Hong Kong sees over 20% growth in 2010 MICE arrivals

The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) announced that overnight MICE (meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions) arrivals in 2010 made a leap of 22.8% year-on-year to 1,429,941. This number also represents a 22.5%-increase over the overnight MICE arrivals in 2008, before the global financial tsunami. Out of the 2010 total, 598,022 or 41.8% came from Mainland China, while 431,462 were from short-haul markets and 395,903 from long-haul markets.

All major visitor source markets recorded healthy growth in MICE arrivals in 2010. This could be attributed to a number of factors, including the relatively stable global economic conditions, which brought about an increase in business travel. The appreciation of major currencies against the Hong Kong dollar also greatly enhanced Hong Kong's appeal as a MICE destination. In particular, the Mainland market registered a remarkable 35.4%-increase at 598,002 arrivals.

For the short-haul markets, the most prominent growth could be seen in South and Southeast Asia, which arrivals surged by 24.6% to 230,964 as a result of growth in meetings and incentive travel. As for the long-haul markets, benefitting from various conventions and exhibitions held in Hong Kong during the year, arrivals grew at a satisfactory rate. The best performer was the Americas, with its 155,137 arrivals representing an 18.4%-increase year-on-year.

HKTB Chairman Mr James Tien said: "We expect the growth momentum for overnight MICE arrivals will sustain into 2011, with the total number reaching 1.6 million, 12% more than in 2010. We can also expect many more MICE activities in Hong Kong this and next year, with at least 315 conventions and exhibitions already confirmed. Among these are the 2011 SIGGRAPH Conference and Exhibition on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques in Asia that will attract about 6,000 participants, as well as the FDI World Dental Federation Annual World Dental Congress 2012, which will bring an additional 12,000 MICE visitors.

"Since its establishment in 2008, the Meetings and Exhibitions Hong Kong Office of the HKTB has dedicated itself to strengthening Hong Kong's image as a MICE hub. Working closely with the Government and the trade, the office has been striving to bring more MICE events to Hong Kong. This year, we will allocate HK$47.7 million for promoting MICE tourism. Of this amount, 70% will be used for promotions in the target markets. Our aim is to bring even more MICE events to Hong Kong, and increase the number of participants for these events."

Source = traveldailynews