China is making a direct play for North American corporate travel budgets. The China National Tourist Office (CNTO) Los Angeles is presenting a roughly 1,000-square-foot China Pavilion at IMEX America 2026 (Oct. 13–15, Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas), spotlighting six regions as viable hosts for meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions.
The pavilion unites six destinations—Beijing, Hunan, Shaanxi, Jiangsu, Sichuan, and Guangxi—alongside MICE industry partners. Each region brings a distinct combination of convention infrastructure and experiential programming that event organizers are increasingly demanding. For hospitality professionals weighing international venue options, the breadth on display represents a meaningful expansion of the competitive set.
The Six Destinations
Beijing anchors the portfolio with state-of-the-art convention facilities backed by iconic cultural landmarks including the Great Wall and the Forbidden City. Shaanxi leads with Xi'an and the Terracotta Warriors as centerpiece experiences for incentive groups. Hunan's Zhangjiajie—whose dramatic limestone karst formations inspired the film Avatar—offers a visually striking backdrop for executive retreats.
Jiangsu contributes historic waterfront water towns suited to refined corporate hospitality. Sichuan pairs cosmopolitan meeting facilities with celebrated regional gastronomy, panda habitats, and mountain scenery—a combination increasingly relevant as food-and-beverage programming becomes a core differentiator in incentive travel design. Guangxi rounds out the lineup with karst river landscapes and a blend of cultural immersion and modern amenities targeted at executive retreat buyers.
What It Means for Planners
"Today's meeting planners are looking beyond traditional venues," said Dawei Wu, Director of the China National Tourist Office in Los Angeles. "They want destinations that inspire creativity, promote meaningful connections and deliver experiences participants will remember long after the event has ended. China precisely offers this combination: world-class business infrastructure, exceptional hospitality and an extraordinary diversity of cultural and destination experiences."
Practical access is improving alongside the destination marketing push. Advances in transportation connectivity and digital payment infrastructure are reducing friction for international groups, and eligible travelers may qualify for China's 240-hour visa-free transit policy, subject to nationality and itinerary requirements. For hospitality and event operators building international programs, those policy details can meaningfully affect attendee participation rates and overall program viability.
CNTO Los Angeles, the official overseas representative of China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism for the western United States, is using IMEX America to cultivate new trade partnerships and introduce North American buyers to destination specialists who can translate concept into executable programs. The office's goal is to position China not as a single-city proposition but as a multi-destination platform capable of supporting a wide range of group sizes, budgets, and program objectives.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
