By Madhusha Thavapalakumar The highest number of tourists Sri Lanka has ever received for Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) events has been recorded in 2018, according to the Sri Lanka Convention Bureau (SLCB). Speaking to The Sunday Morning Business, the Sri Lanka Convention Bureau (SLCB) General Manager Inoshini Perera said that 2018 comfortably tops the list. “2018 was undoubtedly the highest year for MICE events.” She pointed out that these numbers were achieved despite the uncertainty that prevailed in the last quarter of 2018 with the political crisis. However, Perera noted that the number of MICE tourist arrivals recorded could have been even higher if there were efficient methodologies to compile MICE numbers. “There is no formal way of collecting the numbers as MICE numbers are often clubbed in with the leisure tourism numbers,” she added. She further noted that tourists who come into Sri Lanka unfortunately fail to tick the purpose of their visit correctly in the disembarkation card, which poses challenges to the SLCB when calculating MICE tourist arrivals. “Official statistics are from the paper that you fill out when you come out from the airport. No one really ticks the right box when they come in”, she said. She also pointed out that hotels are reluctant to provide MICE tourists’ registration data, in fear of its competitors. “Private companies do not give their information. They often underestimate them because they do not want to reveal their numbers to others,” Perera said. According to the SLCB’s rough calculations, Sri Lanka has attracted over 300,000 MICE tourists in 2018, which accounted for 15-20% of total tourists arrivals into the country. With the proper implementation of the tourism strategic plan 2017-2020 which has holistic plans for the MICE segment, the SLCB expects the MICE tourists’ contribution to overall tourist arrivals to be increased by 5% Year-on-Year (YoY) in 2019. Perera added that currently, Sri Lanka has the capacity to cater to MICE events with up to 650 participants while emphasising the importance of targeting smaller MICE events. “When we go for larger conferences we will need different spaces but there are plenty of international and regional MICE events that we can bring to Sri Lanka where the other ancillary services are also in place to satisfy that higher standard,” she noted. During a press conference on Thursday (10) SLCB Chairman Kumar De Silva stated that in line with the Government’s strategic plans to improve tourism in the country, several potential locations have been identified for MICE events. “There are some locations which have been identified. There are a lot of works in progress. One of them is the Colombo Port City. There is an area that has been allocated for a new convention centre, but this will take time with other developments that are coming,” he said.