MICE tourism is a prominent part of the tourism industry, yet many people have no idea what MICE means! This article explains what MICE tourism is, how the MICE industry has grown worldwide and why this type of tourism is so important.
What is MICE tourism?
MICE tourism is a part of the business tourism industry. It encompasses four niche areas, which are:
- Meetings
- Incentive travel
- Conferences
- Exhibitions
As you can see, MICE is actually an acronym used to group together the four tourism types mentioned above- contrary to popular belief, it has nothing to do with rodents!
MICE tourism is typically tourism provision that is planned in advance and designed for large groups of people for particular purposes. Leong (2007) defines MICE as ‘a type of tourism where groups of participants are gathered to achieve certain purposes’.
Each component of MICE is explained below:
Meetings
Mice tourism includes any types of travel for the purpose of a meeting(s). This ranges from small meetings to large ones. Meetings can be short in duration (e.g. last a couple of hours) or long (e.g. a week or more). Types of meetings include (but are not limited to):
- Board meetings
- Focus groups
- Training seminars
- Strategy planning
- Shareholder meetings
- Management meetings
- Briefings
Traditionally, meetings have been predominantly face-to-face. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated a big shift towards virtual meetings, and many routine internal meetings are now held online. However, face-to-face meetings have bounced back strongly for purposes such as building relationships, training and decision-making, and hybrid meetings (combining in-person and online attendance) are now common.
Incentives
Incentive travel refers to travel that intends to motivate or reward company stakeholders. There are different types of incentive travel, including:
- Familiarisation trips
- Teambuilding trips
- Reward trips
- Workations
Research has demonstrated that incentive travel is an important builder of corporate culture. Many companies use incentive trips to motivate staff and improve productivity, retention and sales performance, and destination management companies (DMCs) specialise in designing these trips.
Conferences
A conference is an event that facilitates presentation, discussion and the showcasing of work within a professional network. Conferences are often important networking events and have been a prominent part of the business tourism industry to date.
Conferences can last a day or a week or more, depending on the structure and purpose. People have historically travelled great distances for the purposes of conferences, particularly in the travel and tourism sector.
Examples of travel and tourism related conferences include:
- Association for Tourism and Leisure Education and Research annual conference
- TBEX conferences for travel creators
- The UN Tourism and WTTC global summits
- Sustainable tourism conference
During the COVID-19 pandemic, conference organisers moved online, but in-person conferences have since returned strongly. There is no replacement for the face-to-face networking that takes place at conferences, although many events now offer a hybrid approach, with both online and in-person attendance.
Exhibitions
Exhibitions provide an opportunity for businesses to showcase their products or services. They are often in the form of trade shows.
Exhibitions will often include stalls, breakout rooms, discussion points, presentations and opportunities for networking. Exhibitions are often large events involving large amounts of people.
Popular exhibitions in the travel and tourism industry include:
Video: What is MICE tourism?
The growth of MICE tourism
MICE tourism has grown considerably over recent decades, with particularly strong growth in Asia and the Middle East. According to the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), the USA hosted more international association meetings than any other country in 2025, while Lisbon was the top city.
There have been more conferences organised and more exhibitions in recent years than ever before. This is in part due to a growing population worldwide. It is also because our world has become more interconnected and globalised, creating demand for more meetings, conferences and other events that require international travel.
Why is MICE tourism important?
MICE tourism can be beneficial to a destination’s economy. It also provides a wealth of opportunities for individual companies or organisations who want to put themselves on the international stage.
Other benefits of MICE tourism include:
- It facilitates the access to new technology
- It attracts high-spending visitors
- It provides high yield and return per capita
- It enhances the international economic contact
- It creates more economic multiplier effect and competitiveness
- It can enhance off-peak tourism
MICE tourists often stay longer and spend more money than other tourists, making them important tourism stakeholders. MICE tourism can also help to contribute to community building, urban renewal, and growth of the national identity (Getz, 2008). Furthermore, MICE tourism can encourage development in a destination, particularly in the areas of convention and exhibition centers, improvements of airports and other transport infrastructure and various urban renewal schemes.
Industry players in the MICE tourism sector
MICE tourism is a multifaceted industry, involving a number of tourism stakeholders. This includes:
- Transport providers (international and domestic)
- Accommodation providers
- Those who provide pre- and post-conference tour opportunities
- Staff at specific venues – purpose built centres and hotels
- Professional conference and exhibition organisers and catering services
- Social program leaders for delegates and participants
- Specialised technical support such as audiovisual services
The variety of stakeholders involved in MICE tourism indicates the potentially wide ranging economic impacts of MICE tourism. It also provides rationale for support from government agencies in many countries. It also indicates the scope of the challenges which must be met in coordinating the activities of different stakeholders to ensure that the MICE tourism industry is sustainable and effectively managed.
The future for MICE tourism
MICE tourism was hit extremely hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, when almost all in-person events were cancelled. It has since recovered strongly. The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) forecast that global business travel spending would reach a record US$1.57 trillion in 2025, and major trade shows and conferences are once again attracting large numbers of delegates.
Some meetings have moved online permanently, but in-person events remain highly valued for networking and relationship building. Key trends for the future include hybrid events, sustainability (such as reducing the carbon footprint of events), the use of AI and event technology, and the growth of ‘bleisure’ travel, where business travellers extend their trips for leisure.
The continuing MICE tourism industry growth (whether physically or online) shall have a positive impact in the growth of businesses, cities and destinations around the world.
As mentioned above, globalisation has played a huge role in the growth of the MICE tourism industry and it is anticipated that this will continue well into the future. Exactly how the MICE tourism industry may look in the future is not exactly clear, however.
MICE tourism: FAQs
Below are answers to some of the most common questions about MICE tourism.
What does MICE stand for in tourism?
MICE stands for Meetings, Incentives, Conferences (or Conventions) and Exhibitions (or Events). It is a segment of business tourism.
What is MICE tourism?
MICE tourism is a type of business tourism in which groups of people travel for a particular purpose, such as attending a meeting, a conference or a trade exhibition, or taking part in an incentive trip organised by their employer.
Why is MICE tourism important?
MICE tourists tend to spend more than leisure tourists, often travel outside peak seasons and bring business to hotels, venues, transport providers and caterers. MICE tourism can also encourage investment in convention centres, airports and urban regeneration.
What are examples of MICE events?
Examples include board meetings and training seminars, incentive trips for high-performing staff, academic and industry conferences, and trade exhibitions such as ITB Berlin and World Travel Market in London.
Which country hosts the most international meetings?
According to the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), the USA hosted the most international association meetings in 2025, and Lisbon was the leading city.
MICE tourism: Further reading
If you enjoyed this article, you may also be interested in:
- Business tourism explained: What, why and where
- Workation explained: What it means and how it works
- What is event tourism?
- The most attractive countries offering the digital nomad visa
