With the increased number of international and regional events in the past few years, Bali has become a preferred meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (MICE) location.

"Convention centres in Bali offer a combined capacity for up to 20,000 people. There are up to 200,000 hotel rooms in various categories, state-of-the-art audio-visual facilities, fibre-optic support and toll-free highways that can drastically reduce the travel time from the airport to the main MICE centre of Nusa Dua," says Bipan Kapur, managing director of The Westin Resort Nusa Dua.

At a glance:

• Bali has become a preferred MICE location
• destinASEANplus 2018 will be held in Indonesia next year
• Participants consist of hotels, cruise lines, theme and recreational parks, event organizers and destination management companies
• This convention will promote all of Indonesia, as well as put a spotlight on Bali
• destinASEANplus 2018 would help the Indonesian ministry achieve the huge target of attracting 17 million tourists in 2018

Next year, Indonesia will be hosting the first destinASEANplus 2018 at the Indonesia Convention Exhibition (ICE) in South Tangerang, Banten, on April 9 to 11, which will promote Indonesia further as a MICE destination. In following years, the event will be rotated through different countries. This year’s event is themed “DestinASEANplus: For meetings and events”, and will attract 200 sellers, 300 international buyers and 200 Indonesian buyers. The event will be a trade show, with conferences and business forums, as well as scheduled appointments. 

"The 500 buyers invited to this event will bring in around $625 million of business potential in the next three years. All sellers have to win these opportunities," said event organizer Indra Sukirno. Indra added that the participants of the event consist of hotels, cruise lines, theme and recreational parks, event organizers and destination management companies, with buyers selected by the committee, which are still active and have plans until 2020.

Travellers visiting Indonesia for business meetings, incentive travels, convention and exhibition (MICE) spend three to five times more money in the country than regular tourists. 

Esthy Reko Astuty, The tourism deputy minister for development domestic tourism marketing, added that events such as destinASEANplus 2018 would help the ministry achieve the huge target of attracting 17 million tourists in 2018. 

Bali should benefit highly from the spotlight thrown on Indonesia at the event, with its culture and infrastructure suiting the combination of business and pleasure. Dario Orsini, general manager of Sheraton Bali Kuta Resort says "From beaches to nature and from traditional culture to the hustle and bustle of Kuta and Seminyak, there's something suitable for all occasions," he adds.

Orsini believes MICE business in Bali will remain stable and improve slowly. "The key to win business is trust, hence we always focus on building trust with our partners. Secondly, being proactive in reaching out to both loyal and returning clients as well as [potential] new clients is of utmost importance in this competitive environment. Lastly, we highlight flexibility - not necessarily in terms of pricing, but in terms of making arrangements and thinking along with our clients."

Sylvain Pasdeloup, general manager of Sofitel Bali Nusa Dua, says "In addition, MICE guests from most countries worldwide also enjoy visiting Bali visa-free. There are currently 90 countries that enjoy the 30-day visa exemption. The Indonesian government also plans to add another 84 countries to the list."

Sources: The South China Morning Post, Jakarta Post

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