Make India top MICE charts

The India Convention Promotion Bureau (ICPB) convention from October 13-15, saw participation of 44 organisations and over 100 Indian and foreign buyers.

The event was inaugurated by Vinod Zutshi, Secretary Tourism, Government of India, Suman Billa, Joint Secretary-Tourism, Government of India Chairman, ICPB, Chander Mansharamani, Vice Chairman, ICPB, Pooja Joshi, General Manager, Delhi Tourism, Saurabh Bhargava, Honorary Treasurer, ICPB and Amaresh Tiwari, Honorary Secretary, ICPB.

The world market for MICE tourism is estimated to be excess of $280 billion. Of this, the share of Asia Pacific region alone is $60 billion and India accounts for $4.8 billion which is less than two per cent of the market share in comparison to Singapore which has 30 per cent of the market share, informed Mansharamani. He said, “It is very encouraging to see 44 organisations showcasing their products at the conclave, more than 100 Indian and foreign buyers participating in the conclave which will create a good opportunity to network and transact business, attend business sessions with industry professionals. The biggest challenge in this industry is lack of research.”

According to International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) 2015 ranking, India’s ranking has gone up from 35 to 31 with regard to international conference business marking a positive growth. Meetings, conferences, seminars constituted 41 per cent and trade fairs, exhibitions constituted 29 per cent which are the two largest MICE subsequent, informed Zutshi. “India has the potential to be one of the top 20 destinations for hosting international conferences, conventions and events. For this dedicated resources and innovative marketing campaigns are necessary to position India as an attractive MICE destination which we are committed to support in consultation with ICPB,” he added.

Billa observed, “The biggest bottlenecks for the MICE business to come to India is the high level of taxation in the country and GST today offers us a historic opportunity to set that right. If we are able to persuade the Ministry of Finance to bring tourism in the lower bracket of GST, I think there will be a significant amount of economic competitiveness in the global marketplace for the tourism sector.”