The 2021 Summit on the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE) Industry of China, which concluded two weeks ago in Haikou, turned out to be a great success as the contracts and letters of intent regarding 116 projects have been signed so far at a total value of 159 million yuan ($24.6 million).
The MICE industry is regarded as the most valuable part of the high-end tourism market with its unparalleled large-scale production advantages, long history and high profits. Hainan has made itself an ideal destination for the MICE industry due to its promotional success and market expansion in various ways. Meanwhile, the MICE industry has become the new impetus for tourism development in Hainan.
According to data from a survey on hotels with the conference rooms of over 800 square meters in Haikou, Sanya and Boao, the number of meetings held from July to December in 2020 grew by 23.5 percent over the same period from the previous year, which showed that MICE played an important role driving the tourism recovery in Hainan.
Statistics from the Haikou municipal bureau of commerce show that more than 1,700 meetings were held in Haikou from January to May this year, and seven exhibitions that hosted a total of 647,000 visitors were also organized.
The ecological resources in Hainan lay a good foundation for the development of the MICE industry and the preferential policies create good prospects for it, according to officials from Hainan's tourism and culture department.
They added that Hainan will make use of its advantages in terms of Hainan Free Trade Port policies and accelerate the construction of an international tourism and consumption center.
