Xiamen turns catching MICE into billion-dollar industry

The city of Xiamen in Southeast China's Fujian province is using MICE to boost its tourism industry, and the strategy is bringing in serious cheddar.

The coastal city has been focusing on becoming a major hub for hosting MICE—meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions—in recent years.

This approach has achieved great success, and Xiamen's MICE industry now generates more than 30 billion yuan ($4.48 billion) in revenue for the local economy each year, according to local authorities.

The city held 93 exhibitions and 3,850 conventions attended by over 850,000 people, producing revenue of 18.6 billion yuan, during the first half of 2017, according to Xiamen convention and expo bureau.

The MICE industry now accounts for a big slice of the city's tourism industry, generating around one third of Xiamen's tourism revenue in 2016.

Xiamen's success in attracting MICE has been boosted by its pleasant seaside setting and balmy climate, but also by its high administrative efficiency and the focus it has put on developing the industry, according to local authorities.

The city has been campaigning for China's central government to name Xiamen a demonstration city for the MICE industry in China.

The growth of the MICE industry has brought an enormous amount of visitors, goods, information and capital to Xiamen, which has driven investment and trade in the city and promoted its industrial development.

Xiamen's reputation as one of China's best venues for international events was arguably born in 1997, the year the city first hosted the China International Fair for Investment and Trade.

Over the last 20 years, the CIFIT has developed into one of China's biggest trade and investment events, and is often referred to as a "weather vane" for gauging the investment climate inside China.

Since then, many other high-profile events have been attracted to Xiamen, such as the Xiamen International Stone Exhibition.

The Xiamen International Marine Week has become one of the key events, run by China's State Oceanic Administration and Fujian provincial government, promoting the Belt and Road Initiative.

However, the biggest event of all will be held in Xiamen this September: The 9th BRICS Summit.

Wang Qiongwen, head of Xiamen convention and expo bureau, said he believed that the summit would help the city open up to the outside world and promote its image worldwide.

He added that the event will also bring opportunities to the city's MICE industry, helping it align with international standards.