The Xiamen International Expo Center. [Photo/Wechat account: straitmice]

Xiamen, a city that has long stressed the importance of developing the exhibition industry, is now embracing unprecedented opportunities. The magnificent Xiamen International Expo Center has recently been put into use, increasing the city's exhibition area from less than 200,000 square meters to over 500,000 square meters.

Xiamen has also cultivated world-class exhibitions such as the China International Fair for Investment and Trade (CIFIT), the China Xiamen International Stone Fair, and the China Xiamen International Buddhist Items & Crafts Fair, and hosted major conferences and events including the World Investment Forum, the BRICS Leaders Meeting, and the Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival.

The 23rd CIFIT. [Photo/Wechat account: straitmice]

In 2023, the total exhibition area in Xiamen reached 2.26 million square meters, a year-on-year growth of 68.2 percent, and led to 28.7 billion yuan ($3.99 billion) in spending, an 85.4-percent year-on-year increase.

Xiamen will continue to optimize the business environment for the exhibition industry, enhance the exhibition industry's level of internationalization, and leverage the positive effects of international exhibition resources. 

It will plan and host a series of branded exhibitions in conjunction with Xiamen's future industry, strengthening exchange and cooperation through exhibitions to achieve resource sharing and make the most of complementary advantages, as well as accelerate the development of Xiamen's future industries.

Furthermore, Xiamen will make every effort to strengthen the "exhibitions + brands" model, with a focus on CIFIT.