Category Archives: Exhibitions

The fourth annual Bali & Beyond Travel Fair (BBTF) concluded recently with 174 sellers from around Indonesia representing the tourism and hospitality industry, from tour operators to chain hotels and resorts as well as provincial tourism offices, along with 264 buyers from 54 countries. Co-hosted by South Sumatra Province, the fourth annual travel fair also organised several pre-tour programmes, sponsored by the Ministry of Tourism, to several destinations, including Mount Bromo and Labuan Bajo. MichiDe International, the Dubai-based luxury travel expert, gave an opportunity to the media from the Middle East to be a part of this event. For the fourth Bali & Beyond Travel Fair, the committee collaborated with MichiDe International. By collaborating with MichiDe, the committee aimed to bring in key international buyers and high-profile media from the Middle East region to Bali and expand the success of the travel fair beyond the boundaries of Indonesia. MichiDe’s Chief Executive Officer Gessy Gitapuri remains dedicated to position Bali as the leading destination in South East Asia for the elite travellers from the Middle East.

As a follow up to the MOU signed between Emirates Airlines and the Government of the Republic of Indonesia in April 2016 for tourism cooperation between the two countries, the first roadshow was conducted in Kuwait and Dubai. There were five top destination management companies (DMC’s) and three top hotels from Indonesia and over 80 travel and tourism partners from the UAE. The event was graced by H.E. Arzaf Fachrezy Firman, Consul General of the Republic of Indonesia. He stated, “the idea of this event is to promote Indonesia for both sides including the sellers and buyers. There are six sellers from Indonesia and we hope that they can sell for the upcoming Ramadan season and the summer holidays. Indonesia is a diverse country within hours you can see the pristine beaches on one side and snow atop the mountains on another within just a few hours’ drive.” Nia Niscaya, Director of International Tourism Promotion in Europe, Middle East, America and Africa stated, “it is a follow up of the MOU signed by Emirates Airlines and the Government of Indonesia last year at ATM. Today we are joining together with Emirates Airlines to promote our destination and the second Emirates flight to Bali. We are aiming to promote the packages with Emirates for Ramadan and summer holidays for the Middle Eastern and expatriates in Kuwait and UAE, we earnestly hope that this industrial gathering will yield networking and results between tourism industries in the two countries. ”

The 20th edition of Dubai Summer Surprises (DSS) is back for a record year to offer residents and visitors an exciting six week calendar of sales and family entertainment. Organised by the Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), an agency of the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism), this year’s DSS will run for 43 days under the slogan ‘Enjoy 6 weeks of sales.’ DSS 2017 will feature a series of retail promotions offering the best deals and discounts and the opportunity to win fabulous prizes at malls run in collaboration with the Dubai Shopping Malls Group. Thousands of retail outlets will reward visitors with special offers and discounts of up to 75 per cent on a wide range of merchandise. This year’s DSS is also the time for families to make the most of their summer, with a range of entertainment including Arabic concerts, Modhesh World, the region’s most popular family indoor edutainment center; and a variety of cartoon character performances and world-class shows (including Transformers, Aladdin, Ghostbusters, Pirates in the Caribbean) taking place at malls across the city. With a view to attracting as many visitors from around the world, the organisers will launch a marketing campaign in international markets with a focus on digital platforms and social media.

Around 600 companies, destinations, organisations and travel service providers from nearly 70 countries and territories will be represented in China’s new three-day business to business travel trade show on the grounds of the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Conference Centre. ITB China is the Chinese off-shoot of annual ITB Berlin, the World´s Largest Travel Trade Show ®, and its sister show, ITB Asia, in Singapore. The inaugural event has attracted around 600 exhibitors among which 28% are offering MICE products, 34% leisure, 31% Corporate and 7% travel technology solutions. More than one third of the exhibitors made their way from all over Asia and China to the first ITB China. Around 40% coming from European countries, 10% from the Middle East and some 10% from the Americas.

Dubai witnessed the largest ATM with over 2600 exhibitors and 65 national pavilions as it was inaugurated by His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Al Maktoum Bin Rashid today at the Dubai World Trade Center. The region’s leading travel industry with insightful seminar sessions, four days of business networking opportunities expects over 30,000 visitors during the next few days with over 35 seminars.

Major tourism hotspots in the GCC are experiencing a surge in Indian visitors. In both Dubai and Abu Dhabi, India was the top performing source market in 2016. In Dubai, 1.8 million nationals arrived last year compared to 1.6 million in 2015 and in Abu Dhabi, which welcomed a record-breaking 4.4 million visitors in total in 2016, 323,388 were Indian. According to the figures from Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority, this marks an increase of 15 per cent on 2015. In Oman, three million tourists visited the Sultanate in 2016, of which 299,568 were Indian. Historically, numbers increased 17 per cent in 2015 compared to 2014 and, over the last five years, Oman has seen a 60 per cent increase in the total number of arrivals from India. Earlier this year, Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, Prime Minister of Qatar and Minister of Interior, met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the topic of visas on arrival for Indian nationals. When the new regulations are introduced, the transit market is also set to benefit, bringing even higher numbers into Qatar and building on the 182,920 who visited in the first half of 2016. “UNWTO (United Nations World Travel Organisation) data shows that 62 million Indians have passports, yet many do not travel. However, the demographic patterns we see currently – an increasing younger population and a growing middle class – provide strong indications that the country is about to see a steep rise in the number of nationals travelling abroad, as well as the number of foreign visitors it welcomes.” India has been named the largest growing outbound tourism market in percentage terms, with …

Ahead of next week’s Arabian Hotel Investment Conference 2017 (AHIC), being held at Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai from April 25 to 27, its speakers have unveiled insights into the global trends and market sentiment that are currently making an impact on the hospitality industry across the Middle East. Chairman of Bench Events and Co-founder of AHIC, Jonathan Worsley, said: “AHIC is the premium networking and knowledge platform for the hospitality investment community in the Middle East and beyond. As such, we are committed to providing our delegates with the very latest market intelligence and are thrilled to be unveiling new reports at AHIC 2017, including Global Megatrends from PwC and the AHIC BLP Market Sentiment Survey Review in partnership with Berwin Leighton Paisner LLP (BLP).” On April 26, PwC Middle East’s Partner and Deals Real Estate Leader Dr. Martin Berlin, will present, for the first time, the new PwC Report Global Megatrends and their impact on Hospitality in the Middle East. Presented by Gurdish Bassi, Economist, GRMC Advisory Consulting, this report will provide a unique insight into Dubai tourist spend patterns, activities and motives – and analyse how the tourist profile will evolve by 2021. In a sneak preview of the Dubai Tourist Profiling Report, GRMC Advisory Consulting forecasts a “conspicuous change” in the distribution of tourists coming to Dubai. Bassi explained: “Multiple primary research campaigns with hotel guests across Dubai revealed that 34 per cent of Asian visitors were first-time overseas travellers – this statistic increases to 62 per cent when only two-star and three-star hotels are considered. As affluence levels in Tier-II and III cities of Asian economies rise, an increasing number of first-time overseas travellers will seek …

Now in its 24th year, the 2017 edition of Arabian Travel Market will take place at Dubai World Trade Centre from April 24-27. The exhibition will feature 2,600 exhibitors, 65 national pavilions, over 35 seminar and technology theatre sessions and anticipates 30,000 trade visitors getting together for four days of business networking opportunities, insightful seminar sessions and top level ministerial discussions. For the second successive year, organisers have added an extra hall, to accommodate extra demand, with over 150 countries represented, 65 national pavilions, and more than 100 new exhibitors set to make their ATM debut. Simon Press, Senior Exhibition Director, ATM, said: “It is clear that the Expo 2020 project is driving growth throughout Dubai, as it aims to complete 160,000 hotel rooms in time to welcome an additional five million visitors over the course of the six-month event. However, the UAE and the GCC countries as a whole are looking towards tourism as a way of diversifying their economies away from their reliance on hydrocarbon receipts. The increasing trend is for an immersive style of tourism, which encompasses different areas of local life – culinary, culture, history, shopping, nature, sports, halal, theme parks, wellness and spa, medical tourism and sheer Arabic opulence – and can be the basis for a holistic travel experience, by connecting with a place rather than just making a visit. This growing trend is now on the radar of the region’s tourism chiefs as destinations face increased competition for their share of the more traditional travel segments. And it is very much on the radar of Arabia Travel Market 2017, which has adopted experiential travel as the main theme of this year’s event, integrating …

The Travel Agents’ Academy will return to Arabian Travel Market in 2017 with two half-day sessions on Thursday 27 April, at Dubai World Trade Centre. Beginning at 10am in Hall 1, scheduled topics for the free-to-attend 2017 programme include itinerary planning, sales training and destination briefings, with a networking break, refreshments and a course completion certificate for all delegates. Tackling one of the most pressing issues for travel agents, the first session will see Rohit Bassi, Managing Director of In Learning, return to ATM following an incredibly popular address at ATM 2016. This year, Bassi will discuss “Soul of Sales – The Nine Universal Principles” which includes how to teach travel agents how to build credibility and connection with clients; how to identify and offer solutions to clients; negotiation and management techniques; and to manage the transformation from sale to client relationship. Bassi, who established In Learning in 2011, is renowned for teaching a range of key business skills and is the only licensed trainer for Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway® in the UAE, which builds on the teachings of the self-development book written by Susan Jeffers.  He has previously consulted for Nielsen, Al Ghurair Iron & Steel, Emirates NBD, Bayt.com, DFS Logistics, Alshaya, Oracle, EMC, Emaar Hospitality, Harley-Davidson, HSBC and ADBC. Following on will be Sundar Vasudayen, Principle Consultant at TRS Consulting will share itinerary planning tips for well-travelled clients looking for something unique.   Simon Press, Senior Exhibition Director, ATM, said: “The Travel Agents’ Academy at this year’s Arabian Travel Market is being held at a timely juncture in the role of travel agents. Travel trends analyst Skift noted how, a few years back, the digital …

Riyadh Travel Fair’s (RTF) 2017 edition drew to a close for the ninth consecutive year, at Prince Sultan Grand Hall, Al Faisaliah Hotel, Riyadh. The 2017 edition is the largest on record with an increase in both the number of exhibitors and visitor arrivals. 270 exhibitors were present representing 55 countries. Over 50 national and regional pavilions had a prominent presence with the show floor space as it increased by 10 per cent compared to the 2016 event. The fair was inaugurated by His Excellency Majid A. Al-Hokair, Chairman of the Committee for Tourism and Entertainment Riyadh Chamber and Chairman of Board Directors for Riyadh International Conference and Exhibition Center. The four day event became the focus of business networking opportunities, insightful seminar sessions, ministerial discussions and the recognition of 12 months of the tourism industry’s achievements. Bander’ Algryni, General Manager, ASAS Exhibitions, said: “The 2017 edition is the largest Riyadh Travel Fair to date thereby extending our prominence as the leading travel and tourism exhibition in the kingdom. More than 250 exhibitors from Tourism Boards, airlines, tour operators and hotels from more than 50 countries are present in the exhibition. “It’s been a year of growth not only for the tourism and hospitality industry in the Kingdom, but for RTF; and with Saudi nationals increasingly travelling overseas at a greater number year on year, the opportunities that the RTF provides for domestic and overseas destinations, hospitality service providers and other tourism related businesses, to directly meet with the kingdom’s leading travel professionals and travellers has never been more significant.” The Riyadh Travel Fair was open to both travel professionals and the general public looking for in-depth destination information and …