Hong Kong – American Express Asia-Pacific post-SARS travel analysis shows corporate travel hit rock bottom – down 90 per cent at the end of May – but almost recovered nine weeks later to the levels of 2002.

Hong Kong venues and hotels are now enjoying brisk bookings. Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) sales and marketing manager Ms Monica Lee-Muller said: “Due to the outbreak of SARS, many regional and international events scheduled between the end of March to June 2003 were postponed to later this year or 2004.

“When we compare the corporate meeting business between the upcoming six months and the past six months, there is 85 per cent increase in the number of regional and international corporate meetings.

Enquiries for regional or international corporate meetings have bounced back since May.”

Park Lane Hotel director of sales, Mr Jimmy Wong, said bookings had doubled for the coming six months. “For the period between March 21 and August, we had only 30 meetings. But between September and February we have 60 meetings booked, most of them sales- and marketing-related.”

Mandarin Oriental director of communications, Ms Sally de Souza, said business had re-emerged and demand for October and November was particularly strong. “About 40 per cent of the meetings relate to staff training, 50 per cent are regional meetings and 10 per cent are regular monthly meetings,” she said.