Affluent FIT Travelers Face Rising Costs from Geopolitical Uncertainties by Spending More - ITE Hong Kong 2026 Survey
HONG KONG, April 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The 40th ITE Leisure & 21st ITE MICE will be held from June 11–14, 2026 at HKCEC Halls 1. A proven international sourcing platform for Asia travel trade and affluent travelers, it keeps separate days, promotions and programs for trade and public.
Highly successful, ITE2025 drew 502 exhibitors from 64 countries and regions (1/3 outside Asia); 7626 buyers & trade visitors (33% from Chinese Mainland, 20.2% overseas); 70212 public visitors (80% prefer traveling FIT or Private Tours.
Each year, China's official pavilion, which organized by Ministry of Culture and Tourism of P.R. China and includes many provinces and cities, remains the largest.
Also, ITE draws 70% of its trade buyers from the Greater Bay Area (GBA), including Guangdong cities' trade delegations and individuals. In 2024, GBA had a combined GDP of US$2.09 trillion – comparable to the Tokyo Bay Area and larger than San Francisco – and a combined population of over 87 million.
Hong Kong, with 7.5 million people, was the world's 14th largest outbound travel market by spending in 2024 (US$28.9 billion). Resident departures totaled 117 million in 2025, up 12.3%, and reached 3 million during the 2026 Spring Festival, up 22%.
How do ITE visitors react to the geopolitical uncertainties? ITE's mid-March online survey of 688 respondents found them frequent and affluent travelers. They choose to spend more, not cutting back on travel:
- 74.6% took multiple outbound holidays in 2025
- 62.5% plan to increase travel budget; 25.3% maintain, only 12.2% reduce
- 42.3% will avoid affected areas; 29.7% may do so when planning 2026 holidays
- Over half are university educated.
At ITE2025, over 10,000 visitors attended 100+ public seminars, and survey then found 43% interested in on-site booking often via mobile—strong buying signals. Exhibitors can generate more revenue by promoting discount codes and online booking, not direct selling
ITE offers B2B/B2C services like Business Matching for seller quick-dating buyer; assisting exhibitor hold trade seminar; speaking opportunity; KOL Networking, Public Seminars and Pre/Post Show Promotion etc.
Despite global inflation, organizer TKS has held space rental frozen since 2019, increasing just 2.19% to US$470 per SQM for 2026.
For full version, please click:
https://www.itehk.com/travelexpo/doc/press/ITE26-GlobalUncertainty-VisitorSpendingMore-Apr26-full-en.pdf
For exhibiting / visiting:
Email [email protected] WhatsApp: +852 94008444 Website: https://www.itehk.com
SOURCE TKS Exhibition Services Ltd
Share this article