The MICE sector serves to attract high-yield visitors to the city on top of enhancing Hong Kong’s international image as the world’s meeting place. Photo Credit: Adobe Stock/Dmitry Rukhlenko
MICE tourism and visitors drove a strong rebound in the first half of
this year, according to the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB).
The board reported that the country received 21 million visitors
between January and June this year, with approximately half of them
staying overnight – and of these numbers, 70% of them were from MICE
arrivals.
MICE has been the fastest-recovering visitor segment in Hong Kong,
with current recorded numbers reaching 80% of the level recorded during
the same time in 2018. Each overnight MICE visitor also spent an average
of HK$8,000 (US$1,026) in town, which was about 20–30% higher than the
average per-capita spending of all inbound travellers.
In 2023, MICE tourism was found to attract more international
tourists, with half of the overnight MICE visitors coming from
international markets. MICE visitors were also found to stay longer in
the destination.
The HKTB has helped secure over 60 large-scale international MICE
events for Hong Kong slated for between 2024 and 2026. Most of these
will be first-time events for Hong Kong, and the line-up for these
events is expected to attract more than 180,000 mainland and
international visitors.
Prominent first-ever world congresses to be held in Hong Kong for the
first time include World Cancer Congress 2026 and International
Federation of Landscape Architects World Congress 2026.