MICE incentive portal to boost business tourism

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has launched what it described as India’s first dedicated incentive portal for Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) to attract investment and promote business tourism in the state, an official said.

Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida, who also holds the tourism portfolio, launched the portal on Sunday at the Odisha Travel Bazaar 2026, attended by senior government officials and industry leaders. Parida said the portal is designed to promote Odisha as a destination for corporate conventions and simplify the process of applying for financial incentives by event organisers and tourism operators. MICE tourism involves organised group travel for professional, commercial and networking purposes, including meetings, conferences, exhibitions and incentive trips.

“The MICE Incentive portal rollout makes Odisha the first State in the country to establish a dedicated digital mechanism to market its destinations for corporate conventions and streamline financial incentive applications from event organisers and tourism operators,” Parida said. She said the government was working to expedite approvals for MICE events, destination weddings, sports events and cultural heritage-related ventures. “Our dedicated tourism team works tirelessly to actively reach out, follow up and facilitate project approvals, ensuring a seamless journey for representing the changing face of a progressive Odisha,” she said.

Parida also highlighted the potential of destination weddings and experiential tourism, including temple weddings, local cultural experiences and regional cuisine tours. Describing Bhubaneswar as the ‘temple city’, she said its historic monuments and cultural heritage offered opportunities to host distinctive events, particularly for younger visitors. She assured industry representatives that the government would consider recommendations from the private sector, address administrative bottlenecks and offer targeted capital subsidies to encourage investment in the sector.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The Hans India