THAILAND TO HOST LIONS OSEAL FORUM

In a major vote of confidence, Thailand is going ahead with preparations for the 40th Orient and Southeast Asia Lions Forum (OSEAL) to be held in Bangkok between December 6-9, 2001.

The event will bring together about 12,000 participants from Brunei, China, Guam, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Macau, Malaysia, Mongolia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.

A spokesman for the convention venue, the Imperial Queen’s Park Hotel, said no cancellations have been reported and organisers have not sought any reduction in room allocations. “We are hopeful that if there is no further global military action, the event will proceed as planned,” the spokesman said.

Tourism Authority of Thailand Governor Pradech Phayakvichien said, “This is very good news for us. It is a clear sign that the regional travel and tourism business is still buoyant. We hope that there is no further crisis in order to ensure that these meetings proceed normally.”

The Lions Clubs International holds a number of regional forums as well as an international convention annually. The theme of this year’s Orient and Southeast Asia Lions Forum is "Harmony in Lionism".

The Forums have four major objectives: 1) promote the principles and objectives of Lions Clubs International, 2) train, educate and motivate district and club officers in member countries, 3) provide a forum to exchange information and discuss service activities, including opportunities for co- operative projects, and 4) advance the interests of Lions Clubs International.

This year’s OSEAL event will be the sixth time that Thailand has hosted this event since its foundation in 1962. The previous years were 1967, 1973, 1980, 1987 and 1994. As of June 30, 2001, there were 1,382,026 Lions in 44,681 clubs in 186 countries and geographical areas.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) will help promote the event both within Thailand and abroad. It will also host the cultural performances during the welcome dinner and opening session. Delegates will be provided with visitor information to help them get around and see the country.

In 2008, Thailand will host the world’s biggest convention, the Lions Clubs International, which is expected to attract more than 30,000 delegates, at the Impact Convention Centre, Muang Thong Thani, in Nonthaburi province between June 23-27, 2008.

In 2000, business travellers to Thailand grew by 15.85% to 860,786 while convention delegates grew by 10.84% to 83,513. During January-June 2001, business travellers and convention delegates both showed a slight growth of 3.69% and 0.99%, respectively over the same period of 2000.