West Bengal Tourism Expects 50 + Int’l MICE Events In The State

In the first-ever Bengal MICE Conclave organised on the sidelines of the Bengal Global Business Summit, the West Bengal Tourism and India Convention Promotion Bureau signed half a dozen MOUs. "We expect a minimum of 50 international events to happen as the outcome of these MOUs," said Nandini Chakravorty, Principal Secretary of Home and Tourism Government of West Bengal, after the signing ceremony.  

The agencies that signed MOUs with West Bengal Tourism and ICPB included the AIDS Society of India, the Indian Dental Association Central Delhi Branch, the Indian Society of Blood Transfusion and Immunohaematology, Dr Ashok Gupta, director of the International Neonatology Association, Geneva, and Alpcord Network Travel and Conferences Management Co.  "We decided to focus on MICE tourism in a big way this year. We have excellent MICE infrastructure and an excellent ecosystem 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 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 5770 crore. 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.

Anil Chadha, Divisional Chief Executive of ITC Hotels, noted that while the country, particularly Kolkata, has created excellent facilities for MICE in the last 5 years, packaging and marketing 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.

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