WB Tourism expects 50+ int’l MICE events in the state after MoUs with ICPB & other partners, ET TravelWorld

West Bengal Tourism expects half a dozen MoUs that the department signed at the aegis of India Convention Promotion Bureau (ICPB) during the first-ever Bengal MICE Conclave event in Kolkata recently to deliver a minimum of 50 international conferences in the state this year itself.

“We expect a minimum of 50 international events to happen as the outcome of these MoUs,” said Nandini Chakravorty, Principal Secretary of Home & Tourism, Government of West Bengal, after the signing ceremony.

The agencies which signed MoUs with West Bengal Tourism and ICPB included the AIDS Society of India; Indian Dental Association Central Delhi Branch; the Indian Society of Blood Transfusion and Immunohaematology (ISBTI); and Dr Ashok Gupta, director of International Neonatology Association, Geneva, and Alpcord Network Travel & Conferences Management Co.

“We decided to focus on MICE tourism in a big way this year. We have very good MICE infrastructure and the right eco-system to make it happen in the state. MICE is one segment of tourism which can bolster the entire tourism ecosystem and bring them all together,” said Chakravorty.

Regarding MICE events, the state government is pinning many hopes on events associated with medical and engineering in the state, considering the huge captive markets for these two industry segments.

Apart from the current infrastructure, the senior bureaucrat said 40 new luxury hotels will be operationalised in the state over the next two years with an expected investment of INR 5,770 cr. She informed me that the government also has plans to set up an international-level convention facility in Siliguri.

Delivering a keynote at the Bengal MICE Conclave, Sanjiv Puri, Managing Director of ITC, said that West Bengal is one state in India where MICE can be envisioned in multiple ways because of its rich culture, heritage, festivities, cuisines, etc. Biswa Bangla Convention Centre is the pioneering multipurpose convention facility in the country, he said. “The economics of holding big conventions in Kolkata is much attractive and easier,” he said.Harshvardhan Neotia, Chairman of Ambhuja Neotia Group, said that with a lot of tangible and intangible heritage around and also the art and creativity of the people of Bengal, the state can create compelling stories to attract international MICE into its shores. At least 20 different tourist destinations can be explored on a day trip from two international airports in the state – Kolkata and Bagdogra, he said.

Anil Chadha, Divisional Chief Executive of ITC Hotels, said that while the country as a whole and Kolkata in particular has created great facilities for MICE in the last 5 years, packaging and marketing is what are lacking. He called for collaboration among the government, tourism industry and venues.

Rudra Chatterjee, MD, Luxmi Tea and co-chairperson of the sub-sector committee on tourism for BGBS, said that with world-class convention facilities and close to 5000 hotel rooms of different categories, there is a ready market for MICE in Kolkata.

Chander Mansharmani, Vice Chairman of ICPB, moderated a panel discussion on ‘attracting international MICE Business into West Bengal’.