More than 700 MICE entrepreneurs and investors from around the world attend the Xiamen MICE Industry Conference held in Xiamen, East China's Fujian province, on Nov 13. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The "meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions", or MICE, industry presents a great way for Xiamen to achieve high quality development, said Hu Changsheng.

Hu, Party secretary of Xiamen in East China's Fujian province, made the remarks at the Xiamen MICE Industry Conference held in the city on Nov 13. The conference was attended by more than 700 MICE entrepreneurs and investors from around the world.

Hu noted that Xiamen boasts abundant tourism attractions and a solid industrial foundation. In 2018, the city's culture and tourism industries raked in more than 100 billion yuan ($14.23 billion) in operation revenue and the city hosted roughly 10,000 conventions and exhibitions last year.

In addition, over the past few years, Xiamen has seen closer cultural ties with Taiwan, countries along the Maritime Silk Road, and BRICS countries.

The city will also host the Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival, China's largest and most prestigious film festival, for the next 10 years.

All of the above factors make Xiamen an ideal city for the MICE industry, and now is the time to invest, added Hu.

According to the Party secretary, Xiamen hopes to become a national model for the MICE industry by 2025 with a focus on e-sports, film, television, animation, digital media, and digital music.

Hu also stressed that although companies are essential to the development of the MICE industry, the business environment is also a crucial factor. He promised to create an efficient and fair business climate for the MICE industry.

Xiamen has introduced a series of preferential policies to support the MICE industry, including a subsidy of up to 5 million yuan for national or provincial-level cultural projects and a maximum of 8 million yuan for major exhibitions and conventions held in the city.

The meeting also witnessed the signing of 32 MICE industry-related projects worth 9.34 billion yuan.