Coronavirus: More than 500 Macau events cancelled

Managing Director of the Macau Convention and Exhibition Association, Alan Ho, says the impact on the MICE sector is “Significant”.

Macau.- Although it was expected to be a busy year for the MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) industry, more than 500 exhibitions and conventions have been cancelled or postponed in Macau due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Inside Asia Gaming.

Managing Director of the Macau Convention and Exhibition Association, Alan Ho, said that most of events are aimed at international businesses and with travel bans and lockdowns in place, the sector had been hit hard.

“It has had a significant negative impact on the MICE industry in Macau in the short and medium term. The pausing of the MICE industry has also created a knock-on effect not only on the tourism, hotels, dining and retail sectors, but also on advertising, financial, logistics as well as architectural industries. MICE events play an important role in driving forward-looking corporations, planning and developments in various industries, but all of those have stopped now,” Ho said.

“Most of our MICE events are special and unique functions compared with others, and we have complementary development to avoid overlapping with Hong Kong and other nearby regions. The position of Macau’s MICE is competitive enough and irreplaceable. For example, G2E Asia is the one and only gaming related exhibition in the greater China area. It will attract many people to come to Macau after this epidemic,” he added.

The Coronavirus outbreak has also impact the hotel industry. According to official reports, the average occupancy rate of guest rooms in Macau fell by 76.9 per cent in February.