Travel expo has just got bigger

Next week's International Travel Expo will feature over 500 exhibitors from more than 60 countries and regions, spanning five exhibition halls at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, up from four halls last year.

The expo, set for next Thursday to Sunday, will see the first two days exclusively for the tourism industry before opening to the public during the weekend, with tickets priced at HK$25.

Organizers TKS Exhibition Services expect the four-day expo, with the theme "Rediscover the World," to draw around 6,650 industry fellows - 12 percent more than last year - and 66,000 public visitors - up 20 percent.

Over half of the 21 new exhibiting countries and regions are from outside Asia, with TKS managing director Tong Kam-shing saying the expo will see "special travel destinations," such as Pakistan and Bulgaria.

"This year, we would like to promote travel themes such as green and sustainable tourism," Tong said.

In addition, the expo will showcase a winners' display of the six awarding itineraries from the Creative Itinerary Design Competition held jointly by the government and Travel Industry Council earlier this year.

The council's executive director Fanny Yeung Shuk-fan said by promoting the six awarding itineraries, they to stimulate the industry's creativity in launching other tours.

"One of the six itineraries is a tour of late acting and singing legend Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing's career life," Yeung said.

"The industry found it very creative that some travel agencies have been planning a similar tour for other late Canto-pop stars such as Anita Mui Yim-fong."

Yeung also said the industry is expected to have some 2,000 in-depth tourism itineraries in the near future, and hoped they could be incorporated with the mega-events.

She said the city saw about 14 million visitors - 76 percent of them mainlanders - between January and April, double from last year.

She believed visitor numbers would continue to rise, and was confident it would exceed the government's estimate of 46 million tourists by the end of the year.

eunice.lam@singtaonewscorp.com