With pavilions by official tourism board from around 60 countries and territories, and including their co-exhibitors and independents, nearly 600 international exhibitors…
With pavilions by official tourism board from around 60 countries and territories, and including their co-exhibitors and independents, nearly 600 international exhibitors from the six populated continents will be present in ITE this year. Being closer to home, naturally ITE has a stronger presence from Asia and the Asia Pacific, which have been popular as destinations for the European travelers.
By both size and number of exhibitors, the largest pavilion is from China with around 80 -100 exhibitors featuring destinations and attractions from different parts of China. This is being followed by Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Malaysia and Japan will have also a strong showing. The largest single exhibitor is Hong Kong Dragon Airlines Ltd (KA), which takes 256 SQM and nearly triples its size in last year. KA will be sharing its booth with business associates.
Some other past exhibitors have also made significant expansions. South Africa, Zimbabwe, Cambodia will each take 36SQM, either doubling or more than their previous presences. So is Peru but a late decision for expansion has made it impossible to meet all her additional requirement.
Among our new exhibitors, Libya with 100 SQM and Romania with 48 SQM take the largest space among the different countries, and Ho Chi Minh City of Vietnam with 36SQM is the largest among cities. The fastest growing region is Latin America and this year, ITE will feature the first ever Latin American Pavilion with exhibitors from Chile, Cuba, Mexico and Peru.
For the beachgoers, Asia and nearby countries in the Pacific and Indian Oceans can offer them white sand and pristine water either in island paradises or mile long beaches dotted by trees and surrounded by beautiful landscape. Services are invariably friendly and facilities can easily be found to better match one?¦s budget. Many of them will be present in ITE this year including past exhibitors like Guam, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and new exhibitors like Indonesia, Maldives and Palau. Of course, they do have more on offer such as trekking in rain forest, great diving and excellent cuisine.
Asia is rich with culture and ethnic diversity, and each country can already offer a tapestry of customs, costumes, dances and music. China and India are well known for their long history of civilizations. Their vast geographical spans enable them to make very comprehensive offers to tourists, including great natural beauty.
Asia has a number of major cities, and among them Hong Kong and Singapore have been well known for their cosmopolitans particularly for business travelers, and offer all the conveniences including shopping, wine and dining of many different cuisines all within short distances from your hotels. Their excellent flight connections with different parts of the World make them ideal connecting points to other parts of Asia. People can also find out what they have on offer for leisure.
For the first time, Indonesia and Maldives will exhibit in ITE05. In response to the Phuket Action Plan by the World Tourism Organization, the organizer has made special offers to these Tsunami affected countries. In fact, tourism facilities in these countries have largely been re-installed.
Less than an hour away by ferry from Hong Kong, Macau preserves well many of her heritages of the early ?§West meet the East?¨, and develops quickly its leading position as a gaming centre. Despite being advanced societies, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan also offer hot springs, farm tours and great natural beauty. Japan is hosting in this year the World Expo.
Airlines, business and incentive travels, transportations and hotels have all a strong showing in ITE, and theme travels such as Spa, Medical tours, Golfing, Cruises, Diving, Sports and others are common too. There will also be cultural performances by our exhibitors, trade forums and seminars, product presentations including those on new routings. The best way is of course to visit ITE05 personally and find your own favorites.
As usual, Cathay Pacific (CX) is sponsoring our hosted buyer program and offers AD75 tickets for our overseas buyers. Over 10 hotels in Hong Kong will offer special rates to our trade visitors, and some major shopping malls will also offer discount coupons.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
