The 38th International Trade Expo (ITE) and the 19th MICE Travel Expo, themed “Forward to Full Recovery,” successfully concluded on Tuesday, June 16, 2024. The event, which began on June 13, drew significant attention from the global tourism and trade industries.
Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, John K C Lee, highlighted in a message that approximately 34 million visitors traveled to Hong Kong in 2023. He expressed optimism for a gradual recovery of the global tourism industry in the coming years. Chief Executive Lee emphasized the immense potential of Asia’s east and northeast regions, noting the emergence of trends such as sustainable tourism, night markets, and ice and snow tourism. He called for aggressive marketing strategies to target these markets.
K S Tong, Managing Director of International Travel Expo (ITE) and TKS Exhibition Services Ltd, reported that over 520 exhibitors from around 60 countries participated in this year’s ITE. Tong highlighted that the expo focused on themes like sustainable tourism, ice and snow tourism, new destinations, night markets, and featured displays of winners from inter-school study tour competitions.
The opening ceremony featured a keynote speech by Joanne Chu, Acting Commissioner for Tourism, Tourism Commission · Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau of Hong Kong SAR Government, who also led a VIP tour. Another VIP tour was conducted by JP Raistlin Lau, Under Secretary for Culture, Sport and Tourism Bureau of Hong Kong SAR Government. Lau visited the Nepal booth, where he received briefings from Satish Gurung, Consul at the Nepal Consulate office for Hong Kong SAR and Macao SAR, about Nepal’s diverse offerings and extended an invitation to visit Nepal.
Seventeen Consul Generals from various consulate offices attended the exhibition and participated in the VIP Group Photo alongside other honored guests. The event was attended by around 400 guests, including tourism officials, diplomats, industry leaders, media, exhibitors, buyers, hosted delegates, and trade visitors.
Nepal was represented by seven participants from its travel and trade sector, led by the Nepal Tourism Board. These participants included Nepal Airlines Corporation, Himalayan 360, Hotel Everest International Limited, Nepal Big Mountain Travel Company Pvt. Ltd, Adventure Gorkhaland Treks and Expedition Private Limited, Fishtail Tours and Travel Pvt. Ltd., and Kora Tours.
Since its inception in 2021, the ITE has been held annually in Hong Kong. This year saw an 18 percent increase in buyers and nearly 12 percent more public visitors compared to previous years, with over 500 exhibitors, surpassing post-pandemic records. Organizers noted that around 20 new countries joined the exhibition this year, surpassing pre-pandemic participation levels.
More than 80 side events were organized on various themes during the expo, with exhibitors from the global trade and tourism industries expressing their commitment to fostering tourism growth through sustainable and accountable practices. These events highlighted the importance of multilateral collaboration, support, and partnership in driving the future of the tourism industry.
