INDUSTRY VOTES MTF A SUCCESS

The inaugural Mediterranean Travel Fair (MTF) took place in Cairo from 1st

to 3rd of March and was hailed by both buyers and exhibitors as a successful

launch event. The Prime Minister of Egypt, Dr Atef Ebeid officially opened

MTF, accompanied by Dr Beltagui, the Egyptian Minister of Tourism, and Tom

Nutley, Managing Director of Reed Travel Exhibitions, the organisers of MTF.

Over 3,000 participants attended MTF - including exhibitors, international &

regional visitors and press. "This is a very promising start for show",

commented Tom Nutley. "It usually takes around three years for a new show of

this kind to mature into a successful event on the international calendar,

but MTF has made a very promising start and I am confident that the show

will go onto become one of the travel industry's leading forums", he

continued.

In all 25 countries were represented by exhibiting companies, with official

representation from the national tourist authorities of 16 key markets,

including Egypt, Switzerland, Spain, China, Jordan, Palestine, Cyprus,

Greece, Hong Kong, India, Morocco, Libya, Tunisia, Turkey, Bahrain and

Russia.

The three day event was dedicated to the travel trade. A total of 2,055

trade visitors attended the event from a staggering 63 countries. 446 of

these visitors were international visitors with 76% representing Meridian

Club, Reed Travel Exhibition's VIP buyers club. The Egyptian Tourist

Authority in collaboration with Egypt Air, the official carrier for the

event invited 130 senior Tour Operators interested in the Egyptian market

and the region, that also attended the event.

A total of 242 travel press attended over the three days with 14.5% of these

representing the international travel media.

A key element of MTF was the comprehensive press conference and seminar

programmes that ran alongside the main exhibition. The Global Summit on

Peace through Tourism took place on the first day of MTF, hosted by His

Excellency Akel Biltaji - Jordan's Minister of Tourism, Mr Tom Nutley,

Managing Director Reed Travel Exhibitions, Louis D'Amore, President of the

International Institute of Peace through Tourism and Mr Michael Stolowitzky,

Director of International Business Development, American Express.

Commenting on the theme of the summit, Louis D'Amore outlined that the main

aim of the conference were to demonstrate the support of the world's largest

industry for the continuation of the peace process in the Middle East and

other regions of the world.

The (WTO) World Tourism Organisation and ASTA (American Society of Travel

Agents Association) further enhanced the educational value of the show by

hosting informative educational seminars during the event. ASTA provided

information on "Marketing your destination to the North American Traveller"

and Technology and the Travel Supplier". The WTO addressed "The impact of

the Internet and E-Commerce on the Travel and Tourism Industry". Both

seminars were very well attended by both visitors and press.

Plans for next year's MTF are already in hand, with Reed Travel Exhibitions

announcing new dates in September in line with feedback from the industry

and official partners. MTF 2001 will take place at the Cairo International

Convention and Exhibition Centre from 24 - 26 September.