Why Thailand?

Thailand is renowned as one of the best tourist destinations around the world thanks to its superb blend of exotics, breathtaking nature, around-the-year summer, tourism infrastructure, delicious food and, above all, fabulous service.

Less people know that Thailand is also a perfect location for international conventions. Excellent facilities, a dramatic progress in infrastructure, the convenience of a major travel hub, low costs and, again, the service, make it the ideal place for people arriving from across the globe to convene, work and enjoy.

Where in Thailand?

The options are endless. Bangkok, the capital city, is easily and economically accessible to business travelers from around the world. Hua Hin, Pattaya, Krabi and the southern islands have magnificent resorts supporting the ultimate merge of business and leisure. Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai in the north allow the business traveler to combine work with adventurous excursions.

Click the hotspots in the map on the right to learn more about convention locations in Thailand.

Bangkok

Bangkok, Thailand's bustling capital city, offers a plethora of luxurious hotels and convention centers, aggressively competing on the budget of the business tourist. Whether for small meetings in cozy rooms overlooking the Chao Praya river, or for massive conferences and tradeshow with thousands of attendees, Bangkok will offer a choice of adequate venues equipped with the state-of-art in technology and communication.

For years business travelers were deterred by the gigantic traffic-jams of this chaotic city. Many of the conference participants would not care because they can find everything from accommodation to extravagant shopping malls under one roof. The others will be happy to learn that Bangkok has moved into the 21^st century with its slick sky-train and the recently inaugurated MTR subway train, which provide ultra rapid connection between most parts of the city.

Pattaya

The town of Pattaya is nestled along a picturesque bay on the East Coast of the Gulf of Thailand, roughly 170 kilometers southeast of Bangkok. From a fishing village in the 1960's, Pattaya has emerged as the favorite Southeast Asian vacation center.

The town has been renowned for its vast offer of entertainment of a very specific kind. However the considerable national and municipal efforts of the last years to transform the identity of the city have started to bear fruits, and Pattaya is becoming more and more attractive for tourists of all kinds.

Two excellent conference resorts are located in Pattaya - The Dusit Resort and the Royal Cliff Beach Resort. The latter, featuring a huge conference center, is probably one of the best conference venues in the world. These properties share the efforts to bring business travelers to Pattaya by offering superb service at extremely competitive rates.

Hua Hin

280 kilometers south of Bangkok, Hua Hin, which literally means "stone head" in Thai, is the oldest beach resort of the country and is still very popular. Clean white sand, crystal clear water and a tranquil atmosphere has continued to attract tourists in search of peaceful and relaxing holidays.

Today, Hua Hin is a well-established beach destination with word-class facilities coupled with a true sense of Thai hospitality. Despite its expansive growth and development as a luxurious destination, the splendor of Hua Hin remains intact. It has continued to provide a peaceful and relaxed sanctuary in a picturesque environment that comes with a true sense of historical identity.

Hua Hin features some properties with excellent conference facilities, such as Hilton, Marriot, Hyatt Regency and Sofitel Central.

Phuket

Phuket, Thailand's largest island, is located approximately 850 kilometers south of Bangkok. Its natural resources - rocky peninsular, limestone cliffs, white powdery beaches, tranquil broad bays and tropical in-land forests contribute to making it the South's wealthiest, busiest, most visited and most popular island and province.

The island is connected to the mainland by a bridge. Its international airport is served by domestic flights from Bangkok, Koh Samui, Pattaya and other cities, as well as international flights from Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Penang, Singapore, Sydney and others.

Phuket features some properties with excellent conference facilities, such as the two Le Meridien resorts, Amari Coral Beach, Dusit Laguna, Hilton Phuket Arcadia, JW Marriott, Laguna Beach, Sheraton Grande Laguna, Diamond Cliff and others.

Koh Samui

The Island of Koh Samui is a tropical jewel located in the blue waters off the country's southeastern coastline. It is Thailand's third largest island. Relatively unknown for years, this paradise for sun lovers has now attained international standards of service and accommodation. Fortunately, it has also earned a reputation for retaining its friendly image as well as natural environment.

The island's international airport is served by domestic flights from Bangkok, Phuket, Pattaya and Krabi, as well as international flights from Singapore.

Koh Samui is still off-the-beaten-track for the business traveler and hopefully it will remain so. Nevertheless some of the properties located at the island have adequate facilities for hosting small and medium sized events.

Krabi

Krabi Province, one of most attractive destinations in southern Thailand, is located on the mainland approximately 800 kilometers south of Bangkok and features a regional airport with a frequent link to Bangkok. Bordering the Andaman Sea, it is an ideal getaway destination teeming with natural attractions including white sandy beaches, fascinating coral reefs, numerous large and small islands and verdant forests with caves and waterfalls.

The Maritime Park & Spa Resort in Krabi town is an ideal venue for international conferences and seminars. It offers superb facilities including nine function rooms and a purpose-built convention center to cater for up to 1,000 guests. State-of-the-art support services and extensive recreational facilities ensure that pleasure can be combined with business.

Chiang Mai

Experience the merging of the past into the present in Chiang Mai where locals are proud of the city's 700-year history. Its rich traditional heritage and unique culture is a perfect foundation for the development of the city. Chiang Mai is one of the few places in Thailand where it is possible to find in the heart of the city centuries-old temples next to modern convenience stores and boutique hotels. The original city layout still exists as a neat square surrounded by a moat with vestiges of the fortified wall and its four main gates offering prime access to the old town.

Chiang Mai is also blessed with pristine natural resources of mountains, waterfalls, and other nature-based tourist attractions. At the same time, Chiang Mai residents are warm, gracious and congenial providing authentic hospitality making visits memorable and meaningful. Moreover, visitors from all walks of life can collect handicrafts of silk, silver and wood produced locally as timeless souvenirs. Chiang Mai is a place where both backpackers and luxury tourists can enjoy themselves to the fullest.

Numerous Chiang Mai hotels and resorts have conference facilities in various sizes and configurations. When necessary, few properties can be clustered together to support exceptionally large or complex events.

Chiang Rai

Chiang Rai, the northernmost province of Thailand is about 800 kilometers north of Bangkok. Situated on the Kok River basin, Chiang Rai covers an area of approximately 11,678 square meters with an average elevation of 580 meters above sea level. The province, which is located within the renowned Golden Triangle area where Myanmar, Laos and Thailand converge, is also known as the gateway to Myanmar, Laos and Southern China.

Today, Chiang Rai is a traveler's paradise endowed with abundant natural tourist attractions and antiquities; the province itself is evidence of past civilization. Attractions range from magnificent mountain scenery, ruins of ancient settlements, historic sites, Buddhist shrines and ethnic villages as the province is also home to several hill tribes who maintain fascinating lifestyles. For those interested in the natural side of Chiang Rai, jungle trekking is recommended along various trails.

Small and medium size events will find adequate conference facilities in properties such as The Dusit Island Resort, The Imperial Golden Triangle Resort and others.