(Attari-Wagah Road) (Amritsar), Oct. 7 : Union Minister for Tourism and Culture Ambika Soni inaugurated a tourist resort – the Aman Umeed Bhawan – here on Tuesday.

It was earlier known as Neem Chameli.

The new tourist resort has been set with the expectation that it will draw more tourists through the Wagah – Attari land route in the future.

Spread over 1.75 acres of land, the Aman Umeed Bhawan has a built up area of about 10,000 square feet. It has facilities like restaurants, a bar, shops and resting rooms for domestic and foreign tourists, particularly those from Pakistan.

After inaugurating the complex, Soni said that the flow of tourists from across the border would help in further promoting peace between the two countries.

"Tourism has vast potential for employment generation and the setting of the Institute of Hotel Management in the area will provide opportunities for the youth to work in the sector," she said.

"Punjab has the potential to develop MICE tourism in a big way and the Centre will provide all help to establish a Convention Centre in the State," she added..

MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) is used to refer to a particular type of tourism in which large groups, usually planned well in advance, are brought together for some particular purpose.

Recently, there has been an industry trend towards using the term "Meetings Industry" to avoid confusion from the acronym.

MICE tourism usually includes a well-planned agenda centered round a particular theme, such as a hobby, a profession, or an educational topic.

Such tourism is a specialized area with its own trade shows (IMEX) and practices.

MICE events are normally bid on by specialized convention bureaus located in particular countries and cities and established for the purpose of bidding on MICE activities.

This process of marketing and bidding is normally conducted well in advance of the actual event, often several years. MICE tourism is known for its extensive planning and demanding clientele.
(ANI)