TCEB has a plan to make Chiang Mai a globally recognised festival city

The TCEB is organising the “Yi Peng Festival” as an international festival under the strategy of “12 Months 12 Festival Themes” by using cultural and innovation capital to push Chiang Mai MICE City to become a global festival city.

The Yi-Peng Chiang Mai Festival this year will be held from November 25-27, with five main activities:

▪ Pokémon GO Yi-Peng offers a virtual tourism experience in collaboration with a world-class brand through the Pokémon GO game.

▪ Yi-Peng Night Tour offers an opportunity to explore Chiang Mai during the evening, promoting learning about the history and culture of the Lanna region.

▪ Yi-Peng Product involves the selection and development of special products and services tailored for the Yi Peng Festival.

▪ Yi-Peng Communication collaborates in the development of channels and public relations activities for the Yi Peng festival to the targets.

▪ Yi-Peng Illumination decorates public areas with light, enhancing the image of the Yi Peng Festival as a Night-Light Festival.

TCEB president Chiruit Isarangkun Na Ayuthaya said international festivals were among the key targets in driving the country's MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) industry in 2024.
This is achieved by using soft power — social, cultural, and economic capital — to serve as a means to create value for experiences that are distinctive and valuable.

The aim is to make it a new selling point for Thailand's MICE industry by collaborating with various sectors. In the past, the TCEB has supported over 100 festivals, resulting in the circulation of 50 billion baht in the country's economy.

"Chiang Mai will be a pilot city in the development strategy of MICE City to become a world-class festival city under the strategy ’12 Months 12 Festival Themes’, which is a framework for marketing and promoting festivals in Thailand. The aim is to create awareness and recognition among travellers from around the world and encourage local entrepreneurs to expand MICE routes, including the development of products, services and promotional activities that are in line with the concept of monthly events. This would enable domestic and international MICE travellers to plan their participation in festivals or trade shows, including organising corporate meetings, rewarding trips and activities of various agencies in line with the city's major MICE festivals and activities. All this would increase revenue, distribute money to the area through year-round events and create even more economic impact for the province," Chiruit said.

The TCEB has collaborated with Chiang Mai authorities to jointly plan and elevate the province's festivals to the international level. The initiative begins with the “Yi Peng Festival”, the traditional festival of the Lanna people, to transform it into an internationally recognised “Light Festival”, Chiruit said.
This effort is supported by the signing of a memorandum of understanding for academic collaboration to develop Thailand's festival strategy.

"The TCEB also supports the Yi Peng Festival by allocating funds for the Yi-Peng Night Tour activities. Furthermore, TCEB facilitates coordination among various agencies within the province of Chiang Mai to ensure seamless collaboration," he said.

The Yi Peng Festival in Chiang Mai 2023 is expected to attract up to 62,500 domestic and international visitors and tourists — more than 50,000 Thais and around 12,500 foreigners — generating an economic value of 375 million baht.

TCEB president Chiruit Isarangkun Na Ayuthaya