Thailand’s Andaman Cluster making waves in global rankings

The Andaman Cluster – a strategic tourism region including Thailand’s Phuket, Krabi and Phang Nga – has demonstrated its strength as a destination for international events through several notable global rankings. Among the four Thai hotels ranked among the top 200 in the World’s Best Hotels 2023 by La Liste, two are in the Andaman region. The Amanpuri in Phuket and the Six Senses Yao Noi in Phang Nga came in ninth and tenth, respectively, on this exclusive list. Earlier this year, Phuket was also ranked number ten in Cvent’s Top 10 Meeting Destinations in Asia-Pacific. These rankings were based on user activity on the events technology provider’s sourcing platform. Phuket also jumped from number 78 to 35 in the most recent ICCA rankings for APAC, hosting the same number of international conferences in 2022 as in 2019 before the Covid pandemic. And earlier this year Koh Kradan in Trang, a province on the Andaman coast south of Krabi, was voted the most beautiful beach in the world by the World Beach Guide. Promoting destination identities like the Andaman cluster is one of the five key approaches that make up the TCEB GO Strategy launched this year by the Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (TCEB). Thirty international event planners recently experienced the authentic local experiences available in the Andaman cluster when they were hosted in Krabi as part of TCEB’s TIME2023 Experience Exchange. From collaborating with local communities to creatively turn unwanted ocean trash into sustainable souvenirs, to exploring nature trails in the national park, the attendees enjoyed a relaxing day connecting with nature on the island. TCEB also recently supported Phuket by hosting ‘Food for Faith’– TCEB’s flagship event created to help support and promote the annual Vegetarian Festival of Phuket scheduled in October. Food for Faith aims to showcase culinary experiences on the island for potential MICE groups hosting their events in Phuket during the Vegetarian Festival. The TCEB event is also in line with the government’s policy on the creative economy, TCEB’s Festival Economy initiative and Phuket’s policy on promoting its gastronomical offer in response to its being selected Creative City of Gastronomy by UNESCO. Photo: Phang Nga