From March 6 to 10, 2019, over 60 agents from five markets – mainland China, India, Indonesia, South Korea and Thailand – gathered for an award ceremony and five-day fam trip.
This marked the seventh Top MICE Agent Awards Ceremony cum Mega Familiarisation Trip organised by Meetings and Exhibitions Hong Kong (MEHK), a division of the Hong Kong Tourism Board.
The awards ceremony was hosted at the new Hong Kong Ocean Park Marriott Hotel, said to boast the largest pillarless ballroom on Hong Kong Island with a size of over 1,208m2 and capacity for up to 1,200pax, in addition to a 16m-high vertical aquarium spanning over three floors.
As part of the fam trip, agents were shown two of the city’s new super-infrastructure, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and the High Speed Rail Link (HK section).
Agents also went temple hopping with privileges, including a behind-the-scenes tour at Wong Tai Sin Temple and amulets as souvenirs.
To promote the city’s rich greenery offerings for MICE, agents were also brought on a Geopark boat trip and hiking followed by a seafood lunch at Sai Kung and Lamma Island, while some also experienced the Dragon’s Back hiking trail.
“In 2018, Hong Kong recorded close to two million overnight MICE arrivals, representing a year-on-year growth of 2.1 per cent. Shorthaul markets performed with a particularly strong growth rate of 8.7 per cent; as for the meeting and incentive segment, some markets recorded a double-digit growth rate including South Korea and our new strategic market, Thailand,” said Kenneth Wong, general manager of the Hong Kong Tourism Board’s MICE and Cruise Division.
