What's new in business news: August 22, 2013

Expressway Easy Pass display errors, meetings & convention tourism up 12% & new Bangkok train line approved.

TRANSPORTATION 

Easy Pass errors 'just a glitch'

21/08/2013

Erroneous 'Easy Pass' balance displays have been appearing recently on tollways' electronic screens and many complaints have been sent to the Expressway Authority of Thailand (Exat) by Easy Pass holders. 

The erroneous balances displayed are caused by delays in the Easy Pass computer system and do not affect the driver's actual balance.

The maximum capacity for electronic expressway toll booths to run efficiently is about 500,000 drivers daily but currently there are around 700,000 drivers through the booths every day. 

The agency is currently increasing the capacity of the system and the upgrade will be completed in six months.

[Read full story here]

TOURISM 

MICE tourism up 12% in 2013

Thailand's convention and exhibition sector grew 12% in the first three quarters of the 2013 fiscal year on the back of a strong Asean market and the return of business from Europe.

Asean continues to provide the largest number of tourists for the MICE (meeting, incentive, convention and exhibition) sector, while business from Europe rose along with the economic recovery.

For the first nine months of the 2013 fiscal year there were 747,072 MICE travellers generating 64.33 billion baht in revenue.

The Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) is confident the number will reach 940,000 in 2013, with total revenue projected at 88 billion baht.

The international convention segment contributed 30% of the total. 

Incentives came second with 26.25% and international exhibitions drew  20.46%.

[Read full story here] 

TRANSPORTATION 

Brown Line: New Bangkok mass transit train line approved

The Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA) has approved in principle the building of a new mass transit route, the Brown Line, at an estimated cost of 45 billion baht and scheduled for completion in 2021.

The 21.6-km route will be developed as a monorail and have a total of 22 stations along the route, which will start at Kae Rai, travel to Ngam Wong Wan Road, Kaset -Navamin Road and end in Lam Salee area.

The new route is planned to be a feeder line, linking to the Pink Line in Kae Rai, the Purple Line on Rattanathibet Road, the Red Line at Bang Khen prison and Green Line at Kasetsart University.

[Read full story here]