Thailand Tourism Forum 2026 - 15th Annual Edition

This year’s theme, "A World of Change" offers a fast-paced, candid look at the future of Thailand’s hospitality sector. Explore emerging trends, disruptive innovations, and key strategies shaping the industry.

The BRAC prequel dives into the forces reshaping Thailand’s food-and-beverage landscape—from the battle for Thai culinary identity to the rising influence of design, delivery, and “third spaces.” This is where street culture meets strategy, innovation challenges tradition, and data—not hype—defines the next generation of F&B success.

Organized by C9 Hotelworks, this forum provides fresh insights and actionable strategies for industry professionals. The program will dive into critical topics, including social media’s role in driving travel demand, decoding Thailand’s hotel investment landscape, managing lifestyle versus traditional brands, alternative accommodations and exploring the travel preferences of the young generation. This is your opportunity to gain a timely start-of-the-year report card on Thai tourism and shape the future of the industry.

Date: Thursday, 22nd January 2026

Venue: The Athenee Hotel, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Bangkok

Organizer: C9 Hotelworks Hospitality Consulting Group

Host Event Partner: Marriott International

Event Partners:

Horwath HTL, STR, JLL Hotels and Hospitality Group, QUO, Delivering Asia, AMCHAM Thailand, Phuket Hotels Association

Media Partner:

Travel Daily Media

2026 Event Schedule and Program

2:00 pm onwards Registration Open

3:00 pm to 3:50 pm Prequel - Bars, Restaurants and Concepts (BRAC)

Thai Food Fight: Street Food vs Traditional vs Contemporary Thai

Supaksorn “Ice” Jongsiri, Chef and Owner of Sorn, 3 Michelin Star Restaurant, Bangkok

Samantha Proyrungtong, Director of Extrovert Marketing Consulting/

Food and Travel Blogger/Founder of Vivin Grocery

Light, Sound, Music and Mood: Getting Past the Plate

Eva Lin, Design Director, AvroKO

Patricia Ho Douven, Founder, White Jacket

Back Inside the Box: The Evolution of Food Delivery

Alexander Felde, Co-Founder & CEO, N-Infinite, Former Co-Founder foodpanda

The Third Space: Beyond Bars and Restaurants

Rohit Sachdev, CEO, Soho Hospitality

Sumi Soorian, Founder, Mrs B Group – Restaurant & Bar Consultant

Numbers Don’t Lie: Building Success with Data, Not Hype

Charlotte Whalley, Founder, Director of Strategy & Commercial Insights, Table 12 Consultancy

Co-Hosts

Sumi Soorian, Founder, Mrs B Group – Restaurant & Bar Consultant

Rohit Sachdev, CEO, Soho Hospitality

4:00 pm to 6:00 pm Main Event - Thailand Tourism Forum 2026

The Nexus of Thailand

Bill Barnett, Managing Director, C9 Hotelworks

Paul Keen, Human Being

Investing in a New Tourism Future

Phoom Chirathivat, Head of Hotels and Alternative Investments, Central Pattana (CPN)

David Johnson (Moderator), CEO, Delivering Asia

So You’ve Got the Data, Now What?

Jesper Palmqvist, Regional Vice President Asia Pacific, STR

Sanjog Modgil, Head of Overseas Hotels, TCC Land International

Partners in Progress: Reimagining the Owner–Operator Dynamic

Saharat (Sears) Jivavisitnont, Executive Director, Jee Teng Hospitality

Brad Edman, Market Vice President – Thailand, Cambodia and Myanmar Marriott International

Decoding Thailand’s Hotel Landscape

Orn Yomchinda, Executive Vice President, JLL Hotels & Hospitality Group

Chanavudh Vanachaivong, Senior Vice President, JLL Hotels & Hospitality Group

New World, New Rules:Why Thailand’s Legacy Brands Can’t Stand Still

David Keen, Founder and CEO, QUO

New Dimensions in Hotel Ownership

Prab Thakral, President and Group CEO, Boutique Corporation PCL

Leanne Reddie, Chief Commercial Officer, Global Asset Solutions

Pitinut Robbins, Senior Director Hotel Development – Asia Pacific, Marriott International

Matt Gebbie (Moderator), Director - Pacific Asia, Horwath HTL

The Hotels That Won't Be Standing: Why Resilience Is No Longer Optional?

Armelle Le Bihan, Founder and Director, Green Building Consulting & Engineering

Sustainability as Strategy: Charting the Next Chapter

Eric Ricaurte, Founder and CEO, Greenview

Host

Viona Zhang, Deputy Managing Director, C9 Hotelworks

6:00 pm onwards: Networking Cocktails – with compliments of Marriott International and

The Athenee Hotel, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Bangkok

Also check out other Business events in Nana Plaza, Food & Drink events in Nana Plaza.