ITE Hong Kong 2022 Public Survey find visitors with strong effective pent-up travel demand

The ITE2022 public survey find visitors provide effective pent-up demand crucial to drive tourism recovery at the early stage when post pandemic travel often come with higher prices! In the last 2.5 days, public paid for admission to visit ITE2022 while its first 1.5 days admitted only registered trade visitors.

In fact, ITE2022 drew over 31,000 public visitors. The online survey collected 3,344 replies from August 12 when Hong Kong cut arrival’s mandatory hotel quarantine from 7 to 3 days.  

Real pent-up Travel Demand
A sure sign of effective pent up demand is when more visitors will increase travel budget in the coming year! When asked, 55% survey respondents replied yes, 35% uncertain and only 10% no! An interesting remark, which turn the table around, is travelers been saving for over two years as pandemic prevent them from traveling!

Another sign is a significant portion will soon restart traveling! With quarantine upon returning to Hong Kong cut down to 3 days in hotel since mid-August, 7% respondents will travel abroad within 1 month, 21% within 3 months and 44% within 6 months.

To partially quench travel thirst, some traveled domestically! In the past six months, at least 65% of them did some forms of local travel which include staycation at 38%; local tours at 24%; cultural and in-depth tour at 13% and Glamping at 4%!

The above reflect majority of ITE2022 visitors are travel enthusiasts and can better afford traveling! Also, many will travel in near future though some travel restrictions still in place.

Media reports on exhibitors comments based on interviews on the last day collaborate with the survey findings! In fact, ITE2022 exhibitors report receive 10 times more serious enquiries, and believe many in Hong Kong can (afford) and have strong travel interest!

Visitor Profile
They are mature and educated! The three largest age groups are respectively those “from 40 to 59” at 45%; “from 25 to 39” at 27% and those “above 60” at 23%. Nearly half or 48% have university and another 23% post-secondary education.

In Hong Kong, which like many other places in the world, good education often closely link with good job and good income.

As expected, female outnumber male by around 3 to 2, and an absolute majority of 81% prefer traveling in FIT or private tour with only 19% joining package tour.

Preferred Destinations
Over three quarters of respondents will only consider destinations requiring no quarantine, which mean 24% may, and of whom, 4% definitely will not exclude destinations with mandatory quarantine while 19% uncertain.

For post-pandemic travel preferred destination, Northeast Asia which include Japan and South Korea at 65% come out at top! A rather distant second at 34% are mainland China, Macau and Taiwan etc., to be followed by Southeast Asia at 24%! In the survey, respondents can choose maximum two destinations.

All three top choices are closer to home but long haul destinations which include North Americas and Europe, a bit of surprise, chosen by 23% respondents. This only one percentage point behind SE Asia, while Oceania at 13% come fifth!
 
Collaboratively, seminars on long haul destinations like Yellowknife in Canada, Iceland in the Atlantic, St. Petersburg in Russia, and Maldives in the Indian Ocean were full with seating and standing audiences. In all, over 60 trade and public seminars were held in ITE2022 which often well attended.

ITE Reconnect stakeholders boost Recovery
ITE2022, which the second editions held physically in pandemic years, not only well attended by visitors but maintain a highly multi-national profile of exhibitors!

An early and effective platform for reconnecting and boosting recovery, it was attended by 2752 registered trade visitors, 31098 public visitors and 107 exhibitors from 32 participating countries and regions, and among the exhibitors 71% from outside and overseas.

The next edition, ITE Hong Kong 2023 which comprise of the 37th ITE (Leisure) & the 18th ITE MICE, will be held from June 15 to 18, 2023 at Halls 1 of the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre

Organized by TKS Exhibition Services Ltd., the annual ITE is strongly supported by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People’s Republic of China, with Hong Kong Tourism Board, Macau Government Tourism Office, travel and MICE trade associations as Supporters.

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