Escape the city in Thailand

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Breathe a breath of fresh air into your events Thailand has more to offer than beaches and Bangkok.

Despite popular opinion, there is more to Thailand than full-moon parties on the beach and the traffic-filled capital.

The nation remains the number-one choice for Asia-bound leisure travellers from the Middle East, which has aroused awareness of the destination as a venue for conventions and events, and with new centres under way and major improvements to infrastructure country-wide, its popularity is set to peak.

Thailand currently boasts seven major convention and exhibition centres, five of which are in Bangkok.

"Other than that we have plenty of hotels with convention space," explains Jeannie Techasiriwan, senior manager - events and promotions, meetings and incentives department, Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB).

"It depends on where the conference or event is held and the size of the event. We have a lot to offer. It is not just the meeting facilities themselves; the leisure aspects that can be added on to events are the real sell."

Outside of Bangkok, Pattaya and Chiang Mai also have their own convention centres, but Minister of Tourism and Sports Weerasak Kowsurat says that the government is also trying to attract investors from the private sector to develop a new convention centre in Phuket.

Bangkok might have five convention and exhibition centres, but there is more to Thailand than the big city.

Destination management companies aware of the need to offer new itineraries are now looking outside of the cities for new locations for events and activities.

National parks are one of the areas identified by the government as unique selling points for both leisure and business travellers, so travel and tourism stakeholders have been encouraged to develop activities and events to promote them.

"It is not always about seminars or meetings and the entire trip does not have to be in Bangkok or in Phukket or Pattaya - there are perfectly suitable destinations like wildlife sanctuaries and UNESCO national parks outside of the cities, some of which are very close to Bangkok," explains Laurent Lesclech, group director of sales and marketing for top-end destination management company and tour operator Asia Jet.

"There are a lot of things to do for teambuilding in the parks."

Alternatively, venues with green open spaces or gardens also make for unique and memorable gala dinners, he adds.

According to Lesclech, getting people out of the cities is not the only key to ensuring a memorable and productive trip.

"We try to develop the emotional part of an incentive trip," he explains.

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