Marwan Asmar talks about the opportunities corporate tourism can provide and how the Jordan Inbound Tourism Association seized one of them.
The MICE online directory launched this month by the Jordan Inbound Tourism Association (JITOA) promises to put the Kingdom on the international tourism map by attracting high yield visitors to the country.
MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions), is already a niche market in the world, with many countries positioning themselves as MICE destinations for attracting business and professional tourism and is also a rapidly growing sector in Jordan and the region.
JITOA Executive Director Ahmed El Bashiti, whose association is responsible for creating, developing and maintaining the Web site, says this directory is unique in the Arab region and the world, where only a few online directories of this kind exist.
"The MICE market in the Middle East is growing rapidly, and through the directory, we are positioning Jordan as a promising business destination through its quality hotels and business centers and state-of-the-art communications," Mr. Bashiti told Jordan Business Monthly.
The directory (http://www.micejordan.com) links local tourism stakeholders with their international counterparts and helps attract business tourists to the Kingdom, enabling global companies and chief executive officers to consider holding their meetings, conferences, and exhibitions here.
International tourism has become big business in the world. Except for the short setback following the September 11 attacks on Washington and New York, today tourism accounts for 10% of the global Gross Domestic Product and employment of more than 220 million people.
MICE tourism is responsible for a large part of this growth, increasing between 8 and 10% annually; and in 1997, MICE tourism accounted for $90 billion of the global tourism industry.
"The directory is the result of this growth and the bright future of business tourism in the region," said Mr. Bashiti. "In Jordan, the government has high hopes for tourism through its recently announced five-year National Tourism Strategy, and the international forecasts for the Arab world are very good," he pointed out.
Today, the Arab world is the fourth most visited region, registering more than 35 million arrivals in 2004, and forecasts an annual growth of 7% until 2020, far outpacing every other region in the world. Top destinations include Egypt, Lebanon, Tunisia, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates.
In Jordan, the National Tourism Strategy sees the MICE industry as being integral to the existing traditional tourism offerings in the region. Tourism is the Kingdom's second largest private sector employer and the second highest earner of foreign exchange, contributing up to $800 million to the Jordanian economy in 2004, 10% of the GDP. The government has already invested over $70 million in tourism projects and unveiled a plan in April to invest a further $60 million."Because of these developments, we felt there was a need for a MICE directory in Jordan to establish more effective lines of communication and networking between international tour operators, businessmen, and company executives with their local counterparts, and to tell the world Jordan has great things to offer," added Bashiti. The Jordan MICE directory allows tour operators, hoteliers, and other tourism vendors to post as much information as possible about the MICE services they offer as well as the price for holding events, which is crucial in today's fiercely competitive MICE market in the region and the world.
But the directory is much more than a marketing tool. Its objective is to become a prime information resource and an educational source for international clients by providing clear and up-to-date information about where to go and who to contact. The directory will provide information about the size of meeting halls, accommodation, prices, and service availability in attracting high yield international customers.
And this is in line with the National Tourism Strategy, which has pointed out that "Jordan is committed to this [MICE] segment, and is making vast improvements in infrastructure to allow this market to grow." Amman has built the Zara Expo Center, has recently renovated the Royal Cultural Center, and has large hotels that can accommodate large meetings and conferences. There are hotels in Petra and the Dead Sea, including the King Hussein Bin Talal Convention Center, that can service MICE clients, and Aqaba has many hotels, with more being developed.
In time, all these names, activities, and offerings will be incorporated in the MICE directory, which is user-friendly and can be navigated easily.
Also, additional added-value lies in its stories and feature articles about many of Jordan's historical and touristic places that will be posted regularly on the Web site. These will be very important for the businessman or company executive who may like to visit places of interest after a gruelling conference or a meeting. The relatively short distances between one site and another means visitors can take time off in between their business meetings, and get back to them refreshed.
The calendar of events is very important for knowing what major events are happening in Jordan, the Middle East, and in the world. This makes it easier to better coordinate and plan MICE events. The advance search tool will allow the user to find the exact activity or event they are looking for.
MICE business is all-year-round and not related to a particular season, which means the tourism sector and the economy continually reaps the benefits, as studies show that up to 40% of those who take part in MICE activities usually come back to visit the country for leisure activities, which translates into more outside spending in the local economy.
Experts point out that MICE activities in themselves generate a lot of money for the economy, a view expounded by Zara Expo Director Barbara Rowell. In her speech at the MICE directory launch, she said there is a lot of business to be made for a country like Jordan becoming a MICE destination, since it has all the needed ingredients.
Looking at her home country, Australia, she said an average international tourist spends an average of $3500, as opposed to $430 by a local tourist, which means MICE activities have a ripple effect and can generate a lot of income for the local economy. Rowell said MICE activities in Australia generated $2.3 billion during 2003 alone and most of this came from foreign tourists, while $17 million came from spending on airfare, accommodations, shopping and cafes.
With the directory in place, the Kingdom can now look forward to cashing in from corporate tourism.
© Jordan Business Monthly 2005
