The Fourth China （Shenzhen） International Cultural Industries Fair （ICIF） wrapped up yesterday with a record 12,000 overseas buyers in four days, an increase of 20 percent over last year’s fair.

“This year’s fair had more buyers from the United States and Europe,” Wang Jingsheng, head of the Publicity Department of the Shenzhen Municipal Committee of the CPC, said at the closing ceremony yesterday.

Overseas buyers from Europe, South America and North America accounted for 45 percent of the total from nearly 50 countries and regions, Wang said.

Special foreign guests, including Gary Locke, former governor of the U.S. state of Washington, Harald Wolf, mayor of Berlin in Germany, Mehdi Mostafavi, president of the Islamic Culture and Relations Organization in Iran, Mahamouda Ahmed Gass, minister of culture and tourism of Ethiopia, and Rukia Nakadama Isanga, vice minister of culture in Uganda, attended this year’s ICIF.

An international cultural zone set up for the first time attracted foreign exhibitors from about 20 countries and regions, including the United States, Italy, France, Australia, Germany, Sweden, Britain, Canada, Russia, Finland, Egypt, South Korea and Malaysia.

With an exhibition area totaling 1,000 square meters, the “Creative Hong Kong” exhibition was held for the first time at this year’s ICIF.

The ICIF organizers this year set up 24 subvenues across the city with exhibition areas totaling 1.4 million square meters, which attracted 5,369 exhibitors from home and abroad.

This year’s four-day event saw a total of 2.4 million visitors, including 628,400 visitors at the Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center, the main venue, 1.2 million visitors at the 24 subvenues across the city, and 646,900 visitors attending forums, auctions and other events.