As envisaged below the Nationwide technique and highway map for MICE tourism draft launched a yr in the past, the Ministry of TourismGovernment of India, is believed to have finalized the framework for the Nationwide MICE Board to drive MICE tourism in India. As per the brand new MICE Board framework, ITDC would be the new nodal company that will likely be serving to and supporting the Board to drive MICE tourism-related advertising and marketing and promotions for Indian tourism.
Within the new MICE Board construction, the public-private arrange of the India Conference Promotion Bureau (ICPB) which has been driving the MICE tourism advertising and marketing and promotions for India tourism for greater than three a long time, will likely be relegated to the position of only a member of the Board.
There was quite a lot of resistance and criticism towards the draft proposal of the Nationwide MICE technique paper from the personal business towards bringing ITDC, a PSU below the Ministry itself because the nodal company for MICE tourism and sidelining the ICPB, an already empowered physique with a long time of expertise and advertising and marketing experience.
FAITH, the umbrella physique of the journey, tourism and hospitality commerce associations, in its suggestions to the technique paper, had cautioned towards propping up a brand new mannequin when there may be already a longtime mannequin obtainable for MICE Tourism.
“There already exists ICPB, a novel bureau, a three way partnership with MoT and absolutely represented by all of the tourism business, Because it occurs in different international locations similar to Singapore, Germany, Malaysia, and so forth., this bureau could also be absolutely empowered and structurally, financially, organizationally and legislatively supported as a nodal single-point physique for imaginative and prescient, planning, execution and advertising and marketing physique for MICE in India, and with having a second tier with metropolis or conference bureaus below it.”
Whereas organising the MICE Board, MoT appears to have roughly adopted the proposals of the draft with out taking into account the strategies of the business. As per the round asserting the MICE Board, the Secretary – Tourism will head the Board as Chairman. The Joint Secretary within the Ministry of Tourism would be the Member Secretary. Senior officers of 5 stakeholding ministries and senior tourism officers from eight states may even have illustration on the Board.
As per the data from dependable quarters, ICPB Vice Chairman; Presidents of the Indian Exhibition Trade Affiliation (IEIA); Indian Affiliation of Tour Operators (IATO), Lodge Affiliation of India (HAI), and so forth. are invited to the MICE Board. Trade confederations like FICCI, CII, and so forth. may even have a spot on the Board.
The choice of the Ministry hasn’t gone down effectively with the personal stakeholders, particularly the ICPB. “We tried our greatest to persuade the Ministry. However on the finish of it, it’s their choice and we can not do a lot about it. ITDC itself has made it clear they don’t have any area experience in MICE advertising and marketing,” mentioned a senior office-bearer of the ICPB.
“If the data is right, it’s nothing lower than a retrograde and regressive step. Sidelining the personal sector and giving the powers to a authorities physique doesn’t bode effectively for the Indian MICE tourism sector. As a substitute, the federal government ought to have taken steps to restore, retrain and strengthen the ICPB system to make it environment friendly. The choice of the federal government will put a long time of arduous work of the ICPB down the drain,” mentioned a number one MICE operator who held senior management positions in ICPB prior to now.
