Exploiting advantages, making Vietnam the leading MICE tourism destination in the region

MICE tourism brings in 6 times more revenue than tourists. Exploiting this segment is a golden opportunity for Vietnam to improve its tourism, but it requires a long-term strategy on products, infrastructure and policies.

MICE tourist groups are welcomed upon their arrival in Da Nang. (Photo: VNA)

In recent years, MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) tourism has emerged as a high-end segment, promising to attract quality customers, strong spending and sustainable growth potential.

With beautiful natural advantages, rich cultural heritage and stable political position, Vietnam is facing a great opportunity to become a prominent MICE destination in Southeast Asia.

However, in order not to miss the "golden opportunity," the tourism industry needs to quickly overcome limitations in infrastructure and human resources and build a synchronous development strategy.

Many potentials and advantages

According to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), global revenue from MICE tourism is forecast to exceed 1,400 billion USD by 2025, concentrated mainly in Europe and Asia- Pacific .

Vietnam is one of the destinations with great potential, possessing a diverse natural ecosystem, long coastline, majestic mountainous landscapes, and rich cultural heritage. These are the factors that create a difference and unique appeal in the eyes of international MICE visitors.

According to Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung, in the context of fierce competition between destinations around the world, Vietnam needs to have its own unique strategies and products suitable for the new tourism trend after COVID-19. In particular, attracting investment, developing MICE tourism, and creating attractive tourism products are among the important orientations of Vietnam tourism.

The characteristics of MICE tourists are that they travel in large groups and belong to the high-end customer group. They often use many combined tourism services, spend a lot of money and stay for a long time. Therefore, the revenue from MICE tourists can be 6 times higher than that of regular tourists.

On average, European tourists spend from 700-1,000 USD/day, Asian tourists spend more than 400 USD/day. This is a direct source of income, bringing great value to the tourism industry and the economy.

In Vietnam, many localities have demonstrated their advantages in developing MICE. Hanoi possesses a diverse product system from culture, history to cuisine and resorts; Ho Chi Minh City has been honored many times as “Asia’s Leading MICE Destination”; Da Nang stands out with its synchronous infrastructure, convenient transportation, reasonable costs and special support policies for MICE guests. Quang Ninh, Ninh Binh, Khanh Hoa… are also localities with great potential as they have both unique landscapes and strong development of infrastructure, hotels and high-class services, capable of welcoming large groups of guests.

In fact, MICE is becoming the priority choice of many international delegations when coming to Vietnam. Recently, Ha Long (Quang Ninh) welcomed a group of 600 multinational guests for sightseeing, conferences and accommodation from August 20-24.

Tien Giang welcomes MICE delegation from India. (Photo: Minh Tri/VNA)

Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Quang Ninh Nguyen Lam Nguyen said that the province has proactively promoted and advertised in key markets such as China, Korea, Japan, India, etc.; at the same time, it has prepared infrastructure with more than 20,000 rooms at 1,380 accommodation establishments, 32 tours and 78 tourist destinations to welcome MICE guests all year round.

According to Deputy Director General of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism Ha Van Sieu, favorable natural landscapes, a system of international-class hotels and resorts, a stable political situation, the hospitality of the people and the image of a safe destination after the pandemic are key factors helping Vietnam raise its position on the global MICE map.

In recent years, Vietnam has continuously won prestigious international awards, including the title of “Best MICE Destination in Asia 2021.” The tourism development strategy to 2030 also identifies MICE as one of the important pillars, aiming to create distinct products, enhance competitiveness, and contribute to making tourism a spearhead economic sector.

Need to overcome weaknesses and shortcomings of MICE tourism

Despite its great potential, Vietnam’s MICE tourism has yet to break through and is still “inferior” to many countries in the region. The main reason is the limitation of infrastructure and technical facilities, especially in the transportation system, convention and exhibition centers and accompanying support services. In addition, the human resources serving MICE still lack professionalism and fail to meet international requirements.

Associate Professor, Doctor Pham Hong Long, Head of the Faculty of Tourism, University of Social Sciences and Humanities (Vietnam National University, Hanoi) said that Vietnam currently lacks event, conference and seminar organizers that meet regional and international standards; promotion and advertising activities are still vague; policies and mechanisms are not strong enough to promote MICE; products are not packaged, lacking appeal to global partners and event organizers.

To develop, Vietnam needs to position MICE as a strategic product line, not only limited to conferences and seminars but also associated with diverse tourism experiences.

Building specialized product packages is necessary to access international markets, requiring close coordination between the State and enterprises from policy planning to practical implementation.

One of the major challenges is the lack of high-quality human resources in MICE event organization, who need to be properly trained in expertise, foreign language skills and cultural understanding.

Indian MICE delegation visits Cu Chi tunnels, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: (My Phuong/VNA)

Linking businesses with training schools and international associations to open up a practical and specialized training environment is a necessary direction and the key to fundamentally solving this problem.

In addition, the current promotion of Vietnam's MICE tourism to the international market is still fragmented and ineffective. Vietnam needs to focus more on building its brand and expanding international cooperation, through organizing specialized events such as MICE Expo, organizing performances, and roadshows in potential markets such as India, Northeast Asia, the Middle East, etc. to introduce the image of a friendly and professional destination.

In the context of fierce competition from experienced countries in the Southeast Asian region (such as Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia), Vietnam needs to develop “Green-Creative-Indigenous” MICE products, combining conferences and seminars with cultural, culinary, and natural experiences and applying modern technology such as virtual conferences, virtual reality, and smart event management.

According to Mr. Phung Quang Thang (Chairman of the Green Tourism Association), Vietnam needs to study the "green MICE" trend with customer demands on applying sustainable solutions such as reducing waste, saving energy, using digital technology and connecting with local culture to have a source of high-quality, sustainable customers in MICE tourism.

Appreciating the potential to attract international visitors to Vietnam to participate in MICE activities, however, according to Chairman of the Vietnam Tourism Association Vu The Binh, the Government needs to consider expanding visa exemption policies and simplifying entry procedures because these are decisive factors to attract MICE visitors.

If the procedures are still complicated, international visitors can easily choose other destinations in the region. At the same time, the Vietnamese MICE tourism community needs to coordinate to build a product ecosystem associated with technology and sustainable green factors.

Upgrading the quality of infrastructure, accommodation services and event centers is a prerequisite to meet the increasing demands of MICE guests.

Developing MICE tourism is an opportunity for Vietnam to become a high-end destination, attracting high-spending tourists and creating socio-economic spillover effects.

MICE tourism is also expected to be a lever for the tourism industry to soon realize the goal of welcoming 25 million international visitors by 2025 and affirm Vietnam's position on the regional and global MICE map.

However, to turn the prospect into reality, it requires strategic and synchronous investment in policies, infrastructure, human resources and marketing. Only by overcoming these challenges can Vietnam effectively take advantage of the “golden opportunity” to accelerate the development of MICE tourism./.

Source: https://bvhttdl.gov.vn/khai-thac-loi-the-dua-viet-nam-thanh-diem-den-du-lich-mice-hang-dau-khu-vuc-20250826144615284.htm