Boost in Flight Capacity and Visa-Free Policies Set to Drive MICE Revenue
A robust increase in flight capacity and a series of major international events, each anticipated to attract between 10,000 and 100,000 attendees, are poised to significantly elevate the revenue of the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE) sector to 200 billion baht, as reported by industry authorities.
Recent data reveals that the number of airline seats available in December surged by 23% to 4.62 million, up from 3.77 million in December 2023, with a minimum of 30 new routes expected to commence soon.
According to forecasts, the number of business travelers in fiscal year 2025 is projected to reach 34 million, contributing approximately 200 billion baht to the economy—an increase from the 148 billion baht registered in fiscal 2024.
In the upcoming fiscal year, the international market is expected to generate 92 billion baht from 1.4 million visitors, while the domestic MICE segment is anticipated to contribute 108 billion baht from 32.6 million travelers.
Notable drivers behind this growth include the ongoing positive momentum of flight capacity and the implementation of visa-free policies for key markets such as China, India, and Taiwan.
Seven large-scale events have already been confirmed for the next year, beginning with VIV Asia 2025 in March, drawing an estimated 45,000 participants, followed by the International Diabetes Federation World Diabetes Congress 2025 in April, which expects around 10,000 attendees.
The second quarter will feature significant events like the Asia Pacific Life Insurance Congress and THAIFEX-Anuga Asia 2025 in May, attracting at least 10,000 and 85,000 participants, respectively.
During the typically slower third quarter, Thailand is set to welcome substantial attendance from two major events: the Thailand Coffee Fest 2025 in July, projected to attract 100,000 attendees, along with the Bangkok International Digital Content Festival 2025 in August, with 10,000 expected attendees.
The year will conclude with the IEEE PES GTD Grand International Conference and Exposition Asia Bangkok 2025 in November, which is anticipated to host around 10,000 participants.
Current trends indicate a sustained recovery in flight availability, with December reporting 4.62 million seats. Notably, flights connecting to Northeast Asia account for 1.85 million seats, followed by Southeast Asia with 1.25 million seats, and Europe with 560,000 seats.
Among the new routes established, destinations in China, South Korea, India, and several European countries have been added, providing direct connections to key cities including Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Phuket, and Krabi.
