Hanoi is stepping up the development of MICE tourism.

Hanoi has great potential and strengths for developing MICE tourism .

At the MICE EXPO 2024, a business networking event for MICE tourism held on September 27th, the Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Tourism, Nguyen Hong Minh, shared insights into Hanoi's potential and advantages in developing MICE tourism, as well as its future development directions for MICE tourism.

According to Mr. Nguyen Hong Minh, there are many different types of tourism to satisfy people's diverse needs, most notably MICE tourism, a type of tourism that combines meetings, conferences, seminars, incentive travel, exhibitions, and events with sightseeing.

"Developing MICE tourism brings many great benefits, from economic , cultural, social, and environmental contributions; to positive impacts on foreign relations; and especially a large proportion of the tourism industry's contribution. MICE tourism is considered to have a faster growth rate than conventional tourism," said Mr. Nguyen Hong Minh.

Mr. Nguyen Hong Minh - Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Tourism, along with Mr. Vu The Binh - President of the Vietnam Tourism Association, and Mr. Lee Jae Hoon, Chief Representative of the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) in Vietnam, witnessed the signing ceremony of the cooperation agreement for the development of MICE tourism at MICE EXPO 2024.

Hanoi has a beautiful and advantageous location and geographical position, being the capital and the leading political, economic, cultural, and scientific and technological center of the country. Hanoi has an advantage in terms of infrastructure systems serving tourism development.

Hanoi, the central city of Northern Vietnam, boasts relatively convenient transportation connections to other provinces and cities nationwide, including air, road, water, and rail transport. Modern infrastructure such as the Nhat Tan Bridge, Vo Nguyen Giap Boulevard, Noi Bai International Airport Terminal 2, Thang Long Boulevard, Thanh Tri Bridge, and Vinh Tuy Bridge serve the travel needs of tourists. The Cat Linh - Ha Dong and Nhon - Hanoi Station railway lines, once operational, not only meet the transportation needs of inner-city residents and tourists, help reduce pollution in the capital, but also transform the urban landscape and create a highlight for tourism.

In addition, the technical infrastructure of Hanoi's tourism industry has received significant investment and improvement in recent years. As of September 2024, Hanoi has 3,761 tourist accommodation establishments with 71,256 rooms, including hundreds of hotels and apartment complexes recognized with 1-5 star ratings.

The quality of human resources in Hanoi's tourism sector is relatively good compared to the rest of the country. Approximately 80% of employees in international travel agencies and 3- to 5-star hotels have a university degree or higher and are proficient in foreign languages. Many hotels are large-scale, internationally renowned, and high-class, such as the JW Marriott Hotel, Lotte Center Hanoi, Grand Plaza Hanoi, and InterContinental Hanoi Westlake.

Hanoi's conference and seminar infrastructure currently has a capacity of approximately 50,000 seats, capable of accommodating events with up to several thousand people per venue. Specifically, this includes: the National Convention Center with a large hall accommodating 3,800-4,000 seats; the International Conference and Seminar Center (1 Le Hong Phong, Hanoi) with 3,500 seats; the Star Galaxy Conference & Event Center (87 Lang Ha, Ba Dinh); the Almaz International Conference Center (Vinhomes Riverside urban area, Long Bien); and the Baara Land cultural and entertainment complex (Tuan Chau Tourist Area, Quoc Oai district, Hanoi)... Organizing conferences in meeting rooms equipped with modern and synchronized technology and machinery, combined with short-day tours, allows conference and seminar attendees time to relax and unwind, meeting the needs of tourists who want to combine work and leisure.

Furthermore, Hanoi's restaurant and food service system has been developing strongly, with a high degree of socialization, giving the capital a prominent position in the global and regional culinary tourism system. Over the past time, Hanoi's dining establishments have developed rapidly, becoming rich and diverse, ranging from traditional restaurants reflecting Vietnamese culture and national identity, to international restaurants such as Thai, Japanese, Korean, and European restaurants, as well as bars, cafes, and fast-food outlets of large global corporations like KFC, Lotte, Starbucks, and Lotteria.

At the same time, the city has expanded and developed many pedestrian zones to showcase the culture and urban life of the people of Hanoi to tourists.

Focus on digital transformation and the application of technology in all activities.

According to Mr. Nguyen Hong Minh, in addition to developing the infrastructure and technical facilities of the tourism industry, in recent years, Hanoi's tourism sector has focused on innovating, building, and developing attractive and unique tours and tourism products. Notably, this includes the launch of 16 night tourism products combining cultural experiences; the development of a community-based tourism model for the Dao ethnic group in Ba Vi commune, Ba Vi district; the gradual development of agricultural and rural tourism models in suburban districts; and the piloting of river tourism products from Chuong Duong Do Wharf to Bat Trang port, etc.

As a result, Hanoi has consistently received high praise from reputable tourism organizations, experts, websites, and magazines for its attractiveness as a tourist destination. From 2022 to 2024, Hanoi was honored for three consecutive years by the World Tourism Awards in the category of "Asia's Leading City Destination"; and for two consecutive years (2023-2024) in the category of Asia's Leading City Destination for Short Stays. Notably, in 2024, Hanoi also won the award for "Vietnam's Leading Cultural Destination".

Nguyen Hong Minh, Deputy Director of Hanoi Department of Tourism

In 2024, Hanoi aims to welcome over 27 million tourists, a 9.2% increase compared to 2023, including over 5.5 million international tourists (with 3.8 million international tourists staying overnight), a 16.4% increase compared to 2023, and 21.5 million domestic tourists, a 7.5% increase compared to 2023. Total revenue from tourism is projected to reach over VND 109.41 trillion, a 28.2% increase compared to 2023. The average occupancy rate of accommodation establishments and hotels is expected to reach 62% or higher, a 3 percentage point increase compared to 2023.

Mr. Nguyen Hong Minh stated that, with these potentials and strengths, Hanoi has successfully hosted many important national, regional, and global events, notably the US-North Korea Summit, the World Economic Forum on ASEAN, the 6th Greater Mekong Subregion Cooperation Summit, the 13th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam, the 31st SEA Games, and the 11th ASEAN Para Games, etc.

These events not only contribute to promoting the image of the capital city on the international stage as a center connecting global values, a place for exchanging regional and international initiatives for peace, stability and development, but also affirm its capacity to organize international-level events, and its attractive and safe destination for tourists.

It can be said that MICE tourism products are considered a strength of the capital's tourism industry. Orienting and focusing on developing MICE tourism is a goal of Hanoi's tourism sector.

In the coming period, Hanoi will continue to promote the development of this type of tourism and focus on improving service quality, training human resources, supplementing high-quality facilities and infrastructure, especially focusing on digital transformation, applying technology to activities and strengthening communication efforts to increasingly attract tourists in general and MICE tourists in particular to Hanoi.

Source: https://toquoc.vn/ha-noi-day-manh-phat-trien-du-lich-mice-2024092808041609.htm