The 32nd International Travel Expo (ITE) 2018 and 13th MICE Travel Expo, held June 14 to 17, welcomed 678 exhibitors from 55 countries and 18 MICE trade participants at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. The four-day event was open to trade for the first two days, and the public at the weekend.
“ITE 2018 is a very important event for tourism and MICE industry in Hong Kong and the region,” enthused Edward Yau, secretary for commerce and economic development, in his opening speech. He highlighted the changes in the travel landscape, with frequent and savvy travellers arriving in Hong Kong with high expectations. “As a major global destination for tourism we need to constantly reinvent ourselves to cater for the day to day demand.”
Case in point, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao bridge and High Speed Rail mega projects opening soon. In addition, he mentioned the HKTB’s focus on enriching travel content, for example, with the Old Town Central heritage trail and recently opened Tai Kwun, plus new areas like Sham Shui Po and Wanchai.
Mother Nature a key draw for travellers
While Lau drew attention to the campaigns embracing Hong Kong’s accessible natural landscapes like the UNESCO recognised Global Geopark, nature was also a common theme among the exhibitors.
Exhibiting at ITE for the first time, state tourism board Tourism Selangor was seen to be promoting “secret island” Kuala Selangor. The island emerges for a few days a month due to tides, and is renowned for its Sky Mirror reflections that make perfect Instagram images.
The Tourism Taiwan pavilion was promoting diving the waters around the country’s off-shore islands via their Beneath Taiwan campaign. On Orchid Island, for example, alongside diving visitors can experience the Yami aboriginal culture, while on Penghu Island surfing and windsurfing are popular.
Exhibitors keen to attract the mainland Chinese market
Some of the biggest pavilions belonged to Japan, Taiwan, Korea and mainland China, while Kazakstan had a sizable pavilion, reflecting the upturn in interest thanks to the Belt and Road initiative.
Casino property, Nagaworld in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, was seen promoting its China Duty Free (CDF) shopping. The Grand Ho Tram Strip, a casino property a few hours’ drive outside Ho Chi Minh City, is hoping to attract more mainland Chinese and Hong Kong guests by promoting their extensive entertainment and junket options, golf course and in particular, the upcoming opening of the resort’s next phase “Kahuna” next year.
Eyes on cruise
A spread of cruise brands greeted visitors to the Hong Kong pavilion. “We intentionally want to connect with travel agents and corporate travel to expand the incentive and MICE travel for the cruise segment,” said Royal Caribbean Cruise Line (RCCL) head of marketing Phoebe Tam. “We also have our own website booking engine and call centre, so we treat the last two days as just as important as the first two. We will offer a special 2019 promotion during the public days for consumers to book early.”