Hanoi boasts great potential for MICE tourism

At present, the Vietnamese capital is home to 3,425 tourist accommodation facilities with 64,800 rooms, of which 598 hotels and apartments are rated between one to five stars, accounting for 17% of the total. In addition, the city also has dozens of shopping malls, restaurants, entertainment centres, and sports complexes that are capable of serviing large MICE groups.

Recognizing the development potential for this type of tourism, experts agree attracting MICE visitors will bring great benefits to the capital’s tourism industry.

Vu The Binh, chairman of the Vietnam Tourism Association, emphasised that Hanoi, which is the country’s political and cultural centre, and is home to a number of tourist attractions and high-class resorts, has the potential to develop MICE tourism and turn it into one of the capital's key products.

Sharing this perspective, Nguyen Duc Anh, chairman of Vietnam MICE Tourism Club, noted that MICE tourism often serves high-class guests who are often businessmen, thereby bringing in revenue of up to six times that of other competitors.

However, experts say Hanoi still lacks large-scale event venues that are fully equipped with sufficient accommodation services necessary to serve thousands of people.

Furthermore, there are inadequacies in terms of strengthening connectivity among destinations, event centres and travel agencies, leading to hindrances for the development of MICE tourism.

Dang Huong Giang, director of the Hanoi Department of Tourism, reveals that the capital will hold a seminar on MICE tourism in December in an effort to develop the service in an effective manner.