Bangkok (2011-01-28)

PHUKET has officially been conferred “MICE City” status by the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB), joining Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Pattaya, which were given the status over the last two years.

Phuket governor Tri Akradecha and TCEB chairman Anusak Inthraphuvasak yesterday inked a memorandum of understanding to jointly promote and develop the MICE industry on the southern Thai island.

Tri said Phuket was ready to host more MICE events, citing the province’s developed transportation infrastructure, which is set to improve even further.

He said Phuket International Airport was being expanded to handle 12 million passengers per year by 2012, from a capacity of 6.5 million at present. There are also plans to develop an electric train system and establish more road links to nearby provinces.

Phuket has 628 hotels with 37,653 rooms in all categories, growing at a rate of 6.6 per cent per year, said Tri.