HK’s tourism springs back at International Travel Expo: Rosanna Law

As the curtain rose at the four-day International Travel Expo (ITE) Hong Kong on Thursday morning, Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism,  Rosanna Law Shuk-pui highlighted the gradual recovery of the city's tourism industry.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Law pointed out that there were 20 million visitors to Hong Kong in the first five months of the year, marking a 12 percent increase compared to the same period last year. 

Law expressed confidence the numbers will continue to rise, anticipating the total visitor numbers to reach 49 million for the year. 

Additionally, Law credited the robustness of the tourism industry and Hong Kong's attractiveness to the approximately 45 million visitors who visited the city last year, a year-on-year increase of about 31 percent.

To draw more visitors to the city, Law indicated that the government will continue to enhance traditional tourist resources while exploring new attractions, such as country parks and island tourism.

Tong Kam-shing, managing director of TKS Exhibition Services, the expo's organizer, anticipated that the event will attract around 7,500 buyers and industry professionals, including hotel and travel agency staff, with over half coming from the Greater Bay Area.

Tong believed that many exhibitors will stay in the city for a few days, boosting local accommodation and dining consumption.

Meanwhile, Wing On Travel is showcasing a variety of cruise related services at the expo for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The company representative shared positive feedback from previous travel exhibitions and expressed a desire to network with various tourism boards while attracting walk-in customers.

Another exhibitor, the Mariana Visiting Authority, hopes to enhance citizens' understanding of the area through the expo, expecting higher foot traffic throughout the weekend.

Under the theme “From Recovery to Development,” the expo aims to provide an efficient platform for the interaction among the Asian travel industry, international suppliers, and travelers.

The event will be divided into two parts: the first two days will be reserved for industry professionals, while the general public can visit the expo on the following days for a HK$25 admission fee.