MICE initiative will usher in more Indian travellers

Editor, This letter is with reference to your article, “Business travellers boost tourism sector with visitors up 24 per cent” (The New Times, April 15). It is a fact that national tourism boards all over the world eye business travellers from India, since statistics have shown them to be among the highest spenders in the world. Business generated by Indian MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) can, therefore, boost visitor arrival figures even further, not just in terms of numbers, but ,more importantly, in terms of average spend per visitor. Rwanda Calling, an initiative aimed at attracting business travellers to the country, has not only brought in visitors, but also some very good investors like the Mahatma Gandhi University, which today has set up a campus in Kigali with over 1,000 students already enrolled in their first year. What is even more interesting, Mahatma Gandhi University is now attracting students from the East African Community and beyond, thereby contributing to “education tourism” and helping to make Rwanda an education hub. Novel Energy, another key investor, already has two renewal energy projects, with a third one in the pipeline. Only recently the same initiative brought in ArjunBeswax Industries Rwanda and Lifecare Diagnostics and Research Centre Rwanda, both companies offering great potential in the agro and health care sectors, respectively. With a long-term perspective, AIESEC’s International Conference, IC 2017, will bring in more than 1,200 international youth leaders two years down the line, if Rwanda successfully bids for the same. The “New Rwanda”, with good governance, zero-tolerance to corruption and the highest levels of safety and security, will continue to be the preferred destination for international tourism and business travellers. Clarence Fernandes

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MICE initiative will usher in more Indian travellers