SWITZERLAND has developed new initiatives to grow its MICE numbers from South-east Asia, a market that grew by 20 per cent in 2015.
This strong growth, noted Dominique Oi, Switzerland Tourism’s MICE manager South-east Asia, helped cover for the slowdown in business from the US and Europe last year, following the revaluation of the Swiss franc which made inbound pricier.
Oi said the new initiatives included sending MICE information directly to companies including pharmaceuticals and direct sellers, and conducting webinars for travel agents every other month starting from March.
The workshop component of Switzerland Tourism’s South-east Asia MICE roadshow, which will be attended by up to 30 Swiss companies next month, will also be more interactive unlike the previous ones.
Other tourism regions have their own value added offerings. VAUD Lake Geneva Region, for instance, is lining up something for implementation next year. Francois Michel, vice president and marketing director, said the plan is to offer one complimentary product out of five on offer to groups that satisfy a size requirement.
She shared that South-east Asian groups tend to be “pretty large”. The smallest could comprise 70 to 80 delegates, while the largest can go up to 200 to 300 people.
Singapore has a “fixed” frequency, she added, with one big MICE group every two to three years.
From the Philippines, Switzerland welcomed 66 delegates from Westmont Pharmaceuticals and 400 delegates from Unilab this year.
