Northstar

MCA Jan-Feb ebook

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Destination Vietnam 42 JAN-FEB 2019 MEETINGS & CONVENTIONS MCMAG-ASIA.COM How the country's MICE sector is impacting its infrastructure and hospitality structure. WORDS BENJAMIN LIM Kicking Vietnam's MICE sector into second gear Ariyana Convention Centre Aside from raising the country's prole, the 2017 APEC summit was also the catalyst for Vietnam's rapid modernisation and surge in knowledge capital. the Economic Leaders' Meeting hosted over 50 events in 2018 and has already received some 400 bookings for 2019. According to Peter Edholm, area director of sales and marketing at IHG Indochina, the resort's long-haul business in 2018 largely came from the US and Europe, with stays of four to ve nights, while short- and mid-haul groups came from Singapore, Hong Kong, China, South Korea, Japan and the domestic Vietnamese market, staying two-to-three nights on average. "Vietnam is a fast-growing economy and the Vietnamese are quickly changing their consumer behaviours. We see a general increase in spending on all high- end and luxury segments and we expect this trend to continue," Edholm said of the increasing trend of high-end MICE events held in Vietnam. The recent launch of Qatar Airways' direct ight connecting Da Nang to Doha also presents a great opportunity for various properties in the city to tap into the Middle East, Europe and South Africa markets. Further increasing Vietnam's connectivity to the rest of the world is its newest airport Van Don International, just 50 kilometres away from the world-famous Ha Long Bay. The airport is expected to increase its passenger capacity from its current 2.5 million to ve million by 2030, and will most likely operate ights to destinations in North and Southeast Asia. The People's Committee of Da Nang spent about VND243 billion (US$10.9 million) to upgrade the major roads in the city, covering about 34 streets. Da Nang International Airport also opened its second international terminal in May 2017, spanning 48,000sqm and costing about US$154 million. Tran Gia Ngoc Phuong, manager of Ariyana Convention Centre — one of the venues for APEC 2017 meetings — said the resort expects to see a 10% year-on- year increase in revenue for 2018. This is due to the huge international attention that it has attracted since being part of the APEC Summit, and other international events that it hosted, including the 2018 forum on hydropower and dams, have boosted its prole as a top-tier MICE venue in the country. InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort, the ocial venue of FAST FACTS • Planners can spend up to US$44,000 for a MICE tour in Vietnam, half of which is budgeted for conferences and ancillary activities like galas • Business travel spending in Vietnam grew by 6.7% in 2018 to over VND41,051.6 billion (US$1.7 billion), and will rise by 5.5% per annum to VND70,017.8 billion in 2028 • Van Don International Airport's terminal spans 27,000sqm and can handle 2.5 million passengers annually Peter Edholm

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