Illustrative image (Photo: Huy Hoang/Vietnam+)
Hanoi (VNA) - MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions) tourism is considered to have major benefits for Vietnam as well as many other countries. But as COVID-19 has severely devastated the green economy, how will MICE recover in the future?
As we do not yet know when the battle with COVID-19 will fully come to an end, the green economy has become more fragile than ever and has turned somewhat “grey”, so needs a roadmap for recovery and development into the future.
This is not only about a green pass (vaccine passports), developing a national tourism brand, selecting a core tourism product, or introducing an appropriate strategy in a new context, but about defining strengths to promote tourism, helping the sector earn hard currencies and quickly regain its “glorious past”.
So which product counts among the most significant resources of most countries, especially developed countries? The answer is MICE tourism.
Over past years, many countries around the world have promoted MICE tourism not only thanks to the beauty of their landscapes but also their diverse products and convenient services.
It has been forecast that MICE tourism alone will earn over 1.4 trillion USD by 2025, with Europe and Asia-Pacific considered “bright spots”.
MICE guests visit relics in Ninh Binh province before the outbreak of the pandemic. (Photo: Mai Mai/Vietnam+)
Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, Vietnam had emerged as the leading MICE tourism destination in the region.
According to industry insiders, the average number of MICE visitors represented 15-20 percent of guests hosted by travel agencies and the figure even reached as high as 60 percent during peak months.
European MICE visitors accounted for about 20 percent and were identified as high-end customers who spent 700-1,000 USD a day, while Asian visitors spent some 400 USD a day.
Vietnam has experience in organising major international events, including the summit of French-speaking countries, the ASEAN Summit, APEC meetings, and the US-DPRK Summit. These events took place in Hanoi, which is considered the leading city in Vietnam for developing MICE tourism and sporting events.
The coastal city of Da Nang is also a major tourist attraction in central Vietnam. The Mekong Delta’s Can Tho city has promoted itself in southern Vietnam thanks to its reputation for eco-tourism, cuisine, and unique culture, while nearby Kien Giang province has also developed tourism with typical products including luxury island resorts (such as those on Phu Quoc Island) and wildlife reserves.
The sudden arrival of the pandemic over the last nearly two years, however, forced industry experts and event organisers to think again about future products and operations.
In mentioning Vietnam’s preparations for recovering MICE tourism in the time to come, Mr. Nguyen Tuan Anh, Director of the Institute for Tourism Development Research at the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, said that despite significant demand, the potential for its development has not been fully tapped as yet.
Therefore, he went on, it is necessary to continue to invest in infrastructure and accommodation such as 5-star hotels and 5-star conference centres to attract guests, turning MICE into the main driving force of Vietnam’s tourism sector in accordance with the tourism development strategy to 2030.
“The second very important factor is human resources,” he added. “It takes a lot of time to train professional tourism workers, especially for MICE tourism. If they move to other industries because of the pandemic, the sector is likely to face labour shortages. I think this needs a macro-level solution from the Government to support the industry.”
It is necessary, he believes, to create quality, diversified, and attractive MICE tourism products to attract guests and improve Vietnam’s competitive edge against developed markets around the world.
“The pandemic is likely to continue being a complex issue globally, making it difficult to organise international events in Vietnam,” he said. “But with the pandemic being brought largely under control in the country, we can fully recover and expand the development of MICE tourism, turning Vietnam into the perfect MICE destination.”/.
