Macau’s inward-investment agency has set up a working group with representatives from the city’s six casino operators as well as five local trade associations covering the conference and exhibition business, with the aim of “attracting” and promoting “bidding” regarding “international and regional”-level events to be hosted in Macau. The information was given in a Tuesday press release from Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM).
The idea is to draw “more and better” meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) business, said IPIM.
For calendar year 2023, Macau is hosting circa 100 MICE activities with themes including “finance, technology, artificial intelligence, smart healthcare, integrated resorts and entertainment business,” said the statement. The events are all related to the key industries that the Macau government wishes to develop in order to diversify the city’s economy beyond tourism and high-stakes gambling, according to the Tuesday release.
The Macau government has previously mentioned a wish to attract MICE events that can be jointly hosted by the city and an adjacent piece of mainland China territory called Hengqin island, in the neighbouring province of Guangdong.
In other developments on Tuesday, China’s National Immigration Administration made a broadly-worded announcement about travel between Macau and Hengqin.
It mentioned central government support for tourism and MICE business, with an aim of providing “convenience” regarding visa and travel permit issuance for any staff, professional audience and visitors from mainland China and abroad that are participating in MICE events co-hosted by Macau and Hengqin. The statement did not give further details.
