SHANGHAI and Beijing have closed ranks and embarked on a groundbreaking collaboration to jointly develop MICE tourism and target international events.
Kicking off the partnership by co-hosting this year’s China (Shanghai) International Meetings & Conferences Forum, Beijing Municipal Commission of Tourism Development (BTD) and Shanghai Municipal Tourism Administration (SMTA) this morning signed an MoU which outlined future cooperation with regards to jointly bidding for international MICE, sharing of resources like the Shanghai Meetings Ambassadors programme, and joint marketing and promotion efforts targeting overseas markets.
The agreement will also extend to cooperation when either city plays host to international events, such as during next year’s ICCA annual conference in Shanghai, which will see pre- and post-event tours to Beijing.
“This is the first time that we are joining hands to promote China as a single MICE destination,” said SMTA vice chairman, Connie Cheng.
“Shanghai on its own is relatively small and what we can promote is limited, thus we need to engage bigger players to increase our competitiveness. Both cities have their unique advantages. Beijing is the political and cultural centre, while Shanghai is the financial centre. The collaboration will better enable both destinations to meet the needs of different events.”
– Read more in TTG Show Daily – IT&CM China 2012
