JFCCT’s new Tourism Committee leadership highlights how international business networks can connect Thailand’s visitor economy with aviation, investment, trade and overseas markets
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Bangkok, Thailand — September 2026— Chambers of commerce are emerging as potentially powerful connectors in international tourism, bringing together travel and hospitality with aviation, investment, technology, retail, international trade and government.
Thailand’s Joint Foreign Chambers of Commerce in Thailand (JFCCT)is a significant example. Representing 29 foreign chambers, two business associations and approximately 8,000 companies, its network provides direct connections between Thailand’s visitor economy and international business communities around the world.
That tourism role is entering a new chapter with the election of seasoned hospitality and tourism leader Andrew J. Woodas Chairman of the JFCCT Tourism Committee for 2026–2028.
Wood believes the opportunity is not to create another tourism organisation, but to activate an international business network that already exists.
Chambers of commerce can play a far greater role in international tourism than is often recognised, using their established business networks to connect destinations and tourism companies with investors, airlines, technology, retail, restaurants, professional services, SMEs and overseas markets.
In Thailand, the Joint Foreign Chambers of Commerce in Thailand (JFCCT) provides a significant example. Its 29 foreign chambers and two business associations collectively represent around 8,000 companies, creating a ready-made international network that reaches far beyond the traditional tourism industry.
That role is set to receive renewed attention following the election of veteran tourism and hospitality executive Andrew J. Woodas Chairman of the JFCCT Tourism Committee for the 2026–2028 term.
For Wood, who has spent more than four decades in international hospitality and tourism and has lived in Thailand since 1991, the opportunity is not to create another tourism organisation. It is to activate a business network that already exists.
“Tourism reaches far beyond hotels and holidays. It supports aviation, transport, investment, employment, retail, restaurants and communities throughout Thailand,” Wood said.
“The chamber network gives us an opportunity to connect all of these interests — and, importantly, to connect people and businesses across borders.”
Why chambers matter to tourism
Tourism is sometimes treated as a distinct economic sector. In practice, it is one of the most interconnected parts of an economy.
A visitor arriving in Thailand may fly with an international airline, use a digital payment platform, stay in a hotel financed by international investors, travel using local transport, eat food supplied by Thai producers, shop with retailers, attend an event and use technology supplied by companies that may never describe themselves as tourism businesses.
This is precisely where chambers of commerce can add value.
Their membership is usually broader than that of a specialist tourism association. Alongside hotels, airlines and travel companies can be banks, technology companies, manufacturers, property developers, lawyers, consultants, logistics companies, retailers, restaurants, investors and SMEs.
That creates an ecosystem around tourism rather than simply a network within tourism.
For international and bilateral chambers, there is another important dimension: access to overseas business communities.
A German, Australian, British, American, Indonesian, South African or other bilateral chamber does not simply represent companies in Thailand. It also sits within a web of commercial, institutional and personal relationships linking Thailand with another market.
When those chambers cooperate, the network becomes substantially more powerful.
From chamber to chamber and member to member
Much of the value of a chamber network comes from something remarkably simple: introductions.
A member knows another member. A chamber executive knows a counterpart overseas. An ambassador or trade official knows an investor. A hotelier knows an airline executive. A technology company knows a solution provider in another country.
One connection leads naturally to another.
For tourism, those relationships can produce new source-market contacts, corporate travel business, meetings and events, investment opportunities, airline relationships, hotel projects, technology partnerships, restaurant and gastronomy initiatives, distribution agreements and opportunities for smaller businesses.
A connection does not necessarily begin with a formal trade mission or memorandum of understanding. It can start over lunch, at a chamber meeting, during a committee discussion or through a simple email introduction.
“Business develops between people,” Wood said.
“Members introduce members and chambers introduce chambers. A conversation in Bangkok can lead to an introduction in Jakarta, Johannesburg, London, Sydney, Berlin or New York.”
This member-to-member dimension is particularly relevant to tourism because the industry itself depends heavily on relationships.
Hotels need airlines and travel buyers. Airlines need destinations and distribution. Events need venues, sponsors and suppliers. Restaurants benefit from visitors and international exposure. Investors need local partners and market knowledge.
Chambers can help those worlds meet.
JFCCT shows what an umbrella chamber can do
JFCCT takes the chamber concept one step further because it brings numerous foreign chambers together under one umbrella.
Established in 1976 and celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2026, JFCCT has developed into a principal collective voice for Thailand’s foreign business community.
It promotes trade and foreign investment, encourages skills development and knowledge transfer, and engages with the Royal Thai Government and public and private-sector organisations on issues affecting business and economic development.
JFCCT is led by Chairwoman Mrs. Vibeke Lyssand Leirvåg, supported by Vice Chairs Supareak “Dr Charlie” Chomchanand Ravi Sehgal.
Its specialist committees cover Digital Economy/ICT, Education & Skills, International Trade, SMEs, Sustainable Development and Tourism.
That structure is particularly relevant for tourism.
A tourism issue involving digital payments can potentially connect with digital-economy expertise. A shortage of skilled hospitality workers overlaps with education and skills. Sustainable tourism intersects with environmental and sustainability policy. Tourism investment connects with international trade and the broader investment climate.
Instead of treating tourism as an isolated industry, a chamber structure can examine it as part of the wider economy.
A bridge between business and government
The role of chambers is not limited to networking. They can also provide an organized channel between businesses and government.
Individual companies may have specific commercial concerns. A chamber can bring companies together, identify common issues, develop consensus and communicate collective private-sector experience to government agencies.
For tourism, this can encompass subjects ranging from investment and infrastructure to workforce development, digitalisation, sustainability, taxation, regulation, aviation and the overall ease of doing business.
The JFCCT Tourism Committee performs this coordinating role by bringing together expertise from member chambers, developing positions on issues affecting the visitor economy and engaging with relevant government agencies and tourism organizations.
This gives chambers an interesting position in the tourism landscape: they can operate simultaneously at member level, industry level, international level and government level.
A model seen in other international chambers
Tourism committees within chambers of commerce are not unique to Thailand.
Around the world, chambers have established tourism, travel and hospitality committees reflecting the economic importance of the visitor economy.
The American-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce in Greecehas a Tourism Committee engaging with government and tourism organizations while supporting networking and international tourism relationships.
The American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kongcombines retail, hospitality and tourism within one committee, recognizing the close relationship between visitor arrivals, aviation, hotels, events and consumer spending.
AmCham Azerbaijanhas a Travel, Hospitality and Tourism Committee providing a forum for private-sector cooperation and engagement on tourism development.
Germany’s national chamber organization, DIHK, also has a Tourism Committee addressing business issues including digitalization, sustainability, skills shortages and regulation.
Different countries use different structures, but the underlying principle is similar: tourism is too economically interconnected to be considered only by tourism businesses.
Different from PATA — and potentially complementary
This also explains why a chamber tourism committee is different from a specialist organization such as the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA).
PATA starts with tourism.
Its membership and activities bring together destinations, tourism authorities, airlines, hospitality businesses, educational institutions and other stakeholders around the development of the Asia-Pacific visitor economy.
A chamber starts with business.
Its membership extends across the economy, and tourism is one part of that larger commercial environment.
The distinction is important.
A specialist tourism organization can provide deep sector knowledge, tourism research, destination expertise and industry networks.
A chamber can help connect that tourism expertise to investment, technology, finance, professional services, international trade, manufacturing, retail, SMEs and government relations.
The two therefore need not duplicate each other.
“The objective should never be to duplicate the excellent work already being done by TAT, PATA, tourism associations or other industry bodies,” Wood said.
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