HK Jewellery & Gem Fair Set New Visitor/Exhibitor Records

(IDEX Online News) – The September Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair set new records at its 32nd edition, with 3,695 exhibitors from 49 countries and regions and a total of 59,116 unique buyers from 157 countries and regions, roughly a 12-percent increase.

Hong Kong-based visitors totaled 17,079, accounting for roughly 30 percent of the total number of visitors. The rest of the visitors: 42,037 were from overseas.

The largest group of visitors from outside Hong Kong came from Mainland China. At 18,310, this edition marks the first time the number of visitors from Mainland China surpassed the number of Hong Kong-based visitors.

The Hong Kong region followed with 17,079; India, 3,867; the United States, 2,211; Taiwan region, 1,776; Thailand, 1,768; Japan, 1,466; the Philippines, 1,093; Korea, 1,075; and Indonesia, 920.

The top five countries with the highest percentage increases in the number of visitors were Mainland China with a 23 percent increase, India, up 24 percent, the United States which was up 12.7 percent, Taiwan with a 9.0 percent increase, and the Russian Federation, up 16.3 percent.

The fair was held at the AsiaWorld-Expo from 15 to 19 September and the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre from 17 to 21 September:

"Demand for diamonds and gemstones was robust," said Celine Lau, director of Jewellery Fairs, UBM Asia. "The 17-percent growth in visitor numbers from Asia compared to last year’s edition tells us that the region continues to be the key driver in the world’s jewelry market.

"Response to the September Fair has been overwhelming; buyers from the Middle East increased by about 25 percent, India increased by about 24 percent and Mainland China up by about 23 percent. We also noticed growth in the number of buyers from other markets, including Africa at about 19 percent, and Europe at about 6 percent."