Business and pleasure

After hosting a slew of high-profile international business conferences, including KFC's annual management meeting and an international Microsoft annual convention, Hangzhou is fast becoming a destination of choice for the lucrative China meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (MICE) sector.

Having received China's Best Green Meeting City award last year, Hangzhou is coming into its own as a business-leisure destination. China's growing incentive travel market has meant that the focus has shifted from a strictly tourism emphasis towards not only sightseeing, but also meetings, exhibitions and leisure services.

The Hangzhou Tourism Commission has established a Hangzhou MICE group, which will promote the city among professional travel consumers and provide visitors with an enriched travel experience. Providing professional support, advisory services, marketing support and a range of professional hospitality programmes, the new initiatives look set to fix Hangzhou's rising star in the leisure industry.

Hoping to not only attract MICE related business, the division also expects some of the overflow from the hugely popular Shanghai market, which is among the most desirable locations for mainland and international MICE-related events. Accessible by air from all over China, Hangzhou has the advantage of a quick 50-minute high-speed train to and from Shanghai.