China's low-altitude economy is entering a phase of rapid growth, offering people more excitement in the skies and bringing convenience through innovative aerial vehicle applications.
Various aerial vehicles are increasingly employed in China in more diversified scenarios.
In east China's Jiangsu Province, a domestically produced two-ton unmanned electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft successfully completed a flight across a stretch of the Yangtze River in early August, with its highest speed at 200 kilometers per hour.
The cutting-edge "air taxi" service of eVTOL aircraft, developed by a Shanghai-based start-up named AutoFlight, is expected to gain traction as it can provide a viable and affordable transportation option for tourists and commuters.
In Wuxi City of the province, aerial routes offer a unique perspective of the scenic ancient canal, demonstrating the potential of low-altitude flights for tourism.
In Chengdu City of southwest China's Sichuan Province, a cross-border e-commerce imported goods package was delivered via drone from the comprehensive bonded zone to a customer in just two minutes.
The State Council has just issued a document on ideas to promote the high-quality development of service consumption, proposing to encourage the development of new business models such as low-altitude flight. This is undoubtedly a clear signal that will further enrich the "low-altitude plus" application scenarios.
In the first half of this year, China registered over 600,000 new drones, resulting in a 48-percent increase in the number of drones from the end of last year.
Currently, over 14,000 drone companies hold valid civil unmanned aircraft operation certificates, and over 225,000 people possess unmanned drone operator licenses.
Last year, the scale of China's low-altitude economy surpassed 500 billion yuan (around 70 billion U.S. dollars), with the first half of this year generating 300 billion yuan (around 42 billion U.S. dollars) in new output value. Its scale is expected to reach 2 trillion yuan (around 279 billion U.S. dollars) by 2030.
Booming low-altitude economy has more application scenarios
Booming low-altitude economy has more application scenarios
Macao has been emerging as a global hub for conventions and exhibitions in recent years by exploring the enormous opportunities in the sector, driving the region to advance its economic diversification and embrace a brighter future.
Macao has received many awards this year, such as the Best Convention City (Asia) and the Best BT-MICE City, showcasing the recognition for and influence of Macao's exhibition industry.
More than 1,000 electronic game enthusiasts from all over the world gathered recently in Macao to participate in a esports themed event.
Su Zhili, organizer of the event, said that Macao's rich experience in hosting large-scale events, coupled with its good infrastructure, has driven him to choose the region as an ideal destination to hold such an activity.
"Macao has held many similar large-scale events. It has rich experience, and the facilities at the venue are relatively mature, so we can start our work comfortably," said Su.
During the first three quarters of 2024, Macao held more than 1,000 conferences and exhibitions in total.
"We will invite more professional, special conferences to be held in Macao and also cultivate more exhibition brands with international influence in Macao, so as to promote Macao's exhibitions to be more market-oriented, professional, international, digital and greener from various aspects. This is our goal," said Elaine Wong, member of the Macao Commerce and Investment Promotion Institute.
In addition, multiple large exhibitions and conferences, such as the Macao International Trade and Investment fair, the Macao Franchise Expo, and the International Infrastructure Investment and Construction Forum, are held regularly in Macao.
With the introduction of a series of policies and measures to facilitate the exchanges between the mainland and Macao, as well as the construction and development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, Macao's convention and exhibition industry will embrace more opportunities for development in the foreseeable future.
"We have such a good industrial base in the Greater Bay Area. The mode of 'Convention and Exhibition + Industry' not only integrates the industries of Macao, but also the industries of the Greater Bay Area. In addition, Macao actively integrates into the national development and plays a role in the Belt and Road. Why are we so confident in Macao's convention and exhibition sector? Because it is backed by the motherland, and the country gives Macao great support," said Alan Ho, chairman of the Macao Association of Convention, Exhibition and Tourism Sectors.
Macao emerges as global hub for conventions and exhibitions, driving economic diversification and international recognition
