Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) is looking at driving exhibitions business from the India market this year. A government organisation dedicated to MICE segment, TCEB’s exhibitions and events department recently led a trade session in Mumbai to introduce its incentives and marketing campaigns to the Indian exporters and exhibitors.
“We consider India as a priority market for Thailand. Last year, India ranked ninth in terms of exhibitor size and fifth in terms of exhibition visitor numbers. We hope that the ranking will improve this year. We expect 10 per cent increase in exhibition visitation from India this year,” said Kanokporn Damrongul, senior Manager – exhibitions promotion section (exhibitions and events department), TCEB.
The bureau expects to boost Thailand’s international trade with India through the display of initiatives and new launch campaign, Exhibiz in Market, its latest initiative towards expanding exhibition space at international exhibitions in Thailand.
India contributed 2.92 per cent of total overseas exhibitors in Thailand in 2015, with the majority exhibiting in the F&B and agriculture sector (29.98 per cent), followed by automotive (20.49 per cent) and health and wellness (17.55 per cent).
Damrongul pointed out that Thailand’s export to India is currently more than India export to Thailand and the gap could be filled through enhancing trade between the two countries. According to Thailand’s Ministry of Commerce, two-way trade between Thailand and India totaled US$ 7.72 billion in 2016, with about US$ 5.15 billion in Thai exports to India, and US$ 2.57 billion in Indian exports to Thailand.
Besides metro cities, TCEB is also focusing on activities in Tier II areas such as Ludhiana, Pune and others, due to strong industrial presence.
Alongside leveraging upon Thailans’s geographic position among ASEAN countries, TCEB is also working in co-ordination with Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) in order to influence Indian exporters and companies.
Nihar Lakhia, joint director and in-charge (FIEO), said, “Thailand has emerged as a top MICE destination and offers one of the finest venues in South East Asia. We have more opportunities in the trade gap between India and Thailand. Indian businesses can take advantage of Thai government’s support. I also urge small and medium enterprises to consider Thailand business expansion, as 62 per cent of our members belong to SME segment and they possess good potential.”
