Hong Kong MICE sector shows strong recovery

The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) reported that the special autonomous region (SAR) experienced strong rebound for Meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (MICE) tourism in the first six months of 2024.

Hong Kong received approximately 21 million visitors between January and June 2024, with around half the number staying overnight. Among overnight visitors, MICE arrivals accounted for 700,000 visitors, recovering to around 80 percent of numbers recorded back in 2018.

This makes MICE the fastest-recovering sector in Hong Kong’s tourism industry.

A sector that strongly draws in visitors

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. Each overnight MICE visitor spent an average of HK$8,000 in town, which was about 20–30% higher than the average per-capita spending of all inbound travellers.

In 2023, MICE visitors stayed longer, staying 3.7 nights on average, compared to the average of 3.2 nights for all overnight visitors. MICE tourism also attracted more international tourists too, as seen by how half of overnight MICE visitors came from international markets, compared to 25% of regular overnight travellers.

Pushing for sustained growth 

The HKTB has facilitated public and private sector bids for regional and international events,securing over 60 large-scale international MICE events for Hong Kong slated for between 2024 and 2026, many of which are staging in the SAR for the first time. 

The diverse line-up of events is expected to attract more than 180,000 Mainland and international visitors.

On top of sectors where Hong Kong boasts unique strengths, such as innovation and technology (I&T), medical sciences and financial services, new themes of other sectors such as aviation, architecture, education are also trending among the latest event wins.

Notable wins include the triumphant return of ACM SIGGRAPH Asia 2025 after the last conference held in Hong Kong back in year 2013; and a number of the region’s first conventions and exhibitions across different sectors, including SmartCon 2024 and Consensus Hong Kong 2025 of the I&T sector; and Super Terminal Expo 2024, Routes World 2025 and Airspace Asia Pacific 2025 & 2027 of the aviation sector. 

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.