India Emerges as a Strong Growth Driver in Hong Kong's MICE Tourism

NewsVoir
Hong Kong, September 17: Hong Kong's Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE) sector is experiencing a robust recovery, welcoming 1.42 million overnight MICE visitors in 2024 - a 10% increase from 2023 and reaching 80% of pre-pandemic levels. India has emerged as a strong driver. In 2024, Indian arrivals surged more than 70% overall compared to 2023, with HKTB aiming to double arrivals to surpass pre-Covid levels.
Building on this momentum and heightened demand from India market, the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) has concluded two high-impact familiarization (FAM) tours to position Hong Kong as the premier MICE destination for the Indian market, showcasing the city's state-of-the-art infrastructure, incentive experiences, and large-scale new attractions.
"These initiatives reaffirm Hong Kong's position as Asia's leading business events hub," said Puneet Kumar, Director - South Asia, Hong Kong Tourism Board. "India is among top 5 source markets for incentive group travel and one of the fastest-growing MICE markets for Hong Kong. We have registered a robust demand from Indian corporates to stage events and a strong pipeline of business from strategic travel partners emphasises Hong Kong's strong appeal and India's immense potential. With Hong Kong's world-class infrastructure, unique to Hong Kong experiences, exciting cruise itineraries and over 200 mega events annually, the city is fully equipped to host everything from large-scale incentive programmes to bespoke corporate events. India remains a vital growth market, and we look forward to deepening our engagement with its MICE sector."
The Next Stop: Hong Kong - Corporate Buyers Familiarization Tour held from 8 to 11 June 2025, welcomed senior representatives from 8 of India's leading corporations. Their testimonials highlighted Hong Kong's rich culture, warm hospitality, and its distinctive mix of cruise and land offerings, reinforcing its position as a preferred incentive destination. Together, these companies represent significant outbound MICE potential, with annual incentive groups ranging from 400 to over 4,000 participants.
Highlights included:
1.Site Visits: Kerry Hotel, Hong Kong and Kowloon Shangri-La, HKIA VIP Lounge
2. East Meets West: 2025 Sun Life Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Races, and a twilight racing experience at the Hong Kong Jockey Club's Sha Tin Racecourse,
3. Yacht Tourism: Aqua Luna Evening Harbour Cruise and Yacht experience from Tsim Sha Tsui to Discover Bay
4. Exploring signature attractions such as The Peak, Sky Terrace 428 and Peak Tram Experience, Ngong Ping 360 Cable Car experience and a visit to Ngong Ping Village
5. World Class Excitement at Water World Ocean Park, and Hong Kong Disneyland--complete with a tour of the World of Frozen and a VIP viewing of the Momentous nighttime spectacular
6. Team experiences: Interactive workshops, such as a DFS fragrance workshop and a traditional Tai Chi class, that demonstrated the depth of unique yet customisable experiences available for incentive groups.
The second leg of the familiarisation tour, All Aboard! Hong Kong MICE - Cruise Familiarization Tour took place from July 16 to July 21, 2025. This segment was specifically designed for top travel intermediaries from 5 key source markets such as Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad specialising in meetings and incentive group travel, showcasing Hong Kong's latest infrastructure, new developments and its growing appeal as a cruise hub.
During the tour, delegates had an opportunity to explore landmark venues, including the West Kowloon Cultural District, featuring M+ and the Xiqu Centre. The group experienced the 2-night cruise from Hong Kong aboard the Star Voyager, operated by StarDream Cruises. The cruise programme blended leisure and entertainment with curated experiences, including onboard cocktails, themed dining, high on entertainment production show, a Caribbean pool party, as well as ship tours and presentations that showcased StarDream Cruises' offerings curated for the India market.
Delegates enjoyed an exceptional land experience throughout their stay, which included some of the best hotels operated by Marriott International Hotels and an exciting evening derby racing experience at the Hong Kong Jockey Club Happy Valley Racecourse. They explored signature attractions such as the party tram to navigate the old and new Hong Kong, The Peak tram, witnessed the newest twin pandas at Ocean Park Hong Kong, and enjoyed a VIP viewing of the Momentous nighttime spectacular at Hong Kong Disneyland.
These initiatives signal HKTB's commitment to cultivate the India market by providing destination immersion for clients and trade partners as part of a support system for MICE planners. Discussions during the FAMs detailed the comprehensive incentive schemes, in-town hospitality rewards available for groups from 20 to over 400 delegates. HKTB also showcased its Hong Kong Incentive Playbook, a dedicated program featuring over 100 curated experiences and over 40 team building ideas across arts, culture, nightlife, entertainment and wellness, empowering travel agents to design unique, high on experience.
While outlining future priorities, Kumar said, In 2025, MICE visitors from India to Hong Kong recorded a strong double digit year-on-year increase. Between January and August 2025 alone, we welcomed 262,000 Indian visitors across all key segments including MICE. With India emerging as one of Hong Kong's fastest-growing MICE markets, we aim to further diversify our experiences and offerings to reinforce Hong Kong's position as the leading MICE destination in the region."
Photo and Video for Media:
The Next Stop: Hong Kong - Corporate Buyers Familiarisation Tour (watch video),
All Aboard! Hong Kong MICE - Cruise Familiarization Tour (watch video)
The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) is a government-subvented body tasked to market and promote Hong Kong as a travel destination worldwide and enhance visitors' experience once they arrive. These include making recommendations to the Government and other relevant bodies on the range and quality of visitor facilities. The HKTB's missions are to maximise the social and economic contribution made by tourism to the community of Hong Kong and to consolidate Hong Kong's position as a unique, world-class, and most desired destination.
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