In parallel with the potential for urban space, resources, infrastructure and international awards, MICE tourism (resort tourism combined with conferences, event organizations) in Ho Chi Minh City is still facing many challenges.
Ms. Tran Thi Bao Thu - Marketing - Communications Director of Vietluxtour Company said that despite clear growth, the international MICE customer base in Ho Chi Minh City has not fully recovered compared to before 2019, only reaching about 70%. Regional and international competition is increasingly fierce as MICE centers such as Singapore, Thailand, Korea... continue to upgrade specialized services. Ho Chi Minh City needs to improve human resources, services and experience to increase competitiveness.
In addition, the highly specialized human resources for the MICE segment are still limited. The expansion link creates opportunities but also poses challenges in service synchronization, brand recognition of MICE HCMC and neighboring segments.
A representative of Vietravel Tourism Company commented that although many domestic MICE groups have chosen Ho Chi Minh City, the number of international visitors is still not large, often prioritizing Da Nang and Hanoi.
The merger of boundaries opens up opportunities to extend stay and expand event space in Ho Chi Minh City. The problem is to calculate how to organize in the central area and expand to other destinations such as Vung Tau, Binh Duong (formerly). With close coordination and synchronous policies, Ho Chi Minh City can completely become a leading destination for domestic and international MICE customers
The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism assessed MICE tourism as a type of tourism with great potential but has not fully exploited its advantages. Some high-end hotel segments have not met the needs of international guests, human resources are still lacking, especially high-quality labor for specific segments. Currently, MICE is identified as one of the strategic products in the tourism development orientation of Ho Chi Minh City.
It can be seen that, with existing advantages and solving existing challenges, Ho Chi Minh City has the opportunity to become a leading MICE destination in the country and the region.
