Long beautiful beaches, scenic landscapes, modern facilities and convenient transportation are real advantages for Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Events (MICE) tourism.
In late March 2019, the central coastal city welcomed more than 2,000 domestic and international guests for the Asia Pacific Society of Infection Control Congress 2019 (APSIC 2019) at Ariyana International Convention Palace in Da Nang City. Then, from late March to early April, the city welcomed 3,500 MICE visitors from Indonesia.
Mr. Nguyen Duc Quynh, Vice Chairman of the Da Nang Hotels Association and Deputy General Director of Furama Resort, Furama Villas and Ariyana Da Nang International Conference Palace, said the attending delegations chose Da Nang City because of its beautiful beaches, good hotels, professional event services for many people and short distances to charming attractions in Central Vietnam such as Hue and Hoi An. These are the latest among many MICE delegations with over 1,000 visitors since the city was chosen to host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in November 2017.
Special characteristics of MICE tourism
Da Nang has many advantages for MICE guests such as long beautiful beaches, many picturesque landscapes, the gateway to the World Heritage Itinerary in Central Vietnam, modern MICE facilities, and particularly the traffic system, he said. The city’s strong advantage is its extremely easy access to main overland roads, waterways, railways and airways, its delivery of large-scale accommodation services, many good locations (meeting rooms, and outdoor spaces for team activities like mountains, hills, rivers, streams and especially the sea). These favorable conditions enable it to develop MICE tourism.
Some travel businesses appreciate the MICE service in Da Nang. MICE tourists bring significant revenue because they tend to spend a lot on shopping, entertainment and sightseeing services.
Quynh added that maritime tourism and MICE tourism attract a lot of visitors to this city in the last two years. In 2018, visitor arrivals to Da Nang reached 7.66 million, an increase of 15.5% compared to 2017, of which international visitors were counted at 2.875 million, an increase of 23.3% compared to 2017.
The role of an international convention center
Serving MICE tourists has practical benefits but it poses a big challenge, for example a conference venue for 3,000-4,000 attendants at the same time. How to deliver transportation service for 2,000 people with about 50 buses and 30 trams is a real challenge for MICE tourism.
Ariyana Da Nang, which cost VND350 billion for construction, has a total floor area of 12,000 square meters. It has a main conference room for 2,500 people.
This place has more than 20 functional units and modern equipment in addition to 20,000 square meters of garden landscapes, a parking space for 150 vehicles and a parking area for 20 buses.
In addition to a monumental scale, this place is also blessed by nature as it faces the sea to take fresh breath from the East Sea. The multi-functional outdoor space, highlighted with a modern fountain system, is ideal for outdoor parties, such as weddings, both in daytime and in nighttime.
Professional services and well-trained, experienced staff in a 5-star environment are also a plus point for Ariyana Da Nang.
After APEC 2017, Ariyana Da Nang International Conference Palace became a reliable choice of many major events such as Techfest Vietnam 2018 with 4,500 attendants, Oriflame Conference with 3,000 people, or the General Assembly of Global Environment Facility with about 1,500 ministerial delegates in charge of environment from 150 countries.
Ariyana Da Nang is also the venue for major national and international events such as the World Cardiovascular Congress and the World Hydroelectric Dam Conference. It has just become a member of the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), thus standing ready to reach out to the world.
Large-scale convention centers such as the Ariyana Da Nang International Convention Palace and distinctive tourism advantages are expected to enable Da Nang to turn MICE into a central tourism type in the city's tourism development strategy, even make it a typical tourism product of the central coastal city.
(Source: Da Nang Tourism Department)
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