Tourism Development: Awareness Talks on Standards of ASEAN MICE Tourism

The Ministry of Hotels and Tourism organized an Awareness Talks on Standards of ASEAN MICE Tourism on Thursday.

The event aims for the industry leaders from the public and private sectors to widely understand the standards of MICE (Meeting, Incentive, Convention, Exhibition) issued by the ASEAN. Union Minister Dr Htay Aung gave an opening speech, saying that according to the survey by Forbes Website, Myanmar ranked 41 at the list of World’s 50 Most Beautiful Countries, together with other ASEAN member states including Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand.

The survey is based on the natural wonders of each country, and thus, Myanmar tourism industry has a promising future. The Union Minister stressed that along with the decline of COVID-19, MICE tourism is expected to revive rapidly, and could generate incomes through connecting with other related businesses.

He pointed out that Myanmar has a promising market for MICE tourism since the country is located between the world’s most populous countries China and India. He urged all to make cooperative efforts for development of MICE tourism in Myanmar. MICE tourism standards focus on three basic factors of physical, technology and services.

The standard for ASEAN MICE (Meeting Venue) was adopted in March 2016, and Myanmar won 12 prizes. The standard for Exhibition Venue was issued in 2018, and Myanmar won 2 prizes which were presented for the first time during the ASEAN Tourism Forum this year.

The global statistics show that the incomes from MICE tourism amounted to over 334 billion US dollars in 2019, and it is estimated to reach over 1.6 trillion US dollars in 2028. In 2019, MICE tourism generates 4.7 million from the related businesses, benefiting the economic development of the nation.