Hong Kong’s only international travel expo, ITE & MICE, which this year will be held from June 14 to 17 at halls 1A to 1E of the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Center, will feature over 600 exhibitors from some 50 countries and regions around the world. June 14-15 the expo will be open to trade only.

Noted for its highly-international profile with some 80 percent of exhibitors of ITE & MICE coming from outside Hong Kong, coupled with its practical seminars, the travel expo offers regional buyers and trade visitors an effective platform for networking, sourcing of ideas, products and suppliers, and conducting business.

Some past exhibitors expanded their scale of participation in the travel expo this year, amid tightening of government budgets! The official pavilion of Japan, which often ranked second or third by scale in ITE & MICE in recent years, will take 30 percent more space, while those of Brazil, Moscow, and Tunisia, which were new last year, will have double-digit expansions, the largest of which is Moscow at some 50 percent! The trend of exhibitors taking their own stands outside the official pavilions also accelerates this year.

New official stands and pavilions this year come from Angola, Azerbaijan, and Zagreb, capital of Croatia. While themes like cruise and wellness will continue being highlighted, launching this year is a new theme of honeymooning and overseas weddings. In recent years, ITE & MICE has been featuring many international destinations popular for honeymooning, and the new launching is expected to draw even more related travel agents, operators, resorts, and hotels.

Held in collaboration with regional trade associations are the “Asian Outbound Seminar” with speakers from Singapore, India, and Malaysia, and the “Cruise Training Seminar” by the Asia Cruise Association. The second trade day will again be designated as MICE/Corporate Travel Day with a series of related seminars.