Thailand’s biggest travel trade show, the Thailand Travel Mart (TTM+), has ended a two-year run in Chiang Mai and will move to the resort city of Pattaya in 2018.

The event, which is also aimed at showcasing tourism in the Greater Mekong region, including Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam and southern China, was attended by 423 buyers from 56 countries in 2017, who met with 362 sellers.

Although the main markets of China, India, Russia, Europe and the UK dominated the list, organisers reported an increased number of buyers from Eastern Europe, Latin America and South Africa. First-time buyers comprised 47.8% of the total at this month’s event.

“The two years of being held in Chiang Mai have given a major boost to travel and tourism in Chiang Mai and will help us better diversify our visitors all around the country and the neighbouring regions,” said Yuthasak Supasorn, governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).

“I also believe this has been a great preparatory step towards hosting the prestigious ASEAN Tourism Forum, also at the same venue in January 2018.”

TTM+ moved to the Chiang Mai Exhibition & Convention Centre in 2016, which marked the first time the event had been hosted outside Bangkok.