Photo Caption: Office bearers of ICPB at the release of MICE Study Report in New Delhi
The Indian government has decided to expand the ambit of its e-Conference Visa to allow the facility to be used for attending private conferences as well. Earlier, e-Conference Visa only covered events being organised by the government or public sector undertakings (PSUs).
“The government has been proactive in its efforts to help the tourism industry grow and now it is in the hands of the private players to make most of the opportunities available,” said Suman Billa, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Tourism (MoT) on the sidelines of the release of a MICE Study Report recently in New Delhi.
Hailing the government’s move to include private conferences in the ambit of e-Conference Visa, Amaresh Tiwari, Honorary Secretary, ICPB said, “Earlier, getting visa for private conferences was a tedious process that included need of taking permissions and complex documentation. Now delegates visiting the country for private conferences can apply for e-visa from the comfort of their homes. It augurs well for India’s inbound business.”
On the other hand initiated by India Convention Promotion Bureau (ICPB), the MICE Study Report is expected to offer a road-map for implementing strategies and policy changes required for the growth of the sector.
The report for which a market research agency was hired highlights that the estimated market size of MICE in India is Rs. 37576 crore in which nearly 60 percent comes from meeting, incentive and conference verticals.
The estimated market size from ‘event’ is in the tune of Rs. 4800 crore from space rental but it has a multiplier impact to economy in terms of accommodation, travelling, advertisement, remuneration to skilled work force etc. Apart from identifying the size of India’s MICE market, the report also spells out its contribution to the Indian economy.
“We have been working on the idea of restructuring ICPB for some time. We have already changed our constitution broadly bringing it in line with the structure recommended by the study. There were about 18-19 MICE bureaus across globe that were contacted for the study to know how they function, there structure and how they are marketing their destinations. Recommendations to the government have been made accordingly in the report,” said Chander Mansharamani, Vice Chairman, ICPB.
“As per the study a majority of international MICE bureaus are funded by the government. However, ICPB’s funds are membership driven. The report also advises that ICPB should be positioned as the single point of contact for MICE in India besides stressing on the need to develop market intelligence that can help to bid for international conferences,” added Mansharamani.
With the change in ICPB constitution, the body can now bid for international conferences. However, the study advises that ICPB should not bid on its own but engage state tourism boards and PCOs in the process. In fact MoT is looking to create a corpus in associations with state tourism boards in order to bid for international conferences.