THAILAND AS A MICE DESTINATION

Our Destination is Thailand, a country which invests in elegant and intelligent MICE marketing. Let’s hope the SARS scare is over quickly before it can do any long-term damage to Thailand’s growing MICE business.

The Kingdom of Thailand with some 62 million inhabitants- is a land of exceptional beauty and charm.

Whether you come as a leisure or as an incentive guest, you will be greeted by warm, smiling faces; beautiful white-sand beaches and tropical landscapes; rich historical and cultural traditions; and the delightful sight and smell of exotic Thai cuisine. You will be enchanted by an overwhelming sense of serenity and calm, the result of a culture steeped in Buddhist traditions, which, at the same time, is thoroughly modern and exciting. So come discover the Land of Smiles and enjoy Thailand's fascinating mix of adventure, beauty, and hospitality.

June to September is the low season in Thailand, and a trip in this period will be fairly cheap -certainly a convincing argument. Another plus is safety. Street crime is virtually inexistent, probably due to the Buddhist philosophy -preaching mutual peace and understanding. This is visible in the hospitable nature of the Thai people. In olden times, for instance, wherever you went, you could always find a jar with drinking water in front of the house. This custom is not practised a lot in our modern times, but the spirit of genuine hospitality still exists.

Mrs Aroonwan Kosyakul, representative of the Tourism Authority of Thailand in Belgium: “Thailand, and Bangkok more in particular, is a perfect gateway to discover other countries of the Mekong subregion. Thanks to the excellent regional connections offered by Bangkok Airways, Cambodia with the Angkor Wat temples near Siem Reap, Laos, Myanmar (the former Burma), and Vietnam are all within easy reach. Also Thai Airways International has an excellent route system with frequent flights between Bangkok and Vietnam and Myanmar.”

Although Thailand is getting an increasingly popular leisure destination, the ‘Land of a Thousand Smiles’ has more than enough hidden treasures to make any incentive trip an unparalleled success.
As a matter of fact, there are so many attractions that it is impossible to highlight them all on these web pages. We are sure that the following samples will make you watermouth.

SUKHOTHAI
Sulkhothai –the Dawn of Happiness- is located in the north of the country, some 430 km north of Bangkok. This first real Thai city was founded in 1238 after the colonisation of the Khmer rules who had come from Angkor Wat in present-day Cambodia. The 13th century would become Thailand’s Golden Age, with plenty of food and flourishing commercial activity. Also the political power increased, and in the early 14th century Sukhothai controlled the entire region of the Chao Phya river, right up to the Gulf of Bengalen.
Even till the present day, the ruins of the temple cities evoke a world of material wealth, of refined arts and calm Buddhist serenity. As a result of the teachings by Sri Lankan monks, monasteries and temples sprang up all over the region. Today, the most impressive –UNESCO World Heritage- site is the ‘Sukhothai Historical Park”, a complex of some 2000 by 1600 metres with temples of various eras.
In the 15th century Sukhothai became a province of the Kingdom of Ayatthaya and the economic and political heavyweight shifted to the south.


CHIANG RAI
Chiang Rai is a gloriously relaxed and unspoilt area , very mountainous with many different hill tribes living in the area. This is nature land with opportunities for rafting and boating along the Mekong and Kok rivers, elephant treks, mountain biking, etc. Its proximity to Myanmar (Burma) and Laos gives rise to extensions into these countries, while the prevalence of different hill tribes throughout the province means a wide range of cultural interactions with these intriguing minorities, such as the so-called long-neck people.

HUA HIN
One of Thailand's best kept secrets, Hua Hin has changed from a quiet resort popular among Thai families to a bustling-yet still quiet- destination for international travellers.
Just 2 1/2 hours by coach from Bangkok, visitors can enjoy the tranquil lifestyle of this former fishing village. It is safe and easy to walk around, it has a popular Night Market, a fishing pier plus lots of seafood restaurants. Of special interest to incentive visitors are various golf courses, two superb national parks offering lots of adventure opportunities, and a delightful beach.

DIVING
Thailand's diving sites have been rated as some of the world's finest as they offer divers and nature lovers an exhilarating opportunity to observe a vibrant underwater world teeming with a tremendous diversity of colourful marine life.
The tropical waters around Thailand are particularly calm and clear and provide an ideal habitat for more than 200 species of coral and a myriad of other fascinating marine life. Thailand's exceptional marine bio-diversity is the result of two distinct marine ecosystems -the Gulf of Thailand to the east with the islands of Ko Samui, Ko Tao and Mu Ko Ang Thong, the largest marine national park, being the crown jewels of the region.
To the west, hundreds of idyllic islands are dotted around the Andaman Sea, forming part of the Indian Ocean. Of these tropical islands of the Andaman, Phuket and Phi Phi being the best known, while the Similan and Surin islands have been rated as world-class diving sites.
The best time to be in the Gulf of Thailand is between May and September while the Andaman Sea is at its best between October and April. With access to one of the two locations at various times of the year, snorkelling and diving conditions are ideal all year round.

PHUKET
Another natural highlight is Phuket. Most people go to this island –Thailand’s biggest- for its beaches. However, there is much more than that. Phuket has all ingredients needed for successful incentives.
The atmosphere is a unique mix of the Thai culture with Chinese and Portuguese element, and with the spirit of the Chao Na’am, seafarers who used to undertake long trade missions with Phuket as their home base.
Of course, an incentive trip to Phuket should include sun, sand and sea, but there is more, even jungle and elephants, plus world-class diving and yachting offshore. The incentive infrastructure is complete, with frequent domestic and international flights, outstanding resorts in various categories, excellent food and entertainment.
Also the incentive expertise to handle upmarket incentive programmes is present. The local DMC’s will spoil the guests during sailing trips in a traditional Chinese junk along the many island, topped off with a sunset dinner on the beach of a deserted island –far from the madding crowd.

GETTING THERE
Thai Airways International –THAI for short- flies into Bangkok from Frankfurt, München, Paris Charles de Gaulle and London Heathrow. Being a member of the Star Alliance, the airline company has an agreement with Lufthansa so that the passengers can leave from Brussels.
Apart from flights to the South-Asian region, THAI also offers packages to 22 destinations in Thailand in conjunction with local tour operators. Also destinations in other countries in the region are offered, such as Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.

NEW AIRPORT IN 2005
After decades of wrangling and indecision, Bangkok's futuristic second airport of Suvarnabhumi (pronounced Suwannapoom) will open in August 2005. It will be an enormous, hi-tech, futuristic glass-and-trellis-work facility, shaped like a giant letter "H". The airport will handle up to 100 million passengers annually. It will take over from long-serving Don Muang International Airport, with the intention of positioning Bangkok as a true east-west aviation crossroads.

THAILAND AUTHORITY FOR TOURISM
Espace Moselle
Rue des Drapiers 40
B-1050 Brussels
Tel. +32-(0)2-5049703, fax +32-(0)2-5049704
E-mail: tat.belux@planetinternet.be
Internet: www.toerismethailand.be (In Dutch)
www.tourismethaifa.com (in French)
www.tourismthailand.org (in English)

Thai Airways International
Tel. 02-5024744
Fax 02-5026947
E-mail: reservations@thaiairways.be
Sales: sales@thaiairways.be
Internet: www.thaiair.com