Coupling coordination and spatial analyses of the MICE and tourism industries: do they fit well?

The interaction and coupling between the MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) and tourism is of great significance in promoting industrial competitiveness. This study proposes a conceptual index system using the entropy method and the coupling coordination degree model to evaluate the coupling coordination between the MICE and tourism industries. Employing a large-scale sample of 31 provinces in China during 2011–2020, we find that the increase in the number of MICE institutions and the exhibition hall scale are key factors in the promotion of the MICE industry, while the total number of travel agencies and the domestic tourism income are secondary indicators that have a significant impact on the tourism subsystem. The overall level of coupling and coordination of the MICE and tourism industries is relatively low, and their spatial differentiation is significant. Concerning spatial dependence, the degree of coupling and coordination between the MICE and tourism industries in different provinces is weak in terms of their global spatial autocorrelation. Furthermore, the overall degree of aggregation is not strong but significant from the perspective of local spatial autocorrelation. This study provides important theoretical, managerial, and policy implications for the coordinated development of the MICE and tourism industries.