US experts tell HCM City to focus on business tourism

Ho Chi Minh City needs a convention and visitors bureau to promote its tourism industry, especially the MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibition) segment, US academics said at a meeting held in the city last Friday.

Speaking at a tourism seminar, a delegation from Georgetown University in the US capital Washington said the CVB’s sole responsibility would be to promote HCMC as a destination for leisure and business tourists, conventions, trade fairs, and conferences.

Its funding should come from both the private and public sectors, Thoi Bao Kinh Te Sai Gon Online (Saigon Economic Times Online) newspaper reported them as saying, with stakeholders including airlines, hotels, travel agencies, and operators of convention and entertainment venues.

The businesses would team up to draw up marketing strategies for the city, design a website, identify key tourism source markets, and establish partnerships with businesses at home and abroad, they said.

Singapore has excelled in attracting conventions and events, they pointed out.

The island topped the list of international meeting cities in 2008 when it hosted 637 meetings, or 5.57 percent of all meetings held around the globe that year.

The seminar, titled “Best Practices of San Francisco Convention and Visitors Bureau,” was organized by the American Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (AmCham), the city Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The chairman of AmCham’s Tourism Committee, Ngo Minh Duc, said neighboring countries like Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia are eyeing the MICE segment.

He urged Vietnamese businesses to pay more attention to MICE tourists who travel in large groups and are willing to spend more money for quality services.

Le Trung Tho, deputy general manager of the Palm Garden Beach Resort & Spa in Hoi An town, said Vietnam too has potential for MICE development, especially along its central coast which has ideal spots for team-building and relaxation activities for convention attendees.

The US delegation said a South Korean convention attendee’s average expenditure is around US$1,969 for a trip, including $645 for accommodation, $355 for shopping, and $226 for meals.

Tags: Vietnam business tourism, Vietnam Tourism