Context:
The Ministry of Commerce & Industry is actively promoting India as a global MICE destination, aiming to showcase the country’s MSME sector, traditional handicrafts, artisanal offerings, weavers, and manufacturing capabilities on the international stage. Additionally, the Ministry has unveiled India’s ambitious line-up of Mega Events for the coming months, including Aatmanirbhar Bharat Utsav, Indus Food, Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2024, and Bharat Tex.
Relevance:
Facts for Prelims
MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions): Key Insights
Definition and Scope:
- MICE is a term in the tourism and events industry representing business and corporate tourism.
- Involves organizing events, meetings, conferences, exhibitions, and incentives for companies and groups to facilitate networking, knowledge exchange, and business collaborations.
Objectives:
- Aims to create a networking platform for business, industry, government, and the academic community, fostering meaningful conversations.
Infrastructure and Global Rankings:
- Core MICE infrastructure in India is comparable to developed countries.
- India’s consistent improvement in World Bank Ease of Doing Business and WEF Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Rank (54th in 2021).
India’s Progress and Global Scenario:
- Rapid progress in areas like Information Technology and Scientific Research.
- In the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) Country and City Rankings 2019, the USA, Germany, and France led in international association meetings.
- India ranked 28th with 158 meetings in the 2019 ICCA ranking.
Challenges and Strategies:
- Indian MICE has less than 1% share in the estimated global MICE business.
- Strategies include the “Meet in India” brand promotion, providing infrastructure status for financing MICE infrastructure, and skill development for the MICE industry.
