CWT enters China’s MICE market

Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT) is entering China’s lucrative corporate events market.

The company’s MICE arm, CWT Meetings & Events, has been granted a tour operating licence by the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) that will allow it to deliver inbound and domestic MICE services in the country.

“CWT China’s rapid growth in the last decade is an accurate reflection of the tremendous potential of this market,” said Albert Zhong, general manager of CWT China.

“China’s business travel market has grown to become the second largest in the world according to the GBTA, and meetings and events are key drivers of this. With the launch of CWT Meetings & Events in China, we aim to grow our presence in this space and provide both local and multinational companies the expertise and support they need to organize creative, cost-effective and impactful meetings and events.”

CWT Meetings & Events will now be able to offer its clients a range of MICE services in China, including event planning and production, delegate management, venue sourcing and group travel services. This will be backed up by a selection of online tools for meeting planners, such as the CWT Meeting Optimizer and the CWT Meetings & Events Dashboard.

The move into China makes CWT the first international travel management company to manage both its Chinese travel management and MICE operations in-house.

“We are proud to be the first global travel management company with presence in China to offer both travel management and meeting and events services under the same roof,” said Floyd Widener, senior vice president of CWT Meetings & Events worldwide.

“In addition, compliance has become increasingly important for companies in China and CWT will continue to work in partnership with its current and prospective clients to ensure compliance is a priority.”

CWT Meetings & Events China will be based in Shanghai.