Roundtable discussions on ‘Adventure Tourism’ and ‘MICE and Creative Economy’ brought together eminent experts, policymakers and industry representatives to deliberate on strategies for unlocking the State’s immense tourism potential.
Indore and Bhopal hold immense potential for major events
During the roundtable on “MICE and Creative Economy: Drivers of Economic Growth, Building Madhya Pradesh’s Event Economy”, Harikishore S., Joint Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, and Chairman, India Convention Promotion Bureau (ICPB), said the MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) and live events sectors are expanding rapidly across the country.
He said India’s MICE market has grown to approximately ₹37,576 crore, while the live events sector is projected to reach ₹19,600 crore by 2028. With demand for large-scale events rising in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, he highlighted the strong potential of Indore and Bhopal to emerge as prominent national and international event destinations.He suggested establishing a City MICE Promotion Bureau, developing a dedicated State MICE Strategy, and creating large-scale convention venues to strengthen Madhya Pradesh’s position in the national and international MICE landscape.
The session was moderated by Prateek Hira, Founder and CEO, Tornos.
Promoting destination weddings and the experience economy
During the session, Sabbas Joseph, Chairman, FICCI MICE Tourism Committee and Co-founder, Wizcraft Group, delivered a presentation on ‘Madhya Pradesh: The Experience Economy Opportunity.’
He highlighted the potential of historic and culturally rich destinations such as Orchha, Khajuraho, Maheshwar, Mandu and Gwalior to emerge as distinctive destinations for weddings, festivals and large-scale celebrations.
He emphasised the need to organise familiarisation (FAM) tours for wedding planners, develop a portfolio of certified wedding destinations and service providers, and create comprehensive celebration packages that bring together Madhya Pradesh’s traditional cuisine, art and culture, handloom and handicrafts.
Such integrated experiences, he said, can help position the State as a distinctive destination in India’s growing experience economy.
Safe and integrated adventure hubs to be developed
The ‘Adventure Tourism 2030’ roundtable focused on developing Madhya Pradesh as a leading adventure tourism destination. Dr. Ilayaraja T., Secretary, Tourism and Managing Director, Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board, said that the State will undertake focused efforts to expand adventure tourism and has proposed observing 2027 as the ‘Adventure Year’ to give greater impetus to adventure activities across Madhya Pradesh.
Focus on safety, infrastructure and professional standards
Padma Shri Ajit Bajaj, former Chairman, Adventure Tour Operators Association of India (ATOAI) and keynote speaker at the session, said adventure parks and supporting infrastructure in Madhya Pradesh should be developed through the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model.
He advocated the creation of integrated adventure hubs rather than developing isolated activities at different locations. He further emphasised that safety standards must remain the highest priority in adventure tourism, with a strong focus on certified guides, activity-specific Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), emergency rescue mechanisms and medical insurance arrangements.
The roundtable was also attended by Dr. Abhay Arvind Bedekar, Additional Managing Director, Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board, and Santosh Kumar Srivastava, Joint Director (Adventure).
The discussions at MPTM 2026 highlighted Madhya Pradesh’s growing focus on MICE tourism, destination weddings, experience-led travel and adventure tourism, with an emphasis on developing world-class infrastructure, strengthening industry partnerships and creating safe, sustainable and distinctive experiences for visitors.
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