Situasi pandemi kian terkendali membuat industri MICE Tanah Air kembali percaya diri. Pelaku MICE sudah siap menggelar berbagai event berskala nasional dan internasional.
Pusat Pengendalian dan Pencegahan Penyakit Amerika Serikat (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/ CDC) memasukkan Indonesia di level 1 risiko penularan Covid-19. Data ini dirilis pada 25 Oktober 2021. Level 1 merupakan level terendah risiko penularan Covid-19.
Ini sejalan dengan melandainya penambahan kasus Covid-19 di Indonesia, level Pemberlakuan Pembatasan Kegiatan Masyarakat (PPKM) pun berangsur-angsur turun level. Pintu penerbangan internasional dari 19 negara pun sudah mulai dibuka. Dan tahun depan Indonesia bersiap menjadi tuan rumah sejumlah event internasional.
Perkembangan baik ini tentu menjadi angin segar bagi pelaku industri MICE yang tahun ini menghadapi masa-masa cukup berat.
Indonesia punya peluang lebih baik sebagai tempat kegiatan MICE internasional dibanding negara Asia lainnya. Pasalnya di Indonesia, pelancong dari luar negeri cukup menjalani karantina selama tiga hari, sedangkan di negara lain, Tiongkok atau Filipina misalnya bisa sampai tiga minggu karantina.
Selain itu, Indonesia punya potensi pasar yang menggiurkan jika dilihat dari populasi penduduknya yang besar. Apalagi trennya, perusahaan global yang dulunya masuk ke Indonesia lewat pameran Business to Business akan melakukan peralihan masuk ke pasar Indonesia dengan pola Business to Customer.
Seperti diungkapkan Ketua Umum ASPERAPI, Andreas Hosea Runkat lewat program Podcast di kanal YouTube MICE Indonesia, “Perusahaan global ingin masuk ke Indonesia dengan pola B to C. Pola B to B memang bagus secara gengsi, tapi sekarang yang penting mendatangkan uang, dan Indonesia pasar yang kuat,†jelasnya.
Di satu sisi ini menjadi peluang bagi iklim investasi dan bergeliatnya industri MICE Tanah Air, namun di sisi lain akan menjadi tantangan pula bagi pemain lokal.
Kendala lain bagi pelaku industri MICE tentu saja urusan perizinan yang panjang dan lama. Walaupun menurut Andre, ini terjadi pula di luar negeri seperti di Singapura dan Filipina yang menerapkan aturan dan protokol kesehatan berlapis-lapis. Meski begitu, aturan tetap harus dipatuhi demi kegiatan MICE yang sehat dan aman.
“Covid-19 tidak akan mematikan industri dan spirit kita. Justru ini membuat kita terus berpikir apa yang harus dilakukan ke depan,†pungkas Andre.
English
Indonesian MICE Industry Is Becoming More Confident
The current situation is starting to become under control, resulting in increased confidence in the Indonesian MICE industry. MICE industry players are ready to organize numerous national and international events.
On October 25, 2021, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced Indonesia on level 1 of COVID-19 transmission risk. Level 1 represents the lowest risk for the virus transmission.
This is in sync with the declining number of COVID-19 cases in indonesia. On top of that, the government has started to gradually lift community and mobility restrictions. By next year, Indonesia will be ready to host several international events.
These developments have surely brought an air of relief to MICE industry players who have gone through a rough patch this year.
Indonesia has a better chance to host international MICE than other Asian countries. This is because in Indonesia, international tourists just have to quarantine for three days. In other countries like China or Philippines, the quarantine can last up to three weeks.
In addition, Indonesia has a potential market considering its large population. Judging from the trend, global corporations that initially come to Indonesia through business to business exhibitions will start to tap the Indonesian market through a business to customer approach.
As mentioned by the General Chairman of IECA, Andreas Hosea Runkat in MICE Indonesia’s podcast on YouTube, “global companies want to enter Indonesia through the B2C approach. The B2B approach may be prestigious, but what matters now is profit, and Indonesia has an ample market.â€
On one hand, this will be an opportunity for investments and the MICE industry. On the other hand, this will pose a challenge to local businesses.
Another obstacle for MICE industry players is obviously a long and troublesome permit procurement process. Although according to Andre, this also happens overseas in countries like Singapore and Philippines, which implement stringent and meticulous health protocols. Despite that, rules are rules, and we must comply with them for safe MICE activities.
“COVID-19 will not dim the industry or our spirit. It will only push us to think what to do next,†Andre concluded.
