India Requires to Market its Unique Local Experiences

MICE TOURISM is reputed to have a significant impact on the travel and tourism economy. India today is undoubtedly a unique conference destination. The country’s current status as an emerging global power backed by its rich historical, cultural and geographical assets has made it a sought-after MICE destination.

MICE is valued by national and state governments for its high growth potential and for opening up large opportunities for employment. The impact of MICE has also been felt in its ability to position the country as a thought leader while serving as a catalyst to drive more interest towards the destination.

The country however has to ensure that there is an upsurge in infrastructure development centred around connectivity, air, rail and road transportation and capacity building to develop the ability to host large conventions for the long-term sustainability of the segment.

We believe that to make India a top MICE destination will require sustained efforts from both the government and the industry, along with strategic communications and marketing campaigns, to position the country among leading global destinations.

Taking into account the vast tourism potential of India, the Indian tourism and hospitality industry has emerged as one of the key drivers of growth in the service sector. We all know that destination-based leisure and business tourism significantly impacts the travel and tourism industry, so MICE has become an integral part of the industry as a significant contributor to the overall business in recent years.

With India continuing to be the world's fastest-growing major economy, it is important that the hospitality industry focuses on developing and leveraging the growing MICE segment in the country. This will be possible only with significant investments in world-class infrastructure, ease of accessibility, and services and offerings focused on technology.

The growing precedence, moreover, of events and conferences across key industries, such as pharmaceutical sector, technology and sport-led events in India, presents the MICE segment greater opportunities to expand in India. The popularity and demand for events of national and international importance in sport, fashion and entertainment, such as the IPL, Pro Kabaddi or NBA, require matching capacity and services to drive the exponential growth that is required and position India as a preferred market for MICE.

As a leading hospitality company we appreciate and understand the inter-dependencies between the government on one hand and hotels, convention centres and event management companies on the other. IHCL collaborates with Indian Convention Promotion Bureau (ICPB) to promote newer destinations to attract global MICE events. We also actively engage with the India Chapter of the Society for Incentive Travel Excellence and its members. SITE is the only business events association dedicated exclusively to the global incentive travel industry.

Traditionally, New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai and Kerala have been popular MICE destinations, mainly because of their connectivity to international markets and the presence of relevant infrastructure such as meeting spaces and hotel rooms. Going ahead, though, MICE operators will require a greater emphasis on local experiences, and if connectivity and MICE infrastructure come up to speed, newer destinations such as Goa, Rajasthan and the North-East (probably Guwahati) could emerge as serious MICE destinations for the international market.

Upgradation of the infrastructure is an ongoing process. At the same time we need to invest our energies in enhancing the perception of India and importantly building destination campaigns to pitch our cities with a focus on MICE facilities.

As a country, we need to market the unique experiences that individual regions are better known for. Accessibility to these regions should be among the selling points, since logistics plays a very important role in destination choice.

A single window that proactively caters to all required information, licences/permissions, payment channels, event registration, and so on, would be a step in the right direction. A Public-Private Enterprise (PPE) partnership involving key stakeholders would be a model worth exploring.

MICE today accounts for about 25 per cent of IHCL’s turnover. Given our inventory of rooms and meeting infrastructure and our operational expertise in managing events, we are in a good position to host events of various formats. We therefore pitch for a variety of events cutting across geographies and experiences, right from board meetings and niche events, to international conventions for more than a thousand participants.

IHCL has for a long time recognised the business potential that MICE can unlock. Our recent projects and acquisitions predominantly include convention hotels, such as the Taj Hotel and Convention Centre, Agra, which offers 40,000 sq.ft. of indoor and outdoor banqueting space, and the Taj Aravali, Udaipur, with its expansive indoor and outdoor banqueting spaces. We are also expanding our presence in Goa with the upcoming Taj Hotel and Convention Centre.

We have an impeccable reputation backed with our proven ability to host premium events, meetings and conferences, such as those organised by BRICS, ASEAN and WEF, Leadership Summits, Global Partner and Board Meetings, Investor Conferences, and fashion, sport and education events. These demonstrate the seriousness of their organisers about doing business in India and their reliance on a brand like ours.

Taj Palace New Delhi was just adjudged India’s Leading Conference Hotel at the World Travel Awards 2019. Taj Land's End, Mumbai, is a preferred option in North Mumbai, even as The Taj Mahal Palace, our crown jewel in Mumbai, continues to attract high-end events. In Bengaluru we have Taj Yeshwantpur, which has become a sought-after MICE hotel. Goa and Hyderabad are also very popular MICE destinations. These hotels offer state-of-the-art meeting facilities, integrated event planning with highly specialised conference teams, and the seamless execution of events matched with IHCL’s legendary services standards.

At the moment we are excited about the scheduled opening of our newest offering -- Taj Hotel & Convention Centre, Goa, which will have 299 rooms and extensive conferencing facilities, and the largest convention hall in Goa, measuring approximately 1,200 square meters. Strategically located within a 5-km radius of other five-star hotels, including the 207-key Cidade de Goa, this new hotel will be an attractive and logistically feasible proposition for medium to large conferences. India needs more and more of such convention hotels to stay ahead in the race for the global MICE business.