The first major international exhibition to be held in the HKCEC after the lifting of the WHO travel advisory was Asia's Fashion Jewellery & Accessories Fair 2003, which ran concurrently with the Hong Kong Jewellery and Watch Fair from 19-22 June. In some ways the success of these fairs was a touchstone for assessing Hong Kong's resilience in the wake of the SARS crisis. Visitor numbers were extremely healthy, with nearly 9,000 travelling to the HKCEC for these events. This attendance figure represents a 12% increase over last year, an extremely encouraging sign for the future. International participation in the Fair was a particularly welcome sight, with visitors from over sixty different countries and regions were in attendance, who accounted for 22% of total visitor numbers. As usual, the Fairs provided a glittering array of the latest in jewellery, accessories, and timepieces, creating a dazzling arena for visitors to browse in.