Melbourne Convention Bureau (MCB) reports that it has secured 17 Asian incentive groups across China, Taiwan, Indonesia, Korea, Vietnam, Thailand and India since the start of the new fiscal year.

These wins will bring 2,345 delegates to state of Victoria, filling 4,033 room nights across the city’s hotels and injecting $9.6M into the economy.

“It’s really pleasing to see Chinese incentive groups returning to Melbourne and we expect this to really ramp up now that Australia will once again join China’s list of Approved Destination Status (ADS) nations. Aviation capacity has already expanded with seven out of eight mainland China carriers operating to Melbourne resumed,” said Julia Swanson, chief executive, Melbourne Convention Bureau. “MCB’s efforts to grow this market back to its full potential has been rewarded with 19 per cent of wins in this segment to date hailing from China.”

Across the 17 incentive groups arriving, delegates will visit an array of attractions in Melbourne and regional Victoria. The program line-ups include some of Victoria’s most popular regions: the Yarra Valley, Goldfields, Mornington Peninsula, Phillip Island Nature Park for the iconic Penguin Parade, and a trip on the Great Ocean Road.

Also adding to the city’s appeal, incentive groups to Melbourne now have the biggest choice of hotel rooms than anywhere else in Australia following an unprecedented building boom. With 21 new hotels and 4,889 rooms opening in less than four years, including Ritz-Carlton, Oakwood Premier, W Melbourne and Hotel Chadstone, Melbourne has increased its accommodation market by 23 per cent to almost 26,500 rooms.