International flights tend to arrive here in the middle of the night. In the small hours, waves of incoming passengers progress through the airport. With their passports stamped and their luggage retrieved, they head toward the arrivals hall.

If they momentarily pause to compose themselves before passing through the exit, chances are they’ve been here before and know what to expect. If they casually roll through, they probably don’t fully realize what is about to hit them: India!

The noise. The heat. The smells. The energy. Even at this time of night, there is no relief. When newcomers ride the vehicle to their hotel, they temporarily relinquish the international certainties provided by the airline and airport. They are plunged into the full chaos of the subcontinent. Black-and-yellow taxis. Bicycles. Cows. Auto-rickshaws. Wooden carts. Everything jostles for space.

At last the vehicle pulls up in the portico of a luxury hotel and the maelstrom is left behind. The temptation is to remain within this hermetic environment for the duration, stealing the occasional glimpse of India through the window of the hotel room. But that would be to miss out on one of the world’s most dynamic and inspiring countries.

Although India’s cultural attractions have been well known to intrepid travelers for decades, in recent years there has been a dramatic shift in visitor demographics. The tie-dye backpackers are still here in force, but they have been joined by increasing numbers of international businesspeople.

The broadening of Indian tourism is a symptom of the country’s remarkable transformation from poverty-stricken basket case into a major economic powerhouse. Even now, in the grip of the global recession, India’s burgeoning economy continues its irresistible rise. Annual growth for both 2010 and 2011 is predicted by the Reserve Bank of India to exceed 8 percent.

Against this backdrop, the country’s tourism chiefs have turned their attention to the M.I.C.E. market, the “pearl in the tourism crown” as the most lucrative tourism sector, not only luring high-value visitors (M.I.C.E. travelers spend up to eight times more per head than leisure tourists) but also providing the impetus to construct venues, infrastructure and accommodation. The benefits reach deeply into the local community, creating long-term employment and new opportunities in the global marketplace.

In 2004, India ranked 27th in the $270 billion global M.I.C.E. market. Since then, the country has made a determined effort to increase its share, with the local M.I.C.E. sector growing by 10–20 percent annually.

The country’s top M.I.C.E. destination is the capital, Delhi. Its position will be further bolstered by the multibillion-dollar developments currently being completed in advance of the Commonwealth Games, to be held in the city in October 2010.

A new $1.94 billion terminal (the world’s third-largest) is set to open at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) this month with initial annual capacity of 34 million passengers. A recently inaugurated runway will enable the airport to handle up to 70 flights per hour.

The Delhi Metro was opened in 2002 and is currently undergoing significant expansion, including a new express line linking the airport to the city. It is one of several projects designed to relieve Delhi’s notorious traffic congestion (which is one of the biggest impediments to the smooth running of conferences and events).

The city’s most important exhibition venue is Pragati Maidan, a huge complex that sprawls over an area of 150 acres close to downtown. Although it has seen better days since it opened in 1982, there are ambitious plans to completely revamp the site, with a 6 million-square-foot exhibition center as the state-of-the-art centerpiece.

Alternative exhibition spaces include the 47-acre NSIC Exhibition Grounds in south Delhi and the India Expo Centre in Greater Noida, 15 miles southeast of the city center.

Delhi has been inhabited for at least 2,500 years and is scattered with ancient sites of world renown. Among the highlights are the 17th-century Red Fort, a sandstone castle built by the last Mughal emperor; Humayun’s Tomb, a prototype for the Taj Mahal; and the Qutb Minar, an ornate minaret built between the 12th and 14th centuries that ranks as India’s most-visited tourist attraction.

Delhi serves as one point of the Golden Triangle, the classic Indian tourist route. From here, travelers progress to the Taj Mahal at Agra and then on to the city of Jaipur with its hilltop fortresses and beautiful palaces. The complete circuit takes about a week.

Even if you have previous familiarity with India, there is one city for which there is no adequate preparation. Your first experience of Mumbai (aka Bombay), the “Maximum City,” will inevitably leave you reeling with culture shock.

Mumbai is India’s largest metropolis (and the second-largest in the world) and is the de facto financial capital. More than 40 percent of the country’s foreign trade is generated in this vigorous port on the Arabian Sea.

Historically, Mumbai’s wealth was built on the shipping industry and manufacturing. But in 1991, when India began opening up its centralized economy to the private sector, Mumbai enthusiastically embraced emerging sectors such as IT and international call centers.

Mumbai’s economic boom shows no sign of running out of steam. And although the city is still blighted by appalling poverty, a new middle class has created demand for upmarket residential developments and air-conditioned shopping malls (the city now boasts more than 60).

For visitors, nowhere are the two faces of India more starkly illustrated than in Mumbai. It is often just a short walk from one of the many sumptuous 5-star hotels to the very worst of the city’s slums. Some M.I.C.E. tourists will find the contrast uncomfortable, though it reasonably can be hoped that breakneck economic growth will eventually benefit all of the city’s inhabitants.

The city’s largest venue is the Bombay Exhibition Centre, situated 20 minutes from downtown. This large complex set within leafy grounds boasts six exhibition halls. Closer to the heart of the city, the World Trade Centre Mumbai offers a versatile expo hall that can be used for trade exhibitions or conferences.

The traditional starting point for a visit to Mumbai is the Gateway of India, a huge ceremonial arch that was built for the visit of Britain’s King George V in 1911. For decades afterwards, it was the first sight that greeted passengers arriving in the country by ship.

After a day or two of acclimation, you will probably be ready for Mumbai’s densely packed bazaars, each specializing in particular goods (Crawford for fruit and vegetables, Mangaldas for silk and cloth, and Chor for antiques). Modern Mumbai may be all about sleek high-rises and international trade, but the bazaars are an enduring vestige of the city’s economic beginnings.

While Delhi and Mumbai have both benefited from India’s rapid dash into the modern world, one city in the southeastern state of Andhra Pradesh has been defined by it. Until relatively recently, the city of Hyderabad was a provincial backwater. But thanks to its success as an IT hub, it has earned a new nickname: Cyberabad.

The list of foreign firms based in Hyderabad’s purpose-built business park, HITEC City, is a roll call of IT heavyweights: Microsoft, Google, Facebook, Hewlett-Packard, IBM and many others. To serve the needs of these companies, Hyderabad has become a M.I.C.E. destination almost by default. The city has several cutting-edge conference centers and an increasing roster of luxury hotels.

Drive through Hyderabad, and any doubts you may have had about the country’s incredible reinvention will soon fall away. The course of the 21st century is being forged in India.

Convention Centers

Hyderabad International Convention Centre, Hyderabad
Connected to (and run by) the Novotel Hyderabad Hotel, this modern complex is arguably the best M.I.C.E. facility in India. This being Hyderabad, the building boasts the very latest in IT infrastructure. Novotel & HICC Complex, near HITEC City, Hyderabad, tel 91 40 6682 4422.

India Habitat Centre, Delhi
Also known as Habitat World, this 1 million-square-foot complex — including indoor and outdoor meeting spaces and a 424-seat auditorium — is contained within nine acres of landscaped grounds within easy reach of the center of Delhi. Lodhi Road, New Delhi, tel 91 11 4366 3333.

Nehru Centre, Mumbai
This multi-function venue, housed within a strikingly designed cylindrical high-rise, boasts five exhibition halls and a high-tech auditorium. Dr. Annie Besant Road, Worli, Mumbai, tel 91 22 2496 4676.

Meeting Hotels

The Four Seasons Hotel, Mumbai
With panoramic views of the Arabian Sea, the Four Seasons is conveniently located for access to Mumbai’s financial district. Luxury facilities are available for meetings and conferences of up to 70 people. 114 Dr. E. Moses Road, Worli, Mumbai, tel 91 22 2481 8000.

Imperial Hotel, New Delhi
Since the 1930s, the Imperial Hotel has been at the very heart of Delhi’s social and business scene. Meeting and conference facilities are provided by the elegant 5,000-square-foot Royal Ballroom and the smaller Emily Eden & Hodges Room. Janpath, New Delhi, tel 91 11 2334 1234.

Taj Falaknuma Palace, Hyderabad
Hyderabad’s newest hotel (due to open in 2010) occupies the royal guest house of the Nizams, the city’s former rulers. The palatial meeting rooms were once reserved for visiting royalty, including Tsar Nicholas II of Russia. Engine Bowli, Falaknuma, Hyderabad, tel 91 40 2438 8888.