MICE makes its come-back as borders reopen, says Centara

After a challenging two years of start-stop Covid-19 restrictions, Centara Hotels & Resorts is finally seeing initial signs of MICE business come-back in Thailand.

Domestic exhibitions and conventions are starting to make an appearance at Centara Grand & Bangkok Convention Centre at CentralWorld, the group’s flagship property with over 20,000sqm of venue space, said Markland Blaiklock, deputy CEO at Centara Hotels and Resorts. “There are some promising signs,” he said. 

“We are starting to see some pick-up in events that include rooms in May – and those are mostly events scheduled in 2020 and 2021. I don't have the exact composition of these initial signs of MICE's return, but they include some international attendees. Some guests are coming in from overseas or internationally,” added Blaiklock. 

Centara’s other prominent MICE hotels in Thailand are also seeing a come-back of domestic MICE business. Centra by Centara Government Complex Hotel Chaengwattana, located near the cluster of Thai government offices in Bangkok’s north, as well as Centara Hotel & Convention Centre Udon Thani in northeastern Thailand, have seen a resumption in government meetings. 

As borders progressively open up in Southeast Asia, Blaiklock is hopeful that the coming months will see an uptick for international MICE events in Thailand even as domestic events still dominate in the short term. 

Thailand has reopened borders to fully vaccinated travellers, allowing them to enter the country quarantine free through the Test & Go and Phuket Sandbox schemes although some restrictions still apply. However, it is expected that the Thai government will further ease entry restrictions in the coming weeks. 

For the upcoming Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) 2022, for which Thailand is the host country, Blaiklock expects Centara Grand & Bangkok Convention Centre at CentralWorld to “get a good share of bookings” from the summit venue at Queen Sirikit National Convention Center. Officials from the 21 APEC member countries are expected to visit Thailand during the main meeting dates from 14-19 November. 

Looking ahead, Blaiklock believes there is still a market for hotels with extensive meeting facilities even as Centara Hotels & Resorts’ smaller, more intimate properties have performed better during the pandemic. 

Centara Hotels & Resorts has unveiled an aggressive expansion plan in Asia Pacific, which will see the Thai hospitality group grow from 88 hotels to 18,000 rooms in operation and under development today to approximately 200 hotels and around 38,000 keys by 2026.