Tourism Official Calls for City Convention Bureaus to Boost MICE Sector

Quick Summary

• suman Billa, Director-General in the Union Ministry of Tourism, stressed the need for city-level convention bureaus to harness MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) potential across Indian cities.
• He called for a shift from India being a venue-centric destination to an ecosystem-centric one that integrates stakeholders and offers single-window services.
• At the ‘IEIA Connect-Focus South’ event organized by the Indian Exhibition Industry Association (IEIA),Mr.Billa highlighted India’s capability to host world-class events like the G20 Summit.
• He suggested cities specialize based on their strengths: Chennai for automobile-related events; Bengaluru and Hyderabad for technology; Kochi for wellness; and Visakhapatnam for maritime trade/business.
• Examples of successful international MICE bureaus mentioned included Singapore, Dubai, London, and Frankfurt.
• Multiple tourism officials from states such as Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, karnataka, kerala participated in this event.

Indian Opinion Analysis

Suman billa’s proposal delineates an ambitious roadmap to institutionalize collaboration across India’s diverse urban hubs by introducing city-specific convention bureaus focused on MICE activities. This strategy could hold promise as it leverages India’s regional competencies-such as Chennai’s prominence in automobiles or Bengaluru’s tech leadership-and aims to create tailored identities while fostering economic development through global engagement.

The concept of ecosystem-centric organization aligns with international best practices seen in cities like Singapore or Dubai where MICE bureaus act as aggregators facilitating seamless collaboration among stakeholders-a necessary step given that efficient multi-stakeholder coordination can bolster India’s attractiveness as a preferred global destination.

Moreover, success will depend heavily on robust infrastructure development at both regional levels and cross-sectoral cooperation frameworks that work seamlessly beyond theoretical implementation plans-a challenging yet essential factor to be addressed if India is aiming long-term impacts beyond episodic achievements like hosting G20 events.

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