Travel trade, MICE and wealthy, FIT the ITE Hong Kong’s bill

Tuesday, November 27, 2018

Free Independent Travellers (FIT) constituting the wealthy upmarket China and Hong Kong take multiple holidays each year. Travel agents and FIT offer great business opportunity for overseas suppliers.

As per China’s Tourism Institute reported about 30 per cent of the Chinese tourists to Europe in first three months of 2018 are FIT.

According to the China’s Xinhua News Agency, 43 per cent of Chinese tourists visiting France are FIT which is expected to rise by 50 per cent in 2019. About 70 per cent of Chinese arrivals to Australia are FIT as per the same agency.

The annual ITE Hong Kong, city’s only travel fair was launched 30 years back. It held a survey in 2018 and collected over 3000 replies. The survey showed that 84 per cent of ITE’s 90055 public visitors travel in FIT / private tour.

UNWTO named Hong Kong’s quality outbound market as the World’s 10th largest market by total outbound spending in 2016. In terms of per capita spending it ranked top of these ten markets in 2016. In 2017, Hong Kong outbound spending rose 5.8 per cent to U.S. dollar 25.5 billion.

They are the FIT that can tapped by the overseas suppliers. FIT do onsite booking (63 per cent), online booking directly with suppliers like airlines and hotels (60 per cent), and join tour at destination (19 per cent). About 60 per cent take three or more holidays a year. In terms of education, 42 per cent have university degree while another 34 per cent have post-secondary degree.

The two trade days of ITE Hong Kong drew 12460 buyers and visitors, 6580 travel agents or operators and 2567 MICE or corporations.

Geographically 73 per cent of ITE Hong Kong attendees are from Hong Kong and 21 per cent of them are from mainland China.

There were 666 international exhibitors from 52 countries & regions (Asia – 56 per cent; Europe – 27 per cent; Americas & Oceania – 11 per cent; Africa & Middle East – 6 per cent)

There were 12460 regional trade visitors (Travel Trade – 79.4%; MICE / Corporate – 20.6%; Hong Kong – 72.9%; mainland China & Asia – 27.1%).

The Bay, which includes Hong Kong, Macau and 9 Guangdong cities like Guangzhou and Shenzhen has a cumulative GDP of U.S. dollars 1.69 trillion and population of 68 million.

The Mega Bridge and Express Rail extension to Hong Kong will increase footfalls of visitors to ITE.

The annual ITE covers regional travel trade, MICE and wealthy FIT on separate days, along with promotions, seminars etc.

Some of the Theme Travels Highlights were  sport, eco-tourism, honeymoon and overseas wedding, travel photography, cruises, driving tour, wellness, and family travel.

ITE Hong Kong 2019, the 33rd ITE on leisure and the 14th ITE MICE, will be held from June 13-16 at Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre.

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