Tourism Ministry says infrastructure must keep pace with growth; IEIA’s Focus West meet in Mumbai calls for a regional task force
Mumbai, October 16, 2026: India has built a strong base of convention and exhibition venues, but its tourism and hospitality capacity still lags behind overall infrastructure growth. That gap, the Union Ministry of Tourism said, must close if the country is to realise its potential in the MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) sector. The remarks came from Suman Billa, Secretary and MD, Ministry of Tourism, at the IEIA MICE Industry Leaders Connect: Focus West, a day-long event at the Jio World Convention Centre (JWCC), Mumbai.
A decade of transformation Billa said the past ten years have reshaped India’s MICE landscape. Experience from the G20 presidency and venues such as Bharat Mandapam, Yashobhoomi and JWCC show the country can now host large international conferences and exhibitions at scale.
Maharashtra leads on destination promotion Maharashtra is the first Indian state to set up a dedicated MICE convention bureau. Billa described it as a significant step in making Mumbai and the state more competitive globally. Under Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Maharashtra Tourism, the bureau will drive destination-led promotion, support international bid campaigns and deepen government-industry collaboration.He urged other states to create their own bureaus, and cities to set up city-level ones, to attract more business events. India currently holds only about one per cent of global MICE business, which he sees as a large opening for growth.
Proposal: a Western Region MICE Task Force Billa also called for a Western Region MICE Task Force. It would bring together Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Goa for knowledge-sharing, joint international outreach and collaborative bidding, so destinations complement each other while keeping their own identities.
More venues coming in Maharashtra Sanjay Yadav, Secretary, Tourism, Maharashtra, said new convention centres are planned across the state. Nagpur is expected to get one by next year, with others to follow in Pune, Kolhapur, Nashik and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.
Industry view IEIA President Sooraj Dhawan said India can strengthen its global MICE position by combining world-class venues, good connectivity, supportive policy and close government-industry partnership. He said Western India’s business centres and growing infrastructure make it well placed to win major international events, and that the Focus West series aims to turn that potential into sustainable growth.
The inaugural session opened with a welcome address from Devendra Bharma, CEO, JWCC, the host venue. Also present were Sanjay Yadav, IAS; Dr. Abhay Arvind Bedekar, IAS, Additional Managing Director, Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board; and Saumil Ranjan Chaubey, IAS, Managing Director, Chhattisgarh Tourism Board.