The hotel industry in Xiamen has continued to reap benefits from the city’s MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) industry.

The 2013 China Xiamen International Stone Fair (Xiamen Stone Fair 2013) kicked off at the Xiamen International Conference & Exhibition Center (XICEC) on 6th March, and will last until 9th March.

As Asia’s No.1 stone fair, the 2013 China Xiamen International Stone Fair is set to become the world’s largest stone fair with its largest-ever exhibition area this year. The exhibition area for this year’s event has increased 45,000 square metres to reach 158,000 square metres, with 8,250 booths set up.

According to the organizing committee, a total of 2,000 leading suppliers and manufacturers from 54 countries and regions have registered for the exhibition, which has attracted more than 130,000 merchants and visitors from home and abroad.

Throngs of visitors brought by the stone fair have driven up reservations in most hotels in the city, especially hotels near the Xiamen International Conference & Exhibition Center such as Hotel Nikko Xiamen, which have been almost totally booked up ahead of the stone fair due to their advantageous geographical location.