The 19th International Travel Expo (ITE) opened yesterday at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center with more than 500 exhibitors attending the four-day event.

The International Travel Expo (ITE) is expected to be the largest in the history of the exhibition, which has attracted exhibitors and buyers from all parts of the world, especially Asia, Europe and America.

Stephen Ip, secretary for Hong Kong's economic development and labor, said at the opening ceremony that with the opening of Hong Kong Disneyland and the coming on-stream of other tourist attractions such as Asia's largest Wetland Park in early 2006, visitor arrivals in Hong Kong are expected to set another new record at 23.4 million in 2005.