With pavilions by official tourism board from around 60 countries and territories, and including their co-exhibitors and independents, nearly 600 international exhibitors from the six populated continents will be present at the 19th International Travel Expo (ITE) this year.
Being closer to home, naturally ITE has a stronger presence from Asia and the Asia Pacific, which have been popular as destinations for the European travellers.
The ITE will enter its 19th edition, and will be held held from June 9 to 12 at Hall 1 of the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre.
By both size and number of exhibitors, the largest pavilion is from China with around 80 -100 exhibitors featuring destinations and attractions from different parts of China.
The largest single exhibitor is Hong Kong Dragon Airlines Ltd (KA), which takes 256 sq m and nearly triples its size in last year. KA will be sharing its booth with business associates.
Some other past exhibitors have also made significant expansions. South Africa, Zimbabwe, Cambodia will each take 36 sq m, either doubling or more than their previous presences. So is Peru but a late decision for expansion has made it impossible to meet all her additional requirement.
Among the new exhibitors, Libya with 100 sq m and Romania with 48 sq m take the largest space among the different countries, and Ho Chi Minh City of Vietnam with 36 sqm is the largest among cities. The fastest growing region is Latin America and this year, ITE will feature the first ever Latin American Pavilion with exhibitors from Chile, Cuba, Mexico and Peru.
For the beachgoers, Asia and nearby countries in the Pacific and Indian Oceans can offer them white sand and pristine water either in island paradises or mile long beaches dotted by trees and surrounded by beautiful landscape. Services are invariably friendly and facilities can easily be found to better match one’s budget. Many of them will be present at the ITE this year including past exhibitors like Guam, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and new exhibitors like Indonesia, Maldives and Palau.
Asia is rich with culture and ethnic diversity, and each country can already offer a tapestry of customs, costumes, dances and music. China and India are well known for their long history of civilisations. Their vast geographical spans enable them to make very comprehensive offers to tourists, including great natural beauty.
Asia has a number of major cities, and among them Hong Kong and Singapore have been well known for their cosmopolitans particularly for business travelers, and offer all the conveniences including shopping, wine and dining of many different cuisines all within short distances from your hotels.
Their excellent flight connections with different parts of the World make them ideal connecting points to other parts of Asia. People can also find out what they have on offer for leisure.
For the first time, Indonesia and Maldives will exhibit in ITE05. In response to the Phuket Action Plan by the World Tourism Organisation, the organiser has made special offers to these tsunami affected countries. In fact, tourism facilities in these countries have largely been re-installed.
Cathay Pacific (CX) is sponsoring the hosted buyer programme and offers AD75 tickets for overseas buyers. Over 10 hotels in Hong Kong will offer special rates to trade visitors.
ITE is being organised by TKS Exhibition Services Ltd, and supported by the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB), the Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong (TIC), and China National Tourism Administration (CNTA). Sponsors include CX, KA and the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC).