India set to emerge as capital of conferences, exhibitions: Tourism min

With the construction of state-of-the-art exhibition and conference complexes in the country, India is all set to become the MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) capital of the world.

“The new segments of tourism are getting developed, in which MICE tourism is the most important and is the fastest growing segment in the country. The exhibition and conference infrastructure we see across the nation, including Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Jaipur and even small cities post G20 meet indicates that India is standing at the threshold of strong possibilities for this sector,” Union Culture & Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said.

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He was speaking after inaugurating a two-day seminar on India: The land of Exponential Growth organised by the Indian Exhibition Industry Association (IEIA), the apex national body of exhibition industry in the country.

“The government and the private exhibition industry have to work together to make India a centre of MICE tourism. Several events that are happening globally can be calendarized and brought here in India. Besides being a destination India, the country is also becoming a big Exhibition and conference hub with planned expansion in road, aviation and railway sectors along with expansion of the conference and exhibition sector, the country has a great future for economic growth,” he said.

“After 2014, India has shown a tremendous growth curve in infrastructure, given the boom in infrastructure, be it the construction of roads over 1,50,000 km, new railway stations, semi-high-speed trains, inland waterways and more than 150 operational airports. All of these have contributed to India’s prowess in MICE events.

“The confidence also built following India’s hosting of the G20 nations, the entire world is looking at India in awe and curiosity. In times to come, India will emerge as the MICE capital of the world,” Shekhawat added.