Basic HTML Version
timeout
28
MICE TOURISM
do not think MICE accounts for a big
share of the country’s overall tourism.
The only figure for MICE tourism
comes from the Grant Thorton’s Viet-
nam Lodging Industry Hotel Survey
2013, which shows that conference
participants staying in three to five-star
hotels last year accounted for just 4.9
per cent of total guests, a decrease of
2.7 per cent compared to 2011.
Kien said Vietnam has a long way
to go to become a MICE destination
like Singapore or Thailand, as those
countries have better infrastructure and
a more talented, MICE trained human
resources pool.
Paul Robinson, regional MICE man-
ager of Trails of Indochina, said in addi-
tion to a lack of facilities and infrastruc-
ture, the biggest obstacle hindering
Vietnam’s MICE tourism development is
the lack of talented staff.
“Many agents offer MICE services,
but they really have a poor understand-
ing of the business. Even some of the
top hotels have MICE sales staff with a
limited grasp of what the client needs
are,” Robinson said.
He added that another challenge
is understanding value for money: “Vi-
etnam could learn from Thailand or
Malaysia - destinations that offer great
benefits rather than cheaper pricing.
Value for money is not necessarily
cheaper, but instead it often means of-
fering the clients the feeling that they
are getting a service commensurate
with the amount they have spent.”
WHAT WILL THE
FUTURE HOLD?
Despite all the setbacks, MICE pro-
moters still see bright prospects for
MICE tourism in Vietnam.
“MICE business continues to grow
in Vietnam as the destination is still
quite unique compared to the more
established destinations in neighboring
countries,” said Robinson.
InterContinental Hanoi Landmark
72 is looking to accommodate
international conventions