Food & Hospitality Thailand event to focus on fostering quality tourism
Sanchai Noombunnam, country general manager at Informa Markets Thailand, said this year's FHT event will be organised to cover a larger area, with an additional 10% of space compared with the 22,000 sq m utilised last year, in order to help businesses attract quality tourists by upgrading their products and services towards sustainability.
"This event is intended to help tourism-related operators prepare to attract tourists in the second half of the year, especially quality tourists," said Mr Sanchai.
Thienprasit Chaiyapatranun, president of the Thai Hotels Association, said the industry is still experiencing the impact from the decline in Chinese arrivals.
He said Chinese travellers are increasingly choosing destinations such as Japan and South Korea, drawn by competitive promotions, visa policies and better perceptions regarding safety.
"Safety concerns remain a major obstacle. We need aggressive confidence-building campaigns to reassure Chinese travellers."
He said long-haul markets might have consistent growth, but short-haul markets remain a critical component to sustain the tourism sector.
As of July 20, Thailand welcomed 18.3 million tourists, a 5.91% decline year-on-year, according to the Ministry of Tourism and Sports.
Thaniwan Kulmongkol, president of the Thai Restaurant Association, said there is an ongoing oversupply of restaurants, particularly high-priced ones, and the economy is sluggish, leading to greater caution when it comes to consumer spending.
She urged small and medium-sized operators to embrace technology and social media to stay competitive.
"Nowadays, having delicious food alone is not enough, you have to put that deliciousness into the mobile phone too," she said, emphasising the importance of a digital presence in influencing consumer decisions.
Thailand's food and beverage industry is projected to total 669 billion baht in 2025, on par with 2024.
"Food remains essential, and the restaurant business still has room to thrive," Mrs Thaniwan noted.
FHT 2025 will be held on Aug 20-23 in Halls 1-4 at Queen Sirikit National Convention Center.
Over 3,000 brands from 20 countries, including food and beverages, cafes and bakeries, hospitality technology and wellness solutions will showcase their products and services.
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