The Thai island will host the Global Sustainable Tourism Conference (GSTC) 2026 in April, the InterPride General Meeting & World Conference 2026 in late October and early November and the Global Wellness Summit (GWS) 2026 in November.
Between them, the trio of meetings are expected to draw an audience of 2,100 delegates and are collectively worth 351.40 million baht, equivalent to AU$15.82 million.
“Phuket is using MICE as a key mechanism to drive high-quality economic growth,” said Phuket’s Deputy Governor, Suwit Phansengiam.
“International conferences generate benefits beyond tourism, spreading value to local businesses and communities.
“Hosting these major events demonstrates Phuket’s readiness as an international MICE city, enhances the island’s image, attracts investment and supports sustainable economic growth.
“Phuket will continue developing its MICE industry to create new value for the province and strengthen Thailand’s regional MICE standing.”
Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) supported all three bids.
“Phuket is a model MICE city that has effectively leveraged MICE events as a mechanism to elevate the city and create opportunities in trade, investment and development, in alignment with TCEB’s targeted strategy to attract world-class events to Thailand,” said TCEB’s president, Supawan Teerarat.
“This also reflects the strategy of developing regional MICE cities with distinctive branding aligned to their respective city strategies, as well as the approach of decentralising international events to destinations across the country, not limited solely to Bangkok.”
Private sector support, via the president of the Sustainable Tourism Development Foundation, Phumkit Raktaengam, who led the sustainability and wellness event bids for Phuket, also helped secure the events for the destination.
“As a private-sector lead, I welcome Phuket’s selection to host these three global conferences – a result of strong public-private collaboration to implement the province’s seven strategic priorities,” said Raktaengam.
“We aim to leverage Phuket’s sustainability strengths and world-class wellness services to deliver tangible outcomes that raise global competitiveness while preserving local well-being, ensuring development is sustainable and benefits both Phuket and Thailand.”
Wider developments in Thailand, including the legalisation of same-sex marriage, put Thailand in contention for events like the InterPride conference.
