With vast potential to be hub of MICE industry (Meeting, Incentive travel, Conference and Exhibition), Ethiopia is ranked 4th and 73rd in Africa and globally respectively in the 2017 International Congress and Convention Association(ICCA)index.
The location of AU Headquarters and UNECA with their state of the art convention centers as well as the reputable flag carrier, Ethiopian, the booming hotel industry among others, could make Ethiopia better competitive for the flourishing of MICE business in the country.
As compared to the potentials, experts argue that there are backlogs of tasks ahead of the country to grow the business and get larger portion of slice.
According to World Tourism Council (WTC), 60 percent of tourists’ flow across the globe is dominated by business travelers.This business traveler’s excursion period also likely expected to take more than a day. The existence of the two prestigious institutions in Addis Ababa can, therefore, lure as many business tourists as possible if the right incentives are attached with the sub-sector.
WTC data show that MICE can generate five times more foreign earning than leisure tourism.
Most countries attract the business
by winning formal international bids through their well-trained and organized agents as well as through membership to ICCA.
Unlike to most nations, Ethiopia has not yet established independent national agent which some experts who ponder developments in the industry dubbed it as National Convention and Visitors Bureau (NCVB).
Gezahagn Abate, Public and International Relations Director at the Ministry of Culture and Tourism admitted the fact that Ethiopia is amongst nations with no NCVB.
As to him, there has been no research as to the extent Ethiopia losses from the industry that also correlate it with NCVB. Moreover, infrastructural gaps are among major challenges to conference and convention business here. But nowadays, convention centers, hotels, meeting halls and the like have grown rapidly,according to him.
Kumneger Teketel, Managing Director of OZZIE Business and Hospitality Group stressed that Ethiopia is belated to exploit its opportunity on utilizing MICE.
“The industry is the major potential source of forexcompared to leisure tourism. To him, the establishment of Bureau facilitates more MICE opportunities to Ethiopia.”
Gezahagn for his part counter argues that establishing such a bureau is not in the jurisdictions of the Ministry. “The ministry works for the improvement of tourism be it MICE or leisure.”
Speaking of the significance of the Bureau, Kumneger describes that countries bring various MICE events with open bidding in international markets. Independent organization that specializes in MICE will do the tricks to Ethiopia as is the trend internationally, he argued.
The number of prominent business associations reaches about 23 thousand globally and each association is estimated to employ 5-10 thousand people, he said, adding that the companies hold at least one meeting annually outside of their premises or countries of origin.
Gezahegn says that Ethiopia works in cooperation with international event organizersand destination management companies to tap opportunities of hosting international conventions.
Hotels, the main beneficiaries of MICE have been growing in number and quality, Gezahagn said, noting that the country has also been to the maximum to tackle other challenges relating to infrastructure.
Concerning to challenges relating visa, Kumneger added that the recently launched visa on-arrival for Africans is likely to create additional opportunity to Ethiopia to be competitive in the business.
Another opportunity is that the Ministry is working hand in glove with Ethiopian Revenue & Customs Authority to enable MICE and leisure tourists to move their gadgets without difficulty, Gezahagn added.
The tangible developments in hotel and tourism and convention centers as well as IT infrastructure, among others ought to be compounded with studies that show whether or not the absence of the Bureau harms MICE business in Ethiopia. In this regard, scholars have responsibilities of making adequate studies to tap the growing MICE industry.
The Ethiopian Herald February 22/2011
BY YESUF ENDRIS
