To become a MICE tourism 'HUB', you need a strategy starting now.

However, Mr. Nguyen Huu Y Yen, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Saigontourist Travel Company, still regrets that Ho Chi Minh City has not fully utilized its potential to truly become the MICE tourism "hub" of the region.

Mr. Nguyen Huu Y Yen, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Saigontourist Travel Company

*Looking back at 2023, did the recovery pace of Vietnam's tourism industry meet your expectations?

-Mr. Nguyen Huu Y Yen : Actually, at the beginning of 2023, I hoped the pace would be faster because the momentum of 2022 was quite good. We witnessed many tourism booms, and if we maintained that pace, by 2024 Vietnamese tourism could recover to pre-pandemic levels in 2019. However, due to the economic impact of the pandemic in 2023, the overall demand decreased sharply, greatly affecting tourism needs, so the pace slowed down again, only reaching about 60-70% of expectations. But with the general economic management policies of countries as well as Vietnam, I believe that by the end of the year, tourism will hit bottom and begin to recover from 2024.

*But I've noticed that Saigontourist Travel has consistently served groups of thousands of people recently. Even during the September 2nd holiday, when the overall tourism market was quite sluggish, Saigontourist Travel still recorded good growth in customer numbers. Could you tell us what contributed to this result?

-That's right, there have been times when we served groups of tens of thousands of people from a single corporation. From north to south, they signed a single contract, and Saigontourist served all their factories, businesses, and customers across all 63 provinces and cities. For example, in the summer of 2022, Ha Long Bay was flooded with Saigontourist's tourists. This shows that even after the pandemic, despite the difficult situation, there are still tourists. However, tourists will concentrate on one or two units that recover the fastest, retain the largest workforce, and have the financial capacity to meet their needs. Because after the pandemic, when signing contracts with large entities, financial strength is very important; most restaurant, hotel, and logistics service partners require advance deposits. Saigontourist Travel Agency meets all those conditions. Furthermore, Saigontourist Travel's two main customer segments currently are cruise ship passengers and MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) travelers, especially MICE clients.

*The global economy is still struggling, and businesses in most sectors are having difficulty securing orders. Do these factors affect the number of MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) tourists, sir?

-Yes! Of course, all customer segments have decreased due to the general economic difficulties, but traditional solo travelers, families, or groups of friends will see a sharper and faster decline. This is because individual travelers have to think more carefully before deciding to travel during a period of reduced spending. However, businesses have business strategies. For example, they still have to reward agents and employees who meet KPIs… So, even with cost cuts, companies will still have to organize travel programs as part of their business promotion activities. Therefore, this is still a potential customer segment. Before the pandemic, the ratio of MICE customers to individual travelers and families was 50-50, but now MICE customers account for about 55-60% of all our service types.

Tourists experience cyclo tours in Ho Chi Minh City.

*Ho Chi Minh City has just been honored as "Asia's Leading MICE Tourism Destination." How do you assess the potential for attracting MICE tourists in Ho Chi Minh City in particular and Vietnam in general?

-As I analyzed above, MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) tourists are always a highly potential and stable group. They travel in large numbers, spend a lot, and are a group that will decline less and more slowly during a crisis. For example, in Singapore, MICE tourists are not only a driving force for the tourism industry but also a driving force for the entire economy. Before Covid-19, MICE generated over 3.8 billion SGD in added value for the country. The strong return of inbound tourists and large-scale events and conferences in the region...

The last two quarters of 2022 also contributed to Singapore becoming the fastest-growing tourism industry in Southeast Asia. Economic experts in the country point out that the decline in manufacturing and trade could hinder Singapore's economy in 2023; however, the recovery of international tourism and travel is a factor that will partially boost Singapore's service sector.

In our country, MICE tourism is also receiving investment, but frankly, I believe that to compete with or surpass Singapore, South Korea, China, Bangkok, etc., and become the regional MICE tourism "hub," we still have a lot of work to do, especially Ho Chi Minh City. I truly regret that Ho Chi Minh City has not yet made a breakthrough in this type of service.

French tourists in Vietnam

*According to you, why is that...?

To become a regional MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) hub, a destination must first be the region's economic and financial center. This means that international economic and financial meetings and events for the region will take place there. This demand requires infrastructure such as 5-star hotels, international conference rooms capable of accommodating large delegations, professional logistics services for large events, and especially nighttime entertainment. Delegates attending conferences and meetings during the day need places to eat, relax, and spend money at night. Only then can the full potential and value of this target group be exploited.

So how can we turn this "title" into reality: Ho Chi Minh City becoming Asia's leading MICE tourism destination?

- We have abundant natural landscapes, numerous cultural and natural heritage sites that are among the world's wonders. Ho Chi Minh City, in particular, is the economic engine of the country, developing into a financial, economic, logistics, and service center for the region. Ho Chi Minh City possesses all the advantages to become an international MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) tourism hub, but lacks essential infrastructure. This includes a system of convention and exhibition centers, venues for large and very large-scale events; a system of commercial services, large and diverse shopping areas catering to all needs, such as factory outlets, duty-free shops on the streets, and high-class entertainment centers like casinos…

If we aim to be a MICE tourism "hub," we must have a strategy. From building product systems and infrastructure to communication, everything must focus on and revolve around those aspects, meeting the real needs of the MICE clientele. If we only rely on specific tourist attractions, historical sites, or heritage sites, we will only be serving tourists in general.

Our resources far surpass those of other countries in the region. New visa policies also greatly enhance our competitive advantage. If investment is focused and boosted, Ho Chi Minh City will certainly attract major international conferences and events from other countries because, having developed later, our infrastructure is newer and more attractive. In fact, Ho Chi Minh City's orientation is to develop into an economic, commercial, and service center, and tourism should follow this direction to support and promote mutual development. We shouldn't spread ourselves too thin across too many types of tourism, as this reduces investment focus and leads to overall inefficiency.

Mr. Nguyen Huu Y Yen

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/muon-tro-thanh-hub-du-lich-mice-can-co-chien-luoc-ngay-tu-bay-gio-185231010210337961.htm