HCM City: Huge potentials to develop MICE tourism

Ho Chi Minh City, the largest economic hub in the south, has great potential to become the leading destination of Meeting Incentive Conference Event (MICE) tourism in Southeast Asia, experts said at a conference held by the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) in the city on September 9.

At the event, Executive Director of AmCham Viet Nam in Ho Chi Minh City Herb Cochran highlighted that tourism is billed as a key economic sector in Viet Nam, underscoring that public-private partnerships will open the door for both domestic and foreign enterprises to invest in the sector, helping promote sustainable tourism development.

He added that the Amcham Viet Nam enterprise community operating in tourism, aviation and payment services is seeking opportunities to invest in Vietnamese tourism and especially MICE tourism.

According to statistics from the Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), MICE tourism brings benefits four to fivefold higher than other forms, as that variety of travellers tend to spend more than those on regular tours.

Being part of the world’s biggest industry, MICE tourism has acted as catalyst for the development of provinces and cities in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, making them become centres of “the meeting industry” in Asia.

In a bid to tap the potentials for MICE tourism in Ho Chi Minh City, there should be long-term strategies, said Dr. Nguyen Duc Tri from the University of Economics in Ho Chi Minh City, stressing that programmes for MICE tourism dissemination must focus on particular consumer segmentation where high-ranking customers are prioritised.