MACAO, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- The number of meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE) held in China's Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) surged in the first half of 2025, according to figures released by the SAR's Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) on Tuesday.

Statistics showed that Macao hosted 918 MICE events between January and June, representing a 29.3-percent year-on-year increase. Meetings and conferences accounted for the bulk, rising 29.6 percent to 863 events, with participants increasing by 6.7 percent to 82,000. Exhibitions also edged up 3.8 percent to 27.

By subject, "commerce and management" dominated with 358 events, or 39 percent of the total, followed by "tourism" and "information technology."

Despite the rise in event numbers, overall MICE attendance fell 11.2 percent year-on-year. The DSEC attributed the decline mainly to fewer non-local exhibition visitors, reflecting global economic uncertainties and shifts in the consumption patterns of visitors to the Macao SAR.

In the second quarter alone, the DSEC noted, Macao hosted 480 MICE events, representing a 28.3 percent increase from the same period the previous year. ■