"Targeting 1,400 International Conferences Annually" Yoon In-chon: "Public-Private Cooperation Will Advance for K-MICE"

Ministry of Culture and Tourism Organization Announce MICE Global Leap Ceremony
Targeting No.1 in International Conferences and $3 Billion Foreign Exchange by 2028
Focus on Regional Cooperation, MICE Convergence, and Competitiveness with '3C Strategy'

The government announced its goal to host 1,400 international conferences by 2028 and become the world's number one in the MICE industry. To achieve this, it will implement the '3C Strategy,' focusing on private sector cooperation, convergence promotion, and securing competitiveness.

Yoon In-chon, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, is delivering a greeting at the 'MICE Global Leap Declaration Ceremony,' held on the 25th at the Floating Island in Sebitseom, Seocho-gu, Seoul, as part of the '2024 1st Korea MICE Industry Development Council.' Photo by Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism

On the 25th, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism held the '2024 1st Korea MICE Industry Development Council' and the 'MICE Global Leap Declaration Ceremony' at Sebitseom Floating Island with the Korea Tourism Organization, announcing this goal.

Korea's MICE industry ranked first or second worldwide in hosting international conferences from 2016 to 2019, based on the Union of International Associations (UIA) standards before COVID-19. However, after the pandemic, the number of international conferences dropped to about 30% of previous levels, and regional concentration around the metropolitan area emerged, increasing calls for the MICE industry's resurgence.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism set three major goals to open the K-MICE era based on regional coexistence and future innovation by 2028: ▲1,400 international conferences hosted (world's number one) ▲1.3 million foreign participants ▲$3 billion in foreign currency earnings, and announced plans to promote the '3C Strategy.'

The '3C Strategy' aims to build a stable and sustainable MICE industry foundation through collaboration with regions and the private sector, expand the MICE industry's scope by promoting diverse convergence of MICE types, and secure global competitiveness of MICE companies and industries.

Additionally, the Ministry will strengthen cooperation with regions to allow 'signature international conferences' to flourish nationwide. It will support regional MICE dedicated organizations in discovering 'signature international conferences' in regional strategic industries and provide phased support for these 'regional signature international conferences' to grow into events like the 'Korean version of the Davos Forum,' leading to the development of K-MICE.

K-MICE '3C Strategy' Graphic. [Photo by Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism]

The international conference complex district system will also be reformed to enhance regional MICE hosting capabilities. An international conference complex district refers to an area where related facilities such as hotels and shopping malls are concentrated around international conference venues. Currently, there are seven such districts, with two additional districts to be designated. A preliminary international conference district will also be established to support growth in regions with potential but previously excluded from policy support due to legal requirements.

Support will also be provided to build a 'MICE One Belt' linking two or more international conference complex districts, facilitating efficient cooperation among neighboring regions in attracting, promoting, hosting international conferences, and providing tourism courses.

By 2028, the goal is to attract 10 large international conferences with over 1,500 foreign participants each, and the 'MICE Overseas Attraction Network' established in overseas branches of the Korea Tourism Organization will be doubled from 9 to 18 locations. The regional 'Public-Private Cooperation Joint Attraction Committee,' composed of local governments, regional MICE dedicated organizations, and the MICE industry along with the Korea Tourism Organization, will be operated through the Korea MICE Industry Development Council.

In line with the global popularity of Korean culture, strategic support will be strengthened not only for support-centered policies but also for discovering and nurturing K-MICE created in Korea. Even existing domestic or small international conferences with global growth potential will be actively identified and supported to grow into 'K-MICE.'

Moreover, K-MICE will be supported flexibly to grow into unique large-scale international events in Korea by converging with cultural content such as exhibitions, performances, festivals, and sports events. By linking the popularity of K-Culture with the MICE industry, customized K-content programs will be developed for group participants visiting Korea for corporate meetings and incentive tourism, and digital guide services will be provided to individual participants attending exhibitions and fairs, offering tailored cultural tourism services. This will establish a K-MICE business model that encourages repeat visits to Korea.

On the 16th, domestic and international buyers visiting the 'KOREA MICE EXPO 2023' held at Songdo Convensia in Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, are touring the MICE industry promotional booths. [Image source=Yonhap News]

The 'Digital Innovation MICE Project' will be launched to provide digital technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and location-based services needed for MICE events to MICE companies in the form of vouchers. In addition to training specialized personnel for the MICE industry, education programs will be operated for prospective workers and those with career interruptions to cultivate customized human resources for the MICE industry. Efforts will also be made to approve and statistically classify MICE industry surveys to establish an industrial foundation for securing competitiveness.

From the '2024 2nd Korea MICE Industry Development Council,' the Ministry plans to conduct in-depth discussions and gather opinions on the '3C Strategy' for realizing the future vision of Korea's MICE industry and reflect them in the '5th Basic Plan for International Conference Industry Promotion.'

Minister Yoo In-chon of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said, “Public-private cooperation is essential for the MICE industry to leap forward globally,” adding, “The Ministry will actively support opening the K-MICE era.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.