Department of Tourism and Convention
Department introduction
Korea's No. 1 International Tourism City Busan, The best prepared university Wise-U Tourism and Convention Department.
Department outline
Wise-U Department of Tourism and Convention is the nation's first and only tourism and convention specialized department with the goal of fostering the best experts in the MICE industry, which collectively refers to the tourism and convention industry.
What is MICE?
MICE is a term collectively referring to Meetings (corporate meetings), Incentives (= incentive tours), Conventions (international conferences), and Exhibitions/Events.
| Meetings | Various meetings for the exchange of ideas, discussions, information, and social networking Example: corporate executive meetings and financial seminars for foreign investors |
|---|---|
| Incentives | Business trips and incentive tours offered by companies to reward and motivate employees for their
performance. Example: overseas incentive tours for top salesperson |
| Conventions | Conferences, general meetings, and academic conferences hosted by governments, public institutions,
international organizations, academic societies, or associations. Examples: G20, APEC, ASEM, IDF General Meetings, etc. |
| Exhibitions /Events | Trade fairs, festivals, and events for business purposes Examples: Seoul Food, G-Star (International Game Show), Busan International Film Festival, Busan One Asia Festival (OF), Motor Show, etc. |
MICE industry overview
The MICE industry is an industry that realizes economic benefits by attracting international conferences, exhibitions, incentive tours, and events with specialized facilities such as large-scale conference halls and exhibition halls. It is an industry that not only develops the tourism industry sectors such as accommodation, transportation, entertainment, food and beverage, and shopping, but also organically connects with various industries such as trade, distribution, IT, printing and publishing, advertising, construction, finance, and education to create high added value.
MICE events known as an industry that has a large event itself, significantly higher amount of visitors spend than ordinary travelers, and has a great job creation effect.
MICE events also play a major role in enhancing national awareness and external image through the effect of promotional marketing for host countries and host cities, so major countries such as China, Japan, Singapore, and the United States are also actively fostering them as strategic industries.
The MICE industry, a 21st-century strategic business attracting global attention, continues to grow rapidly, averaging 5-10% annually worldwide.
Korea's MICE Industry Prospects
The Korean government designated the MICE industry as a new growth engine industry in 2009, and Busan also selected the global tourism MICE industry as a core strategic industry and promoted a strategic and intensive promotion policy, which has recently grown remarkably.
According to the Union of International Associations (UIA) announcement in 2025, Korea was ranked as the world's third-largest host country for international conferences, and Seoul was ranked as the world's third-largest MICE city. Busan maintains the top 10 spot in the global city rankings.
Korea marked the revival of the MICE industry by hosting the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) in 2000, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in 2005, and the G20 Summit in 2010. The Korean MICE industry is expected to grow through technological convergence, sustainability, and attracting large-scale international events. In particular, the hosting of the APEC summit in 2025 is expected to be an opportunity for the MICE industry to take a leap forward.
In Busan, many international conferences and exhibitions were held, including the ASEAN-Korea Summit (2019/10 countries), the World Diabetes Federation General Assembly (2019/173 countries), the World Population Congress (2013/100 countries), the WCC General Assembly (2013/110 countries), the International Game Show (G-STAR), the International Motor Show, and the APEC Summit (2005/21 countries), and the MICE industry is actively fostering the global MICE hub city.
Department Vision and Strategy
