CHINA’S debut at IMEX America last week is set to refresh the country’s appeal among international conference and incentive buyers, officials have said.
Cultural and tourism departments from Beijing, Shanghai, Shaanxi, and Chongqing, along with and Air China and several other service providers, were at IMEX America 2024’s China pavilion.
Show organisers reported record-breaking numbers for the annual event held in Las Vegas. More than 15,500 participants attended the 13th edition of the show, which came to a close on October 10, including 5,500-plus buyers, 4,300 of whom were hosted by IMEX. Buyers took part in more than 86,000 pre-scheduled meetings during the three-day show.
Wu Dawei, the Los Angeles director of the China National Tourist Office, said trade representatives were hoping to bring a “new vitality” into promoting China among international meetings and incentive travel buyers.
IMEX, which also runs an edition of its show in Frankfurt, Germany, was chosen for its status as the largest and most important exhibition for the business events industry, according to Xinhua, China’s official state news agency.
More… Beijing reaches out with arts, culture
Debra Brown, of SmartBird World Travel in Atlanta, Georgia, visited the China pavilion on the first day of the exhibition to discuss a conference she was organising in Nanjing in 2025, Xinhua reported. The meeting between Brown and China National Tourist Office representatives was one of hundreds taking place between buyers and suppliers at the pavilion.
Beijing and other destinations were highlighting their unique cultural heritage while Shanghai representatives emphasised the city’s role as a gateway into China and as a hub for international business.
More… China’s visa-free policy spurs recovery
“During the exhibition, the Chinese delegation held several rounds of meetings with hundreds of international buyers to discuss indepth cooperation in conference planning, product design and event organisation in the future, which is expected to inject new vitality into China’s MICE market,” Wu told Xinhua.
“These discussions are expected to inject new vitality into China’s MICE tourism market,” he said.
Xinhua pointed to a report released by the Fortune Business Insights last month that valued the global MICE market at US$904.30 billion in 2023. This is projected to grow from $970.76 billion in 2024 to $1.9 trillion by 2032.
