Travel Information

Airport Pickup Service
(http://www.csbio.org/2015/pickup_service.pdf)
For your convenience, we have arranged the service of an independent operator for transportation from the airport to your hotel. This operator is not affiliated with CSBio2015 but it has provided transportation service to various other international conferences in Bangkok in the past. We have contacted some of the references provided by this operator and we received positive feedbacks for this service. Details for this service is shown below. For this option, someone displaying an CSBio2015 sign will greet you after you exit at Meeting point 3. The cost ranges between 490 baht/person (group transport) to a maximum of 1,400 baht (private transport) per trip.

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Public Taxi
(http://www.suvarnabhumiairport.com/en/117-taxi)
1. Pre-paid airport taxi vouchers can be purchased from the Thai Airways counter.
2. Metered taxis are available outside the Departures building. A system of queuing operates to obtain a voucher first which is then given to the cab driver. Pay the driver direct at your destination and note that a 50 Baht airport surcharge will be added to the total fare - this is standard. Some drivers "forget" to turn on the meter. Politely ask them to do so before you depart. Journey time to central Bangkok: around 30-90 minutes depending on traffic. Take the faster tollways en route, if you are in a hurry and pay the driver direct at each toll booth (around 30-50 Baht per segment) Average price Airport - Bangkok city centre around 200-300 Baht depending on distance and time of day.

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Airport Rail Link
http://www.suvarnabhumiairport.com/en/121-airport-rail-link
the conference venue, Chatrium Hotel Riverside is accessible from the airport as follows: a) Take Airport Rail from Suvarnabhum Airport to the Phaya Thai station.
b) Then need to exit the station and walk across to the adjacent BTS Phaya Thai station (N2). (http://www.bts.co.th/customer/en/02-route-current_new.aspx)
c) Take BTS from Phaya Thai (N2) station to Siam (CEN) station. Do not exit the station.
d) Take the interchange to the track that travels to Saphan Taksin (S6) station.
e) Take the exit and there is a complimentary boat shuttle at the Saphan Taksin (S6) station to the venue hotel Chatrium Riverside, offered by Chatrium.

The Chatrium complimentary shuttle schedule is given at http://media.chatrium.com/d/chatrium_hotel/media/Shuttle_Boat_Schedule.jpg.

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General Travel Advice
Visitors are advised to use authorized transportation services only. Authorized taxis are metered and many of them display signs that they can speak English. Beware of unauthorized persons who offer to take you around. Travel information can be obtained from your hotel or the Tourism Authority of Thailand counters at the airport and numerous tourist and downtown districts in Bangkok.

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Visa Requirements

The industry of meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) is an industry that generates 7.55 percent of all tourism revenue, with an average spending of people entering Thailand on MICE purposes more than three times higher than an average spending of general tourists and with an average stay of 5.28 days per visit. In 2013, the industry earned 88,485 million baht for Thailand, or 7.55 percent of all tourism revenue, with a growth of about 11 percent compared to a year earlier. In the same year, 1,013,502 people entering the country for MICE, with most of them coming from People's Republic of China, India, Malaysia and Japan. Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Labor, Immigration Bureau and Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (public organization) have realized the importance of MICE industry and would like foreigners entering Thailand for MICE to have a better understanding about types and procedures of visa and work permit application. The following information, therefore, is released:

Objectives

Type of Visa

Foreigners entering Thailand for the following purposes of trading and investment are not regarded as working and need no work permit and no Tor Tor 10 form: 1 Participating in meetings, conferences or seminars 2 Attending exhibitions or trade shows 3 Visiting businesses or having business meetings 4 Attending special or academic lectures 5 Attending lectures at technical trainings or seminars 6 Purchasing goods at trade shows

Tourist visa Foreigners entering Thailand for MICE without the purposes of being employed or working for income, but being event attendants will be regarded as tourists under the definition of Tourism Authority of Thailand Act of B.E. 2522 (1979). Remarks Foreigners of certain nationalities who are allowed to enter Thailand without visa or who are allowed to apply for Visa on Arrival (VoA) are able to look for information on the website of Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

References
1. Tourism Authority of Thailand Act of B.E. 2522 (1979)
2. Foreigner Working Act of B.E. 2551 (2008)
3. Memo of Office of the Council of State No. 152/2556
4. Website of Ministry of Foreign Affairs
http://www.consular.go.th/main/contents/filemanager/VISA/Visa%20on%20Arrival/VOA_25_08_58.pdf 5. Website of Office of Foreign Workers Administration, Department of Employment, Ministry of Labor http://wp.doe.go.th