 Ambassador Cruise is heralding the dawn of a new day in cruising Halong Bay, with the launch of a day cruise on a new vessel with restaurants and bars, an outdoor jacuzzi and a striking glass bridge. The five-star line behind the UNESCO World Heritage site’s most sublime cruise experiences launched the day-long ‘Ambassador Day Cruise II’ tours on 10 February 2023.
 As consumers become more aware of the impact of their purchases, travel and meetings professionals are demanding more sustainable options when planning business events. Ready, get set, go green! – a white paper released by STB and American Express Global Business Travel (Amex GBT) – looks at key trends of green meetings and events, the role a destination plays and how travel and meetings planners can measure a destination’s sustainability.
 Cascading Staircase and Museum in Yerevan, Armenia This is probably not the best time to feature Armenia as a travel destination given the current Covid-19 situation, but Armenia does have its beauty, legends and fascinating history. While there is potential for international meetings and incentive travel in Armenia, limitations in accessibility and its sometimes tense relationship with its neighbouring countries are obstacles for MICE organisers.
 At the recent Asian MICE Cruise Conference held in-conjunction with IT&CMA 2019, the speakers discussed the viability of organising MICE events on a cruise ship. Some of the key benefits highlighted by the speakers at the conference include:
 The Caucasus nation of Georgia, not to be confused with the US state of Georgia, is gaining traction as a regional MICE destination. In 2016, within the framework of the National Tourism Administration of Georgia, the Georgian Convention and Exhibition Bureau (GCEB) started operations with the objective to promote the development of business tourism in Georgia. By 2018, Georgia has achieved the first place in the ICCA rankings for the Caucasus and Central Asia regions.
 A long terrace spans the entire length of Rooms Hotel Kazbegi Stepantsminda is a small town located in a valley in northern Georgia, about three hours drive from the capital city of Tbilisi. The grand Caucasus Mountains serve as a spectacular natural backdrop to the town with a population of just about 2,000. The town is seeing healthy growth in MICE visitors and general tourists due to its natural beauty.
 MICEreview appreciates the support from Dubai Tourism
Rayong, which is about a 3-hour drive from Bangkok, is a fully industrialized city in Thailand’s Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) dedicated to petrochemical and chemical industries. Hence, it is hard to imagine that such an industrialized region is home to a number of beautiful resort islands, such as Samed Island (also spelled as "Samet" in some publications and websites). The island is one of the top tourist destinations for both Thais and foreigners, and it is accessible by a 20 minutes speedboat ride from Ao Prao Pier in Rayong.
One of the most luxurious resorts on Samed Island is the Ao Prao Resort, part of the Thai owned and managed Ao Prao Resort Group. It offers 100 guest rooms and conference rooms with the scenic views of the Gulf of Thailand. This is definitely a MICE venue of choice for incentive groups heading for the EEC region because besides white sands and clear blue sea, there is a variety of activities to do, including nature trekking, portrait drawing, muay thai lesson and offering food to monks. The first ever Trump-Kim Summit, F1 night race, high profile IMF meeting in the past, and the "Crazy Rich Asian" have surely proved that Singapore has what it takes to host successful meetings, incentive groups, conventions, exhibitions and even 'crazy rich' parties. Singapore, as a MICE destination, scores high on accessibility, security, ease of communication, hotel and meeting facilities and IT. Below is an overview of Singapore's MICE industry in Chinese, written by MICEreview's Editor, commissioned by EventPlatform magazine of Taiwan. Bosnia & Herzegovina is a country situated in the western Balkan peninsular of Europe. Its storied history and its recent war with neighbouring Serbia make it rather difficult to explain this country in a few sentence. Today as you interact with the people in Bosnia, you can still feel their angst and emotion on the war that happened just about 20 years ago, as almost everyone, every family has a story to tell.
But perhaps it is these history, stories and emotions, as well as the natural beauty of the country that make Bosnia & Herzegovina a great place to visit, from the MICE point of view. For example, the experience of the recent war has given rise to interesting themed tours and activities such as the "Siege Tour", "Tunnel Tour". While a walk through the main street capital city Sarajevo's Old Town is like a walk through history from the Ottoman era, Austro-Hungarian period, the Communist regime to today. Unlike old towns of other European countries, the architectures of each era were well preserved on one street - like a linear timeline, making easier to explain the history of the country. Then there are other heritage sites such as Mostar, Pocitelj and nature sites with spectacular views such as the Kravice waterfall. And dining right beside gushing waters along the Buna River is an experience not to be missed. Bosnia & Herzegovina is a truly an amazing destination with great potential for MICE, although more investment and development in infrastructure, as well as improvement on assessibility would be ideal. |
MICEreview is a Media Affiliate of:
About MICEreviewMICEreview provides features, reviews and news on destinations and venues for meetings, incentives, conventions, exhibition and business travels. Categories
All
|
