Recognizing the importance of Thailand - Vietnam bilateral trade as well as acting in respond to the forthcoming AFTA which will be implemented by year 2015, Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) hence has launched and executed its proactive policy utilizing exhibition industry as a significant platform to stimulate the sustainable trade and FDA of the 2 countries.

Mrs. Supawan Teerarat, TCEB’s Exhibition Department Director said, “Not only the prominent increasing of trade volumes between the 2 countries, tourism and MICE industry has also skyrocketed constantly over the past year. In 2009, there were 362,025 Vietnamese tourists travelled to our country which was literally increased from 338,303 in year 2008. The number of MICE travelers from Vietnam is accounted for 13 percent from the total number of international tourists. We, therefore, have worked proactively to stimulate the increasing number of Vietnamese MICE travelers to Thailand.”

Exhibition industry – one of TCEB’s strategies – will be utilized as a platform to reach such milestones. By doing so, TCEB recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency (VIETRADE) which is a government organization primarily responsible for trade and investment in Vietnam. The frame work of bilateral collaboration between 2 countries includes the cooperation to uplift as well as strengthen their MICE industry and join-hands to execute market research in ASEAN region as a mean to develop an industrial knowledge base for both countries.

“Currently, there are more than 25 Thai’s companies plan to put their investment on 216 projects in Vietnam. Although, the agreement in MOU covers only the MICE sectors and exhibitions, this collaboration indeed plays a significant role to reinforce the future of Thai -Vietnam trade and investments. In addition, the forthcoming cooperation by utilizing exhibition industry as a major business platform will tighten Thailand-Vietnam economic relationship under the ASEAN Free Trade Agreement.” Mrs. Supawan concluded.

The join-force between TCEB and VIETRADE has marked the important stepping stone to unveil the trade and tighten their relationship. Additionally, this also helps boosting the tourism by encouraging the usage of Single – VISA which is under the cooperation frame work targeting to achieve 1 million tourists by 2015.