Hong Kong’s only travel fair to highlight Wellness and Medical Tourism

ITE & MICE, Hong Kong’s only travel fair, continues to highlight the theme of Wellness and Medical Tourism (WMT), which will next be held from June 14 to 17, 2012 at Halls 1A to 1E at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Center.

Hong Kong, with relatively high income and living costs and a population fond of traveling abroad, offers excellent potential as a market for WMT.

In 2007/08, health expenditure in Hong Kong funded by out-of-pocket payments by households rose by 8.92 percent to HK$27.5 billion, and individually-purchased private health insurance rose by 12 percent to HK$4.7 billion. For WMT Market News Update, go to: http://www.itehk.com/ITEHK/index.php?module=press&task=show&lang=en&menuID=main&topLevel=130&subLevel=20&year=2012&month=0&pageSize=30&page=1&itemNo=2 .

In 2010, Hong Kongers made 84.4 million departures, and incurred US$17.5 billion on international tourism expenditure, while Japan, with a population 18 times that of Hong Kong, spent US$27.9 billion or 1.6 times as much. Hong Kong thus has a very high per capita spending on international tourism. For more information, go to: http://www.itehk.com/ITEHK/index.php?module=press&lang=en&menuID=main&topLevel=130&subLevel=20&year=2011&month=11&pageSize=30&submit2_x=29&submit2_y=10&task=show&page=1&itemNo=2 .

The comprehensive ITE & MICE, which in 2011 was visited in the two trade days by 11,820 visitors with 73 percent from Hong Kong and 17 percent from mainland China, and in the two public days 69,320 visitors with 72 percent preferring to travel in FIT and 5 percent tailor-made groups, is the ideal platform for promoting WMT.

Scattering in the last expo were some 50 exhibitors that included hospitals, healthcare groups, clinics, spas and hot spring facilities, hotels and resorts, etc. There was a Taiwan pavilion specifically for WMT, while several NTOs from Asia and Europe also highlighted and included WMT in their pavilions or official stands. A seminar on WMT for trade with speakers from pavilions of Taiwan and Thailand drew 140 pre-registrations.

ITE & MICE draws some 800 visitors from trade and mass media from Hong Kong, China (mainland), and abroad, and there is also extensive pre-show publicity. Therefore, WMT exhibitors can enjoy publicity beyond the fairground – before, during, and after the expo.

Organized by TKS Exhibition Services Ltd., ITE & MICE is supported by the China National Tourism Administration, Hong Kong Tourism Board, Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong, Macau Government Tourist Office, trade associations of travel agents, and event industries from Hong Kong and in the region. Official Air, Cathay Pacific and Dragonair, sponsor the hosted buyer program of ITE & MICE.

For further info including a past exhibitor list and market news, please visit the official website of www.itehk.com . For inquiries about exhibiting and visiting, please send an email to [email protected] or contact the organizer, TKS, at (852) 3155 0600.