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Vietnam still has a long way to go to become a regional MICE destination, but
tourism promoters are eager to tap into this market, writes
Andrew Tran
.
CARVING A NICHE
MICE TOURISM
W
ith an abundance of natu-
ral and cultural charms,
Vietnam has been touted
over the last few years as
an ideal destination for MICE tourism
– an acronym for meetings, incentives,
conferences and exhibitions.
Indeed, MICE has become an im-
portant niche market for some of the
country’s leading hotels, like Melia Ha-
noi, which has one of the greatest MICE
facilities in Hanoi with two spacious
ballrooms and 11 function rooms.
“For 15 years, MICE has formed a
significant part of our business,” said
Céline Guyomarc’h, general manager of
Melia Hanoi Hotel.
On a wider scale, she said: “The
MICE industry in Vietnam has truly come
of age over the last couple of years
and received world recognition as it has
successfully hosted major conferences,
such as the APEC and ASEAN summits.”
A MIXED BAG
However, industry insiders say
MICE is not a key segment for many.
For example, Tran Trong Kien, CEO of
Buffalo Tours, said although the com-
pany had its own MICE department,
he did not expect MICE to become its
main business.
“MICE is not an important mar-
ket for us and it should also not be-
come major part of Vietnam’s tourism
strategy,” said Kien. “The country does
not have strength in MICE; instead, it
should focus on developing adventure
tourism.”
Although Vietnam’s tourism has
shown strong growth over the last few
years and there have been a number
of seminars on MICE tourism develop-
ment, the Vietnam National Administra-
tion of Tourism does not have a depart-
ment dedicated to promoting MICE.
There are also no official figures on
MICE tourism in Vietnam, although in-
dustry figures, including Kien, say they
SPECIAL
FEATURE