I expect so,” he said. explain.

Mr. Supawan Tillarat, Vice President, TCEB

Mr. Supawan Tillarat, deputy representative of TCEB, took the stage and explained the specific strategies as follows.

In 2017, the brand communication activity “Thailand CONNECT”, which has established a solid brand in various countries around the world, will continue, and I will continue to do so.

This is to position Thailand’s MICE industry as an ASEAN hub and a global leader, based on the three achievements of “diversity of destinations”, “never-ending business” and “people of Thailand”.

“Variety of destinations” refers to Thailand’s facilities and places with convenient transportation, complete logistics infrastructure, and wonderful tourist destinations, where you can enjoy a high-quality experience integrating business and leisure, which represents flying from an airport to any major domestic city . Southeast Asia.

“Business Ocean” refers to Thailand as the gateway of ASEAN countries, a vibrant commercial market, and a new economic model “Thailand 4.0”. Thailand 4.0 also incorporates measures to foster the digital industry, saying it will serve as a research site related to the digital industry, beneficial to business development and development, and will provide opportunities for international cooperation through communication and borderless connections.

“Thais” means that Thailand has abundant high-skilled and professional human resources, and their service capabilities in the convention and exhibition industry are often regarded as the benchmark in the ASEAN region.

The slogan for 2017 is “Your Journey to Vibrant Business Success”

We will carry out brand communication activities based on Thailand’s attractiveness as a destination, entrepreneurial opportunities, and abundant human resources.

2017 marks the 10th anniversary of cooperation between Thailand and Japan in the MICE industry. To maintain this trend, we will launch a marketing strategy targeting 5% growth. The content includes four marketing strategies: “CONNECT INDUSTRY”, “CONNECT Partner”, “J-Marketing” and “J-CONNECT PROMOS”.

CONNECT INDUSTRY takes Thailand 4.0 as its strategic policy, and develops target markets for future industries such as agriculture/food, logistics/automotive, digital technology/communication, health/medicine, and creativity/culture.

CONNECT Partner will strengthen cooperation with public institutions and private sectors involved in Japan’s MICE industry, and will further accelerate and expand the MICE industry between the two countries in the future.

Thailand 4.0 identifies five key industries

Expansion of the MICE industry between Thailand and Japan under the CONNECT partnership strategy

J-Marketing will promote Thailand as an ideal MICE destination to key decision makers such as companies, associations and organizers in cities such as Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and Fukuoka. In addition, we will focus on Tokyo and Kyoto for academic conferences, international conferences and other conferences, and we will hold exhibitions and trade fairs in Tokyo with seven Thai institutions, Japanese government agencies, related agencies, and business groups. he said. He will go.

In addition, in the entertainment market such as hobbies, animation contents, cosplay events, etc., business matching between Thailand and Japan is conducted by private organizations to attract potential as a destination.

J-Marketing focuses on companies in cities such as Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and Fukuoka. In addition, we will narrow down the scope of partners and strengthen cooperation based on the content of MICE activities.

J-CONNECT PROMOS aims to support companies and organizations in the MICE industry, and is a mechanism that provides subsidies according to size, duration, and content. Up to 2 million baht (approx. 6.4 million yen) for large-scale MICE events of 2,000 people or more; for international conferences of 1,000 people or more, or 500 people or more in industries designated as target markets 1 million baht (about 6.4 million yen) Prepare about 3.2 million yen).

Also, at the Thailand International Trade Fair, the 36m²There are also space allowances, such as $1,500 in support for these exhibitors. In addition, there are support programs for buyers who have achieved a large number of business matching meetings (business negotiations), entertainment events such as holding concerts in Thailand.

According to the J-CONNECT PROMOS strategy, we will support organizations and companies holding MICE events by preparing various subsidies.

In 2017, Thailand will hold various types of MICE activities.The slideshow shows an example

After the presentation, there was a question-and-answer session, in which Mr. Bansan Bunnak, Ambassador to Japan, and Mr. Nopparat Mehtavikunchai answered questions.

In response to the question “How to increase foreign investment in the future?”, Ambassador to Japan Bansarn Bunnak replied: “The Thai government is gradually changing investment rules and regulations, and Japan is the number one priority.” For Thailand, Thailand is the number one investment country. Currently, there are more than 4,000 Japanese companies doing business in Thailand. Regarding the regulations that are being revised now, we will increase incentives, especially for Japanese people to invest in Thailand. We want to encourage investment,” he said.

Next, for “There was a time when the political situation was unstable and international conferences could not be held. What is the current situation and countermeasures?” We are in a situation of “What color is it?”, but now that the political situation is stable, we are moving along Follow the roadmap.

In 2016, a new draft constitution passed a referendum with 60 percent of the votes in favor. After getting this result, the Japanese government was the first to support us. I want to thank you for that. “

In addition, Mr. Nopparat Mehtavikunchai said when talking about the political situation in Thailand, “As the ambassador just said, the situation in Thailand is very stable at present, and a large exhibition is planned.”

He also mentioned the logo designed by Ambassador to Japan Bansarn Bunnak to commemorate the 130th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Thailand. The elephant’s nose is in the shape of 8, representing eternity, and the pattern of the elephant is the elephant “Hanako” who came to Japan from Thailand in 1949. Masahiro Takahashi, who was selected through a public design competition, said: “Originally the cherry blossoms were supposed to be pink, but I appreciate that they took care not to use too many colors and made them red.” An act that made me laugh.

Ambassador Bansan Bunnak and Mr. Nopparat Mehtavikunchai answer questions

A symbol commemorating the 130th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Thailand. It was selected from 110 submissions and is available in Japanese, Thai and English.

Before the closing ceremony, the ambassador to Japan, Bansa Wenna, stepped onto the podium again and said: “In October 2016, the Thai people faced the saddest day. The former King Bhumibol Adulyadej passed away. In Japan, the royal family, the government and The business community in the parliament and the general public have expressed their deepest condolences.

This is significant and an inspiration to the grieving Thai people. On behalf of the people of Thailand, I would like to thank you for your friendship. In addition, His Majesties the Emperor and Empress are currently on an official visit to Vietnam, but before returning to Japan, they will travel to Thailand to bid a final farewell to their former Majesty the King. These actions moved the Thai people deeply. Thank you,” he said, referring to the former king’s passing and expressing his gratitude.