The Thai province of Phuket is looking to grow through meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (MICE). Business tourism has been pinpointed as being of great importance there.
Phuket visits 4.7 million tourists per year; most of them are attracted by the beaches and the many islands of the Thai province. Phuket city has been described in many quarters as a global city and its representatives hope to use the favorable characteristics to increase foreign visits. As business tourists not only enhance the reputation of the city but also tend to spend a lot more cash than regular visitors, this is a particular area of focus.
Improved transport links between Bangkok and Phuket are a starting point for the improvements to begin. It takes no more than 150 minutes on the right connection to get from the capital to Phuket. By air it takes less than an hour and the Phuket airport is strategically situated near most important destinations. The new 5.7 million Baht (EUR 140,000) convention center to the north of Phuket city is seen as a focal point of the new business tourism project.
The Thai tourist board plans to educate workers and professionals about MICE events to make the project realistic. The education program will be focused on the importance of maintaining decent conditions for visitors in hotels and out on the street. This will further help Thailand’s reputation as a business tourism destination and lead to greater success in future. Workers and professionals must realize that they themselves are to benefit in the long run and not just the tourists.
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PHUKET'S MICE industry won major support today from the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau with the signing of an MoU aimed at boosting Phuket's appeal to groups looking for a convention site that offers more.
Phuket is already being described as ''a global city.''
On the key issue of public transport, a statement paper had this to say about improved transportation links to Bangkok, ''with travel times of not more than 150 minutes, including a mass transit rail project, track upgrading for high-speed trains, and upgrading to double-tracks.''