East Indian state West Bengal gearing for MICE tourism to increase revenue

Monday, October 28, 2019

‘MICE’ tourism is gaining momentum in East Indian city Kolkata and other parts of West Bengal on the back of improved connectivity, the presence of several 5-star hotels and a “world-class” convention centre. India has emerged as one of the most preferred ‘MICE’ (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) destinations, and West Bengal plays an active part in it, the West bengal tourism official said.

The domestic market is very keen to hold conferences here given the infrastructure available, West Bengal Tourism Secretary Atri Bhattacharya said. The prospects for MICE tourism here are very good and word-of-mouth publicity is working very well.

S D Nandakumar, president and country head, B2B and Foreign Exchange at SOTC Travel, said that the warm hospitality, rich historical and cultural heritage, best business hotels and developing infrastructure are the key reasons for the growth of this segment in India.

Nandakumar said that the MICE tourism has been gaining momentum in Kolkata, and the state’s tourism board is also investing time and effort in developing it as one of the key conference destinations of the country.

The extensive Biswa Bangla Convention Centre, which has several halls and other modern infrastructure, situated at New Town adjoining Kolkata, has already got 46 bookings for 2020, and is doing good business, Bhattacharya said.

He said that the capacity of high-end hotels in the city and adjoining areas has increased to 5,000 rooms from 3,800 in just a couple of years.

Known as the nation’s corridor, Kolkata is a friendly, intellectual and vibrant city rich in culture and heritage and is being promoted as a favourable MICE destination. He said that New Town, situated near the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport here, is gradually becoming a leading MICE destination of South Asia.

Leading in infrastructure, it has IT, financial and educational hubs, he said, adding, the area is also home to the largest urban park in India.

Atri Bhattacharya said that the West Bengal Tourism Department wants to attract more travellers to the state to boost the ’value per tourist’

By this, we mean that the period of stay of a visitor to the state needs to be increased and they should be provided with more options to spend their time better.

Bhattacharya said that the average period of stay of inbound tourists in the state at present is 3.4 days and the government is keen to increase it to 5 days. He said there are several destinations to choose from within a distance of 200 km for those coming in for conventions, to mix business with some sight-seeing.

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