35. The city of Varna as a destination for development of MICE tourism

The Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, and Exhibitions (MICE) sector of tourism is growing rapidly worldwide and particularly in the Asia Pacific region. One of the important challenges posed by rapid growth of this sector is to maintain service standards in a context of intense competition for this form of tourism. In particular, the development of skills in information technology is regarded as essential to the provision of quality service to tourists. After providing a brief outline of the MICE sector and its major stakeholders, the paper examines the conditions and prerequisites for the development of tourism in the city of Varna.
The results from the authors’ survey of congress and conference centers and hotel complexes in the city of Varna are presented, concerning the facilities and prospects for the development of MICE tourism in Varna. On this basis, opportunities for the transformation of Varna into a competitive destination for MICE tourism are outlined.