Dubai is the most happening destination for MICE trips with exhibitions, conferences and seminars of every scale being hosted there. The Dubai Convention Bureau coordinates the promotion of all convention hotels and venues in Dubai and is augmenting its facilities to meet commitments made till 2020.
Abu Dhabi is keeping pace with a dazzling array of ongoing tourism projects at the Saadiyat and Yas Islands, Al Raha Beach, Qasr Al Sarab, Angsana Resort and Spa, Bridgeway at Zayed Sports City, the Emirates Pearl, Abu Dhabi Creek Business Resort, the Quay and the Al Gurm Resort.
Sharjah, Doha and the Kingdom of Jordan are also gearing up for the MICE sector with a slew of projects. Bahrain's growing infrastructure includes grand projects like the Durrat Al Bahrain, Amwaj islands and Al Areen. The Gulf Hotel Bahrain's International Convention Centre has been a popular venue for cross-border corporate events.
Qatar's historic monuments and the Cultural Village in Al Dafna, the Education City Convention Centre and the Shangri La make it a good choice for meetings and conferences. The recently launched Blue City, the St Regis Doha and the Al Waab City projects are building up capacities for the MICE market.
The reconstruction of Iraq is most visible in Erbil where large scale real estate projects are driving the city's dream of becoming an alternative to the UAE as a MICE destination. A multipurpose convention centre with a capacity for 1,200 people is already operational, and hotel facilities will see a boom in the next few years.
MICE tourism in Russia
Business tourism in Russia is a young and promising industry. Experts say that the best is yet to come, especially considering forecasts of an investment boom in the tourism industry as Russia continues its integration into the world economy.
Business tourism, which kicked off in the 1990s when foreign firms and joint ventures started up in Russia, is capital intensive but also highly profitable. Business tourists tend to spend three to four times as much as leisure tourists, or an average of $1 000 per day. A business-tourism trip combines market studies with more relaxed pursuits, including everything from air tickets and visa registration to negotiation sessions and cultural events, etc.
The number of firms catering to business clients is booming. These companies do everything including design of exhibition stands, the gathering of information on potential partners, provision of security and PR support, and advertising in various languages. Some even provide banking and consulting services, economic surveys and deal brokering.
However, not many companies yet deal exclusively with business tourism. Although promising, the industry is still unpredictable, and for most firms it currently remains a side-line.
Western experience was important. In this respect established international companies showed the way, as the first to promote business tourism to Russia. Since then, business-tourism associations and centers have appeared, alongside competent specialists and publications. Seminars and conferences on the topic are held. Also following Western examples, Russian companies have started to offer business cruises that combine business concerns with entertainment.
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In brief, Russia is aware of the business tourism benefits, namely, that it stimulates economic growth and that major international conferences are good for the country's image and bring in investment. In addition, business tourism leads to promising deals and the establishment of new contacts.
Still, more Russians visit exhibitions and conferences abroad than foreigners come to Russia. About 1.5 million Russians travel to Europe annually on business, while 1.4 million Europeans visit Russia; for the United States the figures are about 300,000 and 100,000, respectively. This is not surprising, taking into account that visiting Russia is often more expensive than getting to other countries, while cost-quality ratio for services in the country are often unsatisfactory.
Most popular destinations for Russian businessmen are Germany, France, Italy, Scandinavian and Eastern European countries. With the exceptions of China and India, Asia comes bottom of the list. Specialists from across Russia go to India for exhibitions and conferences in areas such as aerospace, textiles, and construction materials.