The tricity will get a whiff of Thai business and culture for five days beginning Wednesday. It is a first-of-its-kind event in the region, organised by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Northern Region in association with Department of International Trade Promotion (DITP), Thailand.
The residents of the tricity will be able to get a glimpse of exotic Thai products like herbal cosmetics, artificial flowers, vases, wooden carvings, jewellery & accessories, handicrafts, ladies’ purses & handbags, kitchenware, toys, footwear and readymade garments in this show to be held from 26 – 30 September 2012 at Himachal Bhawan, Sector 28, Chandigarh from 1000 – 2000 hrs.
The B2C show will see 41 companies exhibiting in 60 stalls, with a special stall of Thai Airways & Tourism. About 95 per cent of the exhibitors are women entrepreneurs. In addition, there will be cultural events on all evenings including walk-around performances by the artistes at Himachal Bhawan, the fair venue.
Unveiling the Show, Mr RM Khanna, Past Chairman of the CII Northern Region, said India and Thailand share many civilisational commonalities as the people of Thailand are largely followers of Buddhism which originated in India. “The two countries share extremely cordial relations and are working together on a number of international platforms such as Asean, East Asia Summit and Bimstec, among others. There is immense tourist traffic to Thailand from India which can be further increased after the land route through the Northeast is inaugurated.”
Mr Soonthorn Chaiyindeepum, Minister, Royal Thai Embassy, said he saw a lot of business potential in northern India, and this visit and trade fair was the first step to explore this potential. The minister said that trade between India and Thailand was growing, particularly through the ASEAN community. While the bilateral trade between India and Thailand stood at $7 billion, India’s trade with the ASEAN grouping is to the tune of $74 billion, which is expected to reach $200 billion in the next 10 years. Mr Soonthorn said while 900,000 Indians visited Thailand last year, about 90,000 Thais visited India. But he said he would like to see more Thai nationals visiting India and not just the Buddhist circuit in eastern India, but places like Mumbai, Delhi and parts of northern India.
Mr Jain Liamminful, Minister – Commercial, Royal Thai Embassy, said the Thailand Trade Show, beginning Wednesday, would showcase mainly finished products from Thailand, along with fresh fruits from his country. He said he would like to see more business contacts happening between the two countries. He also said the reason for choosing Chandigarh was because they have heard that people of the city love shopping and travelling and Thailand was a favourite destination of “Chandigarhians”.
Mr Pikender Pal Singh, Regional Director, CII Northern Region, informed that bilateral trade between India and Thailand has expanded over six times since 2000 and is expected to grow further. He added that the Thailand Trade Show is sure to attract and interest residents of the tricity as many people from the region visit Thailand for trade and tourism.
Mr Sameer Goel, Chairman, CII Chandigarh Council, dwelt on the cultural and trade ties between India and Thailand. He said he was sure the people of Chandigarh will welcome the Thailand show with enthusiasm and vigour just as they had welcomed the three editions of ‘Made in Pakistan’ in the city.
The 5-day show at the Himachal Bhavan Chandigarh will begin at 10 am and wind up for the day by 8 pm from 26 – 30 Sept.