HCMC aims to develop MICE tourism

The country’s travel hub, HCMC, is pinning high hopes on the development of MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) tourism to take advantage of the country’s economic center and its hospitality facilities, a tourism official said.
La Quoc Khanh, deputy director of the HCMC Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, told the Daily that the department, in collaboration with five-star hotels, a golf course and the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center in the Saigon South Urban Town and the HCMC International Exhibition and Convention Center, would create a specific publication for MICE tourism in HCMC by 2010. “This is one of the activities to promote HCMC as the real MICE destination,” he said.
The newly opened exhibition center in Saigon South adds over 100,000 square meters of exhibition space. The city has 54 three- to five-star hotels with 8,000 rooms, not counting 300 rooms of the InterContinental Hotel that will be put into service soon.
“The hotel and exhibition center system only is not enough to woo MICE guests but we believe that with existing and forthcoming facilities, HCMC will become the most attractive destination for such guests,” Khanh said.
He said that reports from travel companies in the city showed that MICE visitors were increasing. Most visitors combine work with pleasure, stay in the city’s hotels and extend their trips to other parts of the country.
To support the development of MICE tourism, the city’s tourism department is preparing a report called ‘Meeting Tourism in HCMC’ and plans to join the MICE travel fair next year in Spain.
“It’s (meeting tourism) just a part of MICE tourism but we want to have basic information about the development of tourism in the city to make further activities to develop it,” Khanh said.
The department aims to finish the research this year.
Around 1.7 million international travelers have arrived at HCMC’s Tan Son Nhat International Airport so far this year, down 11% year-on-year. But tourism revenue has reached VND20.8 trillion, up 14% year-on-year.