Bali one of world’s top MICE destinations
The Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry has stated that the
world has acknowledged Bali as one of the top destinations for meetings,
incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE).
Firmansyah
Rahim, the ministry’s director general of tourism destination
development, said that Bali, especially the Nusa Dua area, was already
equipped with international standard MICE facilities.
Nusa Dua,
managed by Bali Tourism Development Corporation (BTDC), has dozens of
four and five star hotels and resorts, convention centers, exhibition
halls, a hospital and other supporting facilities.
PT Bali
Tourism Development Corporation (BTDC), guaranteed that the thousands of
available bedrooms and meeting rooms in the resort compound would be
sufficient to accommodate the guests of the Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation (APEC) summit in November 2013.
In 2013, PT BTDC
targets having as many as 20 hotels, a museum, the Bali Nusa Dua
Convention Center (BNDCC), and a golf course in the 300-hectare Nusa Dua
resort area.
A total of 3,643 rooms, comprising 3,512 hotel
rooms and 131 villas, are available in the compound. The most
comprehensive meeting room facilities at hotels in Nusa Dua are the
Grand Hyatt (29), The Westin Resort (28) and BNDCC (41).
The largest meeting room is capable of hosting 4,400 people.
The
quiet and spacious location had enabled Nusa Dua to accommodate
world-class conferences and meetings attended by thousands of
participants, Rahim said.
Bali will utilize its
international-standard conference facilities in the Nusa Dua area when
it hosts the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in
November 2013. The conference facilities will also play host to several
other world-class conferences, including the Global Youth Forum in
December.
Ida Bagus Kade Subhiksu, head of Bali Tourism Office,
told Bali Daily recently that the island hosted hundreds of meetings and
conferences every year, with around 88 percent of the events on an
international scale.
Data from the Tourism and Creative Economy
Ministry showed that Bali hosted 168 international and domestic
meetings, conferences, incentives and exhibitions in 2011, contributing
1.91 percent of total foreign visitor arrivals — around 2.9 million — to
the country.
Meanwhile, domestic visitors involved in MICE
activities contributed 4.1 percent of the total domestic arrivals — 5.67
million — in 2012.
MICE events, he said, would have a significant economic impact on the island’s tourist industry.
MICE
events involve the use of hotels, exhibition rooms, conference halls,
professional organizers, florists, catering services and transportation
services, among others.
“They [the events] will create crucial job opportunities and boost the island’s economy,” Subhiksu added
Rahim continued that Bali was already designated as Indonesia’s major MICE destination.
“The
ministry has targeted drawing eight million foreign tourist arrivals in
2012, hopefully many of them will come to Bali for MICE activities,”
added Rahim.
Improvements to the island’s infrastructure, such as
its airport and road facilities, are now ongoing to help ease traffic
congestion and welcome visitors at the renovated airport.
Bali’s MICE facilities had to be able to compete globally. “Afterwards, we have to optimize our marketing.
The
potential is huge. Bali is known as a successful host for various
important international conferences, including the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the ASEAN Summit.
For visitors on a short stay in Bali, check out the affordable Bali hotels in Denpasar,
Jimbaran, Kuta, Legian, Nusa Dua, Sanur, Seminyak, Tanjung Benoa, Tuban, Ubud, Uluwatu and Umalas
For visitors on a longer stay in Bali, check out the affordable Bali hotels in
Amed, Candi Dasa, Canggu, Lombok, Lovina, Nusa Lembongan, Tabanan and Tanah Lot.
