TravTalk India Online Magazine
At Expo2020 Dubai’s ‘Meet in India’ session, Rakesh Verma, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, claimed that the government is working to position India as preferred destination for trade and social events.
Nisha Verma
Rakesh Verma claimed that the government is working with events industry to position India as a preferred destination for business and social events.
“M!CE (meeting, incentive travel, conferences and exhibitions) industry is an important contributor to national economy. It contributes to income generation and creates huge employment opportunities in related hospitality service providing sectors like accommodation, food and beverage convention services, transportation, tourism and entertainment,” he emphasised.
Strong infrastructure
He highlighted India’s “excellent convention and hospitality infrastructure, unparalleled cultural and natural attractions, and a rapidly growing economy”.
“All this provides impetus to India’s emergence as a hub of business and social events. The convention infrastructure at important cities and tourist destinations is being upgraded to provide world-class facilities. Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai and Goa are some of the leading destinations in the country. We are also focusing on Tier II and III destinations such as Varanasi, Cochin and Khajuraho, and these may work out to be more competitive and diversified offerings,” he claimed.
Connectivity is central
Verma said the government is giving a “massive” push to connectivity infrastructure with new airports, highways and railways. “This has significantly enhanced the accessibility of various destinations and their M!CE potential. Consistent improvement in the business environment, investment climate and India’s emergence as a leader in technology and knowledge-related areas also contribute to India being an attractive destination for the events industry. “India is also a very attractive market for organising exhibitions, keeping in view the rapid economic growth and rising demand from consumers and industry,” he said.
M!CE and wedding hub
Verma said that destination weddings are another important niche that is growing rapidly. “Many destinations in the country are emerging as wedding destinations, and the industry is getting more organised. MOT is working on a strategy to position India as a M!CE destination in the world and a hub of mega conferences and exhibitions. It is working towards creating enabling conditions and institutional frameworks at the central, state and city levels for the growth of the MICE industry. The short-term goal of the ministry is to increase India’s share in the MICE business to two percent from the current share of approximately one percent,” he added.
Apart from that, he claimed, India has a thriving private sector, professionally competent and passionate about its work.
Asian market
Saying that India has a clear competitive advantage in certain sectors along with cultural affinity, he shared, “For the Asian market, we have the Buddhist circuit as one of the important offerings in India. Hence, the cultural and spiritual offerings in India, along with the domain strength we have in terms of the events industry, make us a good location for short-haul and medium-haul destinations.”We can encourage them to come here and organise events on a competitive basis.”
Targeting the diaspora
“The Indian diaspora across the world is a big segment for us to tap,” claimed Verma. “We need to properly design our marketing strategy focused on our diaspora and look at their requirements. There are no legal challenges, and even if there are issues, we can sort them out at the destination level or at the state government level since no major intervention is required. We need to package these attractions in terms of very specialised and focused marketing for the diaspora, which will do the trick,” he added.
Culturally rich
In another session on culture and heritage, Verma highlighted the cultural and religious heritage of India and how it could attract tourists from the world over.
Talking about spiritual tourism, Verma said, “The presence of several sacred destinations of different faiths in the country makes these destinations among the most visited sites globally, offering an immersive experience.”
