Miss World 2023: ‘Divas’ in Kashmir & MICE tourism

A group of global ‘Beauty Divas’ visited the Kashmir valley on Monday, as a prelude to the Miss World pageant 2023. The group included Miss World, Karolina Bielawska; Miss World Caribbean, Emmy Pena; Miss World America, Shree Saini; Miss World India, Sini Shetty; Miss World England, Jessica Gagen; Miss Asia, Pricilia Carla Saputri Yules;  Chairman and CEO of Miss World Organization, Julia Eric Morley and her team; Ms. Rouble Negi, founder Rouble Negi Art Foundation. The visit of these Beauty Divas was curated by the Tourism Department in collaboration with Rouble Nagi Art Foundation. The visit of global beauty divas to Kashmir has the potential to significantly boost Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE) tourism in the region. When global beauty divas visit a destination like Kashmir, it attracts substantial media attention, both nationally and internationally. This increased visibility helps in showcasing Kashmir as a safe and attractive location for various events, including MICE tourism. Such high-profile visits help in changing the perception of Kashmir as a conflict-ridden area to a peaceful and hospitable one. Perception plays a crucial role in attracting business and corporate travelers for conferences and meetings. To accommodate high-profile events, the local authorities and businesses often invest in infrastructure development. This could include improving conference facilities, hotels, transportation, and other amenities that are crucial for MICE tourism. Global beauty divas often have extensive networks in the business and entertainment industries. Their visits can lead to collaborations, partnerships, and event sponsorships, which can drive MICE tourism. It provides income opportunities to locals through employment in the hospitality sector, transportation, and various supporting services. The scenic beauty of Kashmir, combined with its rich culture and history, makes it an attractive destination for events. When global icons choose Kashmir, it sets a trend and encourages others to consider the region for their events. Though MICE is considered to be a sub-segment of business travel, it also involves a leisure component. While business executives come for meetings, they also travel to tourist spots. Usually, these are high end travellers and if the right steps are taken right now, Kashmir has the potential of becoming the top MICE destination – not just in India but the entire world. Over the past decades, the MICE industry has been recognized as a significant market segment and an important contributor to national economies. It not only gives a boost to the economy in the form of income generation, but creates huge employment opportunities in related hospitality services providing sectors like accommodation, food and beverage, convention services, transportation, tourism and entertainment. Of late, quite a few luxury hotels have come up in Kashmir. However, if the J&K government really wants to boost MICE tourism, many more luxury hotels need to come up. At the same time infrastructure at tourist spots has to be world class. Good infrastructure does not just mean good roads, but it means having quality restaurants, cafes, washrooms and other top-class amenities all over the Valley.