ITE & MICE, a co-location of leisure (ITE) and MICE travels (ITE MICE), highlights popular theme of Honeymooning and Overseas Wedding which has requirements similar to MICE. They include, for examples, arranging the wedding ceremony and banquet with accommodations where all will attend, and sightseeing or shopping for different individuals in the group etc.
Hong Kong citizens have been spending more on wedding especially those held overseas! A recent survey found Hong Kong marrying couples, on average, spend HK$300,000 (or US$38,500) on marriage, up 7% over last year, with nearly two third spent on banquet and honeymooning. Spending of wedding overseas certainly will be higher than this average figure!
In ITE & MICE 2013, over 10,000 or 14 percent of the public visitors interested in Overseas Wedding & Honeymooning, and a related trade seminar by The Hong Kong Wedding Management Association (HKWMA) was also well attended.
Among visitors in trade days, overall, 6055 came from travel agents, and 2375 from MICE / corporations who welcome the co-location as 82% interested in “collecting destination info”. The Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE) first staged their seminar in ITE MICE in 2013, and the second trade day of the Travel Expo is designated MICE / Corporate Travel Day with a series of related seminars. Also, ITE MICE is supported by Hong Kong Exhibition & Convention Industry Association (HKECIA) and Macau Convention & Exhibition Association (MCEA).
Occupying 16,000 square meters and with separate days for TRADE and PUBLIC (FIT), the Expo in 2013 drew from 46 countries and regions 680 exhibitors some 85% of which from abroad. Respectively 72% and 20% of its 11872 trade visitors and buyers came from Hong Kong and China especially Guangdong, and 74% of the 73200 public visitors prefer traveling in FIT.
ITE & MICE 2014, the 28th International Travel Expo Hong Kong (ITE) and the 9th MICE Travel Expo (ITE MICE) will be held from June 12 to 15, 2014 at Halls 1A to 1E at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Center. The Expo is supported by China National Tourism Administration, Hong Kong Tourism Board, Macau Government Tourists Office and Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong etc.