In addition to the great success of the exhibition booth, we were also at IMEX to learn about upcoming developments in the South and Southeast Asian region. Here are some news updates that we are excited to share with you:
Thailand presented an exciting presentation about their new brand campaign, “Thailand MICE- Meet the Magic.” The Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau highlighted how Thailand had elevated its infrastructure to provide top-of-the-line MICE products and initiatives. The President of TCEB stated that people are ready for reconnection in a non-virtual setting. Thailand is already scheduling upcoming events, including the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit and the Travel Blog Exchange Asia 2022 in Phuket. The first large convention coming up is the 2022 Global Summit of Women between June 23-25 in the capital city Bangkok, welcoming over 1,000 participants from over 60 countries. In addition, Thailand is prioritizing local, curated experiences, new business and professional sectors, large exhibition events and environmental practices in 2022 as those are significant trends that event professionals are looking for in a MICE destination. The recent lessening of the border restrictions are helping the momentum of business travel to Thailand, as a negative test result is no longer required and organizers are able to plan and execute any event in the future.
Maldives is keeping their success and global recognition growing by advertising themselves as a new type of MICE destination. The island wants to redefine what we currently know about business travel. In one of our most
recent blogs, we’ve discussed the numerous ways the Maldives have taken the next step to become a MICE travel leader.
The opportunity to present this at IMEX was the perfect timing as business travel as a whole is making a huge comeback. The Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation or MMPRC also took the opportunity to promote their highly coveted leisure travel. “Through the event, we will market the four main tourism products offered by the Maldives – resorts, hotels, guesthouses, and liveaboards – and will promote why the privacy, security, and serenity offered by the Maldives provides an ideal solution for MICE travelers.” MMPRC the destination as part of the effort to show the diversity of tourism products available on the islands.MMPRC has been spearheading
significant campaigns across the globe to promote MICE opportunities available in the Maldives to potential business travelers. Asia Bespoke Tours is very excited about this next chapter of Maldives Tourism!
MICE Tourism was on the minds of many other countries as well, including
Indonesia. The capital of Jakarta is also taking on the chance to bring in more MICE tourism and tie in their leisure opportunities as part of a recovery program. Businesses such as Jakarta Convention Center, Fairmont Hotel Jakarta, Jakarta International Expo (JIEXPO), Pacto Convex, and Prodigy Conference Organizer are working with the Jakarta Tourism and Creative Economy Agency to actively work to regain what was lost in a post-pandemic era.
Malaysia introduced three
new campaigns during IMEX, the 3R Initiative – Reset, Restart, Responsible; Meet in Malaysia Campaign; and MySafe Business Events Planner. “Malaysia is ever ready to position itself
as the powerhouse for business events. As a matter of fact, for 2022 – 2030, MyCEB has secured 149 business events to be organized in Malaysia. These events are expected to attract an estimated total of 212,386 delegates and generate up to RM1.3 billion in estimated economic impact for the country,” concludes MyCEB CEO Abdul Khani. This buzz for Malaysia has the potential to bring business and MICE travelers to Malaysia’s many nature, luxury and adventure tourism products. Malaysia already boasts numerous event spaces with enough space to hold thousands of people, and significant events – meeting, conferences, or exhibitions – should consider this destination.
Other interesting Asian developments included an innovative white paper by Singapore on sustainable business travel. The
White Paper, written in a partnership between American Express Global Business Travel (Amex GBT) and the Singapore Tourism Board, laid out strategies that meetings, incentives and corporate travel professionals should take in order to ensure that their events are sustainable for the environment and society around them. Meetings professionals are choosing destinations that keep the environmental impact low. Interestingly, 83% of organizations take sustainable and environmental standing of destinations into account when planning meetings and events. Singapore has made great strides in implementing green strategies in energy conversation, waste management and sustainable food in their meetings and events in 2022.
During the event, there were some incredible developments in the global industry overall. For instance, the Financial and Insurance Conference Professionals (FICP), Incentive Research Foundation (IRF), and Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE) along with Oxford Economics announced the 2022 edition of the Inventive Travel Index (ITI), the newest joint survey of the international incentive market. The survey this year showed great demand for incentive trips for corporate groups and has demonstrated upward trends globally for the market. Additionally, the Listening Collective launched the new
Listening Lab at IMEX Frankfurt where all event professionals were able to take part of a 150+ strong education program on the show floor.
One other area of focus for the event was the rising trend of wellness travel at events, with more and more events that are being organized prioritizing mental health, healthy food and beverage, and physical activity options for attendees. Given the incredible nature, outdoors and gastronomic tourism options across our Asia Bespoke Tours destinations, we are excited about this growing trend and the opportunity to take MICE attendees to wellness attractions and activities.
At Asia Bespoke Tours, we are at the forefront of bringing MICE groups to destinations in South and Southeast Asia. There is no better partner who understands the ins and outs of each of these destinations.
Contact us today for more information on an experience for your MICE event attendees.
