Messe Berlin (China) formally signed a memorandum of understanding with the provincial government of Chinese free-trade port Hainan yesterday, 26th May, on the first day of ITB China 2026.

Signing for Messe Berlin was its managing director David Axiotis together with  Hainan Provincial Department of Tourism, Culture, Radio, Television and Sports director Chen Tiejun.

Axiotis said in his welcome remarks for the ceremony: “We've been working with Hainan Province for several years, but the memorandum of understanding we're about to sign today actually marks a very important new step in the cooperation between Messe Berlin (China) and Hainan Province.”

What the understanding entails

Per this agreement, Hainan province will serve as the official partner province for China inbound travel for the tenth edition of ITB China next year.

Axiotis pointed out that this partnership will substantially boost Hainan’s connections with international travel professionals whilst strengthening its visibility within the global travel inbound tourism market.

He said: “I think Hainan's distinctive position as China's only free trade port and its growing importance in international tourism exchange make it just the right fit for this role. Whoever has been there knows about the strong potential in tourism inbound travel actually, but also specifically in MICE that Hainan has supported by its rich destination resources, policy advantages, and continuously improving international service capabilities.”

Axiotis also expressed confidence that Hainan's participation as ITB China 2027’s partner province will create new opportunities for global travel partners to better understand and engage with Hainan province.

Greater cooperation

Furthermore, this new understanding is set to open doors to a broader cooperation between Messe Berlin and Hainan Province.

Related initiatives include the joint promotion of Hainan's inbound tourism resources, destination presentations, networking, as well as familiarisation trips for ITB China 2027.

Hainan’s visibility to both the regional and global MICE sector will likewise be enhanced by its participation as  the destination showcase partner of Messe Berlin’s first-ever China International MICE Exchange (CIMX) which will be staged in Beijing in November of this year.

In closing, Axiotis declared: “I'm very much looking forward to a long-term and fruitful cooperation between Hainan and particularly China.”