What are Mice Tours? MICE travel refers to travel for Meetings, Incentives, Conferences or Exhibitions (MICE). Typically, such travel has been but a small percentage of the total tourism industry. However, as India’s markets have opened up so have Indian businessmen and professional travellers. Today, it is par for the course to offer tour packages to specific companies and industries looking to send their representatives to conferences and exhibitions across the world. Large corporations also look for innovative tour packages that can be used as incentives for their top-ranking employees. Exhibitions and conferences especially account for a great deal of outbound MICE travel from India. Medical and technological events generally account for the highest percentage of such travel. A newer and more visible example of MICE travel is that of hosting Film and Music Award functions at exotic destinations like Macau, Sri Lanka and Sun City, South Africa. While leisure travel depends heavily on season and time of year, MICE travel is a round-the-year phenomenon. As this segment grows further, more and more operators are offering tailor-made tour packages to business and corporate houses. These tour packages offer a great deal of convenience to the corporate in terms of scheduling and choosing appropriate hotels, savings of both time and money, end to end service, as well as an opportunity to combine business travel with pleasure. What to Expect from MICE Travel Packages If you are looking to travel for such a purpose, it helps to know what you should be looking for in terms of a tour package. Generally, it is advisable to go for a MICE package that offers convenient and direct flights to your destination, a hotel that is close to the conference or exhibition, transport options to and from the conference or exhibition in case the hotel is away and any extra sightseeing or leisure opportunities. Remember to ask for group discounts as well as any special discounts that may be made available by the conference or exhibition organisers. As India grows into the global marketplace, MICE travel promises to change not only the way professionals and corporate travellers have done business but also how the tourism industry services such travellers and their needs. _____________________________________________________________________ Noshir Lavangia has been working in the MICE travel industry since the last 15 years. Noshir advises Cox & Kings on travel and tour packages.
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