A total of 702 MICE events were held in Macau in the first half of 2024, a 34.5% year-on-year increase and recovering to 95.6% of the same period in 2019, according to information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC).
Among all MICE events, the largest increase was seen in the number of meetings and conferences. In the first half of the year, the number of meetings and conferences increased by 33.7% year-on-year to 658, and the number of attendees increased by 4.6% to 74,000.
The number of exhibitions increased by two to 26, attracting 3,000 exhibitors and 19,117 professional visitors, up 38.6% and 82.7% respectively. However, visitor attendance dropped by 33.4% to 399,000 visitors.
The number of incentive programs increased by 12 to 18 year-on-year, and the number of participants increased by 16.6% to 5,748.
The number of attendees for all MICE events in the first half of the year decreased by 29.1% year-on-year to 479,000, mainly due to the decrease in exhibition attendance.
According to the government’s estimation, MICE events in the first half of the year generated revenue of approximately MOP$2.47 billion (US$308 million) for the non-gaming sector in Macau, representing an increase of 35.8% over the same period in 2023.
The Commerce and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM), which is responsible for promoting the development of MICE activities in Macau, pointed out that the average per capita spending of MICE visitors in the first half of 2024 was MOP$4,992 (US$622), which was about 100% higher than the average per capita spending of MOP$2,260 (US$282) by visitors to Macau in the same period.
“The number of MICE events is expected to increase further in the second half of the year (especially from September to November), which is the traditional peak season for Macau’s MICE industry, with 1,500 events expected to be held in Macau in 2024,” it said.
