MICE tourism (tourism combined with meetings) is very suitable to long-standing administrative centers near many sightseeing destinations like Hai Duong city.
Regional and national cultural and sports events that attract a lot of arrivals from other localities are potential sources of visitors for meeting-combined tourism
However, the tourism type is untapped in Hai Duong despite high potential.
Great promise
Hai Duong city has the potential to develop the tourism type because this is the province’s big economic and administrative center.
Khong Quoc Tuan, Director of the provincial Center for Tourism Information and Promotion, said many big companies in Hai Duong city and neighboring areas, especially in the industrial parks of Dai An, Tan Truong, and Nam Sach, often hold large conferences crowded with partners once or twice a year, according to the center’s survey. The meetings and conferences are usually combined with taking the guests around for sightseeing, touring, and shopping.
In addition, many big cultural and sports events annually take place in Hai Duong city, luring numerous visitors from other localities.
Aside from the potential customers, Hai Duong city has many other advantages in developing MICE tourism. For example, there are many historical and cultural relics in the city and surrounding areas, including Mao Dien temple of literature, Chu Dau ceramics, ancient pagodas and temples, and traditional trade villages (banh da (rice pancake) and silver product making village in Binh Giang, embroidery village in Tu Ky, leather shoe village in Gia Loc). The tourism products meet visitors’ demands for sightseeing and shopping in a short time (1 – 2 days), a characteristic of MICE tourism.
A peaceful habitat, friendly people, and reasonable prices are also Hai Duong city’s pluses to develop tourism and make travellers to return next time.
Investment and exploitation needed
To develop MICE tourism, the first thing needed is the tourism sector and travel agencies’ sense of exploiting the potential of this tourism type.
The provincial Center for Tourism Information and Promotion is conducting a survey to build intra-provincial tours centering Hai Duong city and suitable to the customers of MICE tourism, according to Khong Quoc Tuan.
Nonetheless, the implementation of the tours requires the coordination of travel agencies, destinations, the systems of restaurants and hotels, etc.
Regarding infrastructure, Hai Duong city also needs additional recreation spots and shopping centers to retain arrivals and make them open their wallets.
The human resources working in tourism of tour operators, at destinations as well as those working in State management of the tourism sector need intensive training and improvement of qualifications and skills to be able to develop the market and create new and quality tourism products based on the inherent potential.
| MICE tourism is the abbreviation of four English words: meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions. MICE tourism has emerged and become more and more developed in Vietnam since the international economic integration. Viettravel and Saigontourist are among the travel companies with large market shares in MICE tourism (60% of the total customers are MICE ones). Statistics of travel companies in the MICE tourism business show that the profit gained from this tourism type is six times higher than traditional tour organization. |
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Đăng ký: VietNam News
