ARABIAN TRAVEL MARKET 2003 SALES OFF TO FLYING START

17 July 2002

Floor space sales for the 10th edition of Arabian Travel Market - the Middle East's premier travel and tourism show - have got to an early flying start with a host of destinations and hotel groups expanding the size of their participation for 2003. 

"Response from the Middle East, North Africa and Asia has been particularly strong," said Matt Thompson, Group Exhibition Director, Overseas Events, Reed Travel Exhibitions (RTE), which organises Arabian Travel Market.

"Substantial stand increases have been booked by the Government of Dubai and Dubai Civil Aviation, Kuwait, Oman, Gulf Air, the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Meridien Hotels & Resorts and Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts while Qatar, Malaysia, the Karnataka Government and Goa Department of Tourism have almost doubled the size of their participation for 2003.

"Morocco, Tunisia, the Jakarta City Government Tourism Office and Andhra Pradesh have doubled their stand sizes while Singapore's Raffles International Hotels & Resorts has more than tripled its participation."

Arabian Travel Market 2003 will be held at Airport Expo Dubai in the United Arab Emirates from May 6-9. RTE says it now anticipates the 2003 event will be the largest in the show's history and will have a wider geographic appeal.

"This bullish outlook is based not only on contracted growth from regular exhibitors but also on the fact that we are receiving strong interest from a number of new exhibitors who visited this year's show and have now decided to participate next year. We are well on course to exceed this year's geographic participation of 56 countries," said Thompson. "Overall the early response indicates a renewed optimism from an industry which was one of the most badly affected by the events of September 11th last year."

Arabian Travel Market has recorded annual growth since its inaugural event in 1994.

"This year the growth was minimal - just 2.4% - which delivered a 8,500 square metre event with over 700 exhibitors from 56 countries," said Thompson. "Nevertheless given the difficult trading conditions in the previous few months, we viewed this fractional growth as a success.

"We now think next year's event will revert to the double-digit growth seen every other year."

Arabian Travel Market will celebrate its 10th anniversary next year and RTE says it's looking to build on its existing decade of success.

"We will run a series of educational seminars at the 2003 show following the success of this year's programme and are also looking to repeat the highly successful I.T. Forum for the travel industry introduced alongside the 2002 show," added Thompson.

"Another key factor in our optimism is that the Arab Ministers of Tourism summit will be held in the UAE at the same time as Arabian Travel Market 2003. We believe this summit will enhance overall interest in the regional tourism industry, which will benefit the show. We also hope the ministers will attend the show's opening ceremony."

RTE has also disclosed that its hosted buyer programme for 2003 will target 50 of the world's leading Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE) buyers as well as 20 of the top travel purchasers from throughout the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC). They will stay at the five-star deluxe Grand Hyatt Dubai, which will be the largest conference and convention centre hotel in the UAE when it opens in January, and meet exhibitors in an appointment-setting session on the first day of the show.

RTE, which is part of Reed Exhibitions (RX), organises 12 events worldwide, including World Travel Market, Arabian Travel Market, C.I.S. Travel Market, EIBTM, British Travel Trade Fair, International Luxury Travel Market, International Golf Travel Market, La Cumbre, Mediterranean Travel Fair, Top Resa, AIME and ICCA Exhibition in association with ICCA Congress.