In 2018, Hong Kong citizens made 92.21 million departures in 2018, averaging 12.4 departures per person! Total revenue of the city’s outbound package tours in the year grew 8.1% ! An online survey last November interviewed 1000 Hong Kong citizens found for 23% of respondents overseas holiday the largest spending item of their salary, excluding rent or mortgage.
For tours during Spring Festival in 2019, short haul saw 5% more travelers with no change in price while long haul grew 10% despite cost increase of 5% to 10%! Ranking based on Airbnb bookings for Spring Festival this year found Japan the top popular destination which was visited by 2.2 million Hong Kong citizens last year; and Australia second, which was visited by 0.31 million Hong Kong citizens last year.
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FIT dominate Hong Kong outbound! Of ITE 2018’s 90000 visitors in two public days, 84% prefer FIT or private group. They are highly educated (42% university, another 34% post-secondary) so likely with good income; accessible to sellers as over 60% book online directly with suppliers and 63% book in ITE, with 19% joining “local” tours at destination!
They interest in in-depth and theme travels! Collected some 4000 replies, ITE 2018 surveys found for examples trade visitors’ interest on Study Tour (28%) and Overseas Wedding (21%); and public visitors in Eco-tourism (35%) and Sport Tourism (23%)!
Official pavilions in ITE also highlight theme travels! Last year, for examples, Hong Kong highlighted Crusie and held a trade seminar on Meeting on Cruise, Macau on Gastronomy, Switzerland on Sport & Eco Tourism, and visitors learned say differences between ramen and onsen from different Japanese prefectures etc.
With over 85% of some 700 exhibitors from abroad, ITE is highly international. It covers leisure and MICE travel. Of its 12000 regional buyers and visitors in two trade days (registration required for admission) 6600 from travel agents and 2600 MICE / corporations; geographically 73% from Hong Kong and over 21% from China.
ITE 2018 drew specifically some 2000 trade visitors from the 9 Guangdong cities of the Greater Bay Area (GBA), which include Guangzhou and Shenzhen. GBA which also include Hong Kong and Macau, has a cumulative GDP of US$1.69 trillion and 68 million people. With the new mega bridge across the mouth of Pearl River and China’s speed train extending to Hong Kong, ITE expects to draw more visitors from GBA.
Each year, ITE has around 35 to 40 official pavilions and stands, with 70% exhibiting regularly while China and Japan two largest each with about 90 booths. Others include, for examples, Hong Kong, Macau, South Korea, Thailand, Nepal and Cambodia from Asia; and Turkey, Switzerland and Egypt from outside Asia. New exhibitors this year, including pavilion and independent, come from Cyprus, Ecuador, Istanbul, Moscow, Madagascar, and Spain etc., and more are expected. Around half of the over 50 exhibiting countries and regions from outside Asia.
ITE offers exhibitors B2B and B2C programs. For example, holding in ITE are over 100 travel seminars for public and popular one draw 200 audiences each; some 30 trade seminars, Business Matching buyers and sellers quick-dating, trade and industry forums!
Organized by TKS Exhibition Services Ltd and supported by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People’s Republic of China and Hong Kong Tourism Board etc., ITE Hong Kong 2019, the 33rd ITE (leisure) and the 14th ITE MICE, will be held from 13 to 16 June 2019 at Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Center.
