A comprehensive research providing “an initial picture” of the MICE industry business taking in place in China in 2007 was released during China International Business Travel Mart 2007 by show owner, Reed Travel Exhibitions.
Among the topics covered are general industry trends and key characteristics of buyers’ events in Metro China, which includes Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.
The China Meetings Industry Research Report 2007, the first of its kind, was based on the research conducted between April and May 2007.
The responses analysed came from 299 international buyers, 60 local buyers, 17 local suppliers and 47 international suppliers.
The target respondents of buyers represented all target sectors of the market specifically, international associations and not-for-profit organisations, regional and national associations, corporate organisations, exhibitors, incentives and third-party organisers responsible for organising events for any or all of the aforementioned sectors.
The target database for supplier respondents covered a wide range of activities from hotels and venues to airlines, DMCs and travel specialists. Local buyers’ events, the research cited, are longer and larger yet organised within a far shorter lead time.
Forty-eight percent of the expenditure for local buyers on events is remaining in China.
More local buyers expect this level to stay the same for the next 12 months while most international buyers anticipate that spend in China will increase. Average length of events in China by international and local buyers is five and nine days, respectively.
The average size of delegates is 140 for international buyers and 299 for local buyers. In the last 12 months, Hong Kong with 43 percent was the most used destination in Metro China by international buyers, eclipsing Beijing by three percent.
However, in the coming 12 months, Beijing will stay well ahead with 77 percent compared to the Hong Kong’s distant third 58 percent.
Shanghai which ranked third with 39 percent as the most used destination in the past 12 months, takes second place as the to-be-used destination within the next 12 months.
In the last 12 months the least-used destinations in the top 10 list were Shenzhen and Hainan, both with seven percent. Hainan’s situation is expected to improve in the next 12 months to 12 percent, while Shenzhen will remain unchanged.
Meanwhile there is zero demand for Guangzhou, Macau and Xian in the next 12 months, the study cited. Paul Kennedy MBE, group exhibition director said they will develop and extend the study into a Pan Asian research study to reinforce Reed Travel Exhibitions’ “growing commitment to providing a global research programme.”
