For Vietnam MICE tourism to "take off"

From its inherent conditions and potential, Vietnam will become an attractive MICE tourism destination and "take off"...

Vietnam has great potential for MICE tourism development. (Source: Toquoc)

Great potential for MICE tourism development

Currently, MICE tourism in Vietnam is increasingly focused on and has great potential for development. Many travel companies have exploited this type of tourism. In particular, after the Covid-19 pandemic, the Vietnamese tourism industry continues to identify the development of MICE tourism as one of the industry's goals.

For many years, MICE tourism has developed not only in quantity but also in quality. The Covid-19 pandemic requires service providers to be agile in adapting. In the 4.0 era, MICE companies need to apply technology to exploit customers effectively. This is also a field considered to be the "fertile land" of Vietnam tourism.

According to data from Saigontourist Travel Service Company, the number of MICE visitors in the third quarter of 2023 increased by 10% compared to the same period last year. The company served a total of more than 40,000 domestic and international MICE tourists. Of which, the number of domestic MICE visitors reached 32,180.

Assessing the potential of MICE tourism in Vietnam, Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan, Director of the Institute for Tourism Development Research, said that Hanoi , Da Nang, Nha Trang, Ho Chi Minh City, Vung Tau, etc. are localities with potential to develop MICE tourism. The conditions and potentials can all turn Vietnam into an attractive MICE tourism destination.

Vietnam is determined to become a leading MICE tourism destination in the region. Our country has had infrastructure and high-end tourist accommodation in recent years, especially with the title "Best MICE Tourism Destination in Asia" honored at the World MICE Tourism Awards 2021. This is the potential space for Vietnam's MICE tourism to "take off".

It can be said that effective MICE tourism not only brings revenue to the tourism sector but also opens up many opportunities to approach and develop the socio-economy through international conferences and seminars. With rich and impressive natural landscapes and diverse and long-standing historical culture, Vietnam has many advantages to promote the development of this type of tourism.

Many challenges remain

MICE is a breakthrough field, leading the development of Vietnam tourism. However, Vietnam does not have a separate strategy for developing this type of tourism, nor does it have statistics or in-depth research on tourism types and the MICE tourism market.

In a statement, Mr. Vu The Binh, Chairman of the Vietnam Tourism Association, said that MICE tourism is a very important activity in the tourism industry and has developed for a long time and has especially developed in recent years.

However, Mr. Vu The Binh also said that Vietnam still lacks the infrastructure to develop this type of tourism. At the same time, developing MICE tourism is not easy because it requires two factors: having enough infrastructure to organize large events with thousands of people, and the second is technology. The application of achievements of the 4.0 Industrial Revolution is carried out in all fields. Therefore, MICE tourism must be at the forefront of applying high technology to be able to accelerate the effectiveness of communication about this type of tourism.

In addition, it is necessary to invest and build facilities to serve MICE tourism. Organizing MICE is not simply organizing an event or conference. MICE tourism professionals need to know how to exploit as many MICE visitors as possible, from eating, staying, sightseeing, shopping, enjoying culture, etc. In addition, the exploitation and development of MICE products is also facing many challenges and competition from countries in the ASEAN region.

Therefore, to develop the international tourist market sustainably, it is necessary to synchronize many areas such as building new tourism products, improving the service quality of service providers, and promoting tourism. However, in reality, these issues are still weak in Vietnam.

International tourists at Tuan Chau International Passenger Port. (Source: Tourism Magazine)

For MICE sustainable development

According to statistics from the General Department of Tourism, MICE tourism can generate revenue 4 to 6 times higher than other types of tourism. The World Tourism Organization also forecasts that by 2025, the MICE tourism industry alone will earn more than 1,400 billion USD, concentrated in two regions: Europe and Asia-Pacific.

Offering a solution, Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan said that Vietnam's MICE tourism currently needs to have a synchronous policy and strategy for developing MICE tourism. Mr. Tuan also cited that Thailand and Singapore currently have their own development strategies for MICE. Meanwhile, in Vietnam, most businesses are still doing and researching on their own. Therefore, it is necessary to soon have a strategic direction for developing MICE in the whole industry. It is necessary to have a synchronous connection and the participation of localities, businesses and communities.

To develop MICE tourism, according to Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan, it is necessary to invest in infrastructure such as centers for organizing large-scale, international conferences and seminars. The quality of products and services is increasingly required to be high-class, and it is necessary to grasp the market to have suitable products; invest in professional human resources. In addition, it is necessary to promote links between service providers, between ministries, sectors and enterprises, and between enterprises.

Along with the growth in the number of visitors, the scale and requirements for quality and creativity of MICE groups are increasingly high. Therefore, to develop MICE tourism in a long-term and sustainable manner, Vietnam must have a strategy to invest in synchronous tourism infrastructure. At the same time, promote communication and promotion.

According to experts, human resources are the most difficult problem of the tourism industry, not only for MICE but also in all other fields. Therefore, human resource training, improving the quality of MICE tourism human resources, and vocational training also need to be properly invested. MICE tourism also changes continuously according to market demand, so with the help of technology, MICE businesses will adapt more promptly.

MICE is a type of tourism that combines conferences, seminars, exhibitions, event organization, and corporate incentive travel for employees and partners. MICE stands for Meeting, Incentive, Convention, and Exhibition/Event. MICE is currently a type of tourism that brings in huge revenue for the tourism industry in many countries.

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