Over 300 firms to showcase their products at Thailand Exhibition

The ninth edition of the Thailand Exhibition will provide an opportunity to nationals as well as expatriates to start their own small or medium business.

"This year's Thailand Exhibition will be different as we are not going to sell products but concepts for the whole range of products and services," said Sutisak Laohachewin, executive director of the Thai Trade Centre in Dubai. He said they would highlight the 'Thailand Market Place (TMP), a new concept that will include six product categories.

"In accordance with the Thai government's policy of promoting Thai enterprises, the TMP was established as the first proactive all-in-one project designed to promote and distribute Thai products overseas," he told a press conference held at the Expo Centre Sharjah.

Also present were Mohammed Salem Al Mosharrekh, Board Member of the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Kanyarat Nongsakul, director of Thailand's Department of Export Promotion, and Fasahat Ali Khan, deputy director general of the Expo Centre Sharjah.

The TMP categories include: kitchen and restaurant products; spa, health and beauty products, fashion products, household products, construction materials and auto parts, accessories and garages. "We are offering each of these TMP as packages either to do partnership business or open a franchise," Sutisak explained.

The four-day solo country trade event which is the biggest in the Middle East will be held from October 3-6 with the support of the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Over 300 companies are expected to showcase their products at the show.

Trade between Thailand and the UAE has also been growing at a steady pace. In the first quarter of this year Thai exports to the UAE touched $222.9 million, up from $181.5 million in the same period last year.

UAE exports to Thailand are also on the rise. They increased from $584.3 million to $692.7 million in the first quarter of this year compared to the same period last year.

The UAE's main exports to Thailand are crude oil, chemicals, waste and scrap, jewellery including silver bars and gold, fish and squid, and lubricating oil for hydraulic brakes.

Some of Thailand's leading exports to the UAE are woven fabrics, electronic parts, automotive parts and accessories, garments, computers, jewellery, footwear, home appliances, furniture, food items, fishing nets and cosmetics.

Healthcare facilities offered

• As part of increasing tourism ties between the two countries, additional services are being offered to visitors, including healthcare.

• Thailand Hospitals Association has announced it will open its office at the Expo Centre Sharjah for the benefit of patients in the UAE.

• The office which will open in October on the sidelines of the exhibition will be a referral point for patients who wish to get treatment in top hospitals in Thailand, says Fasahat Ali Khan, deputy director general of Expo Centre.

• The local will also offer allied information.

• Healthcare facilities here are said to be priced very competitively.