The Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions – MICE sector brings Romania direct revenues of some EUR 500 million annually.

The amount is low compared to Western countries such as Germany, which makes EUR 65 billion a year from this sector, but has been growing steadily, according to tourism consultant Traian Badulescu, quoted by Agerpres.

In 1998, this sector only generated some EUR 30 million in revenues for Romania, and in 2008 the revenues stood at EUR 50 million, Badulescu said.

According to the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) annual report for 2017, Romania hosted some 70 events last year, compared to 187 in the Czech Republic and 159 in Hungary, but double compared to Bulgaria (34 events).

The capital Bucharest hosted 39 of the 70 events in Romania and ranked 33rd in Europe by the number of events hosted. Barcelona topped the ranking with 195 events, followed by Paris and Vienna, with 190 each, Berlin (185), London (177) and Madrid (153). Prague was the regional leader, with 151 events, followed by Budapest (98) and Warsaw (89).

“In recent years, Romania has become more popular as a MICE destination in Europe and a large part (over 50%) of the local hotels’ turnover comes from the MICE segment,” said Lucian Boronea, vice president of the National Association of Travel Agencies – ANAT.

However, in order to become a top MICE destination, Romania needs high-capacity conference centers that can host large international events with 3,000-4,000 participants, and better promotion, according to Boronea.

editor@romania-insider.com