Category Archives: Exhibitions

Come October, the first Arabian Travel Awards will recognise and honour the best in travel and tourism industry in the Middle East. This initiative to encourage industry professionals started with India Travel Awards in 2014 and has now become a well-established and sought-after award show. The awards have been recognised for its fair and illustrious presence all over India. Being a formal black-tie event the awards are known for its glitzy, world-class ceremonies. Arabian Travel Awards is organised and executed by DDP Publications, which has a long standing presence in the Middle East with TravTalk. Owing to India being one of the top source markets for the Middle East, specially the UAE and DDP’s existing strong ties with the travel industry in the region, the response to the inaugural Arabian Travel Awards has been overwhelming with nominations already pouring in.   Gunjan Sabikhi, Convenor, Arabian Travel Awards, says, “Everyone needs encouragement to grow and Arabian Travel Awards is our initiative to help the industry in this endeavour. The Awards aim to recognise the contribution and achievements of travel and tourism players and reward those who have gone above and beyond to offer a superior tourism experience to travellers. We have received nominations from the remotest corner of the region. This Award will in turn help winners in improving their relationship with their suppliers, build their credibility and help them break into new markets.”   Based on a unique system of nomination as well as self-nomination and voting system on the Internet, these Awards will be transparent, fair and unbiased. Arabian Travel Awards will aspire the ‘Best of the Best’ in the region. The highest accolade in travel and tourism of the region, these awards shall be …

Jordan has been announced as the official host for the 6th edition of the Arab Aviation Summit which will take place at the Dead Sea in Jordan on 5th and 6th December 2016. The theme of the forthcoming summit will be ‘Linking Cultures, Driving Economies’ to draw attention to the interdependent roles the Aviation and Tourism sectors play in contributing to the greater economic development of the region. It is the most prominent aviation and tourism event within the region focusing on trends, insights and opportunities driving the continuous growth and development of the avia-tourism industry in the Arab world. Described as the ‘voice of the industry,’ the summit is an industry initiative launched in 2011 and is organised on an annual basis in collaboration with aviation and tourism leaders, government entities, media heavy-weights and other well-entrenched organisations, to lead the discussion on a variety of topics relevant to key stakeholders and aviation commentators.

Registrations for VisitBritain’s flagship event ExploreGB 2017, to be held on March 2-3, 2017, in Brighton, Great Britain, is now open for the Middle East. This B2B event is an opportunity to meet with 350 British and Irish suppliers throughout the two day workshop and dining which provides excellent networking opportunities.

Abu Dhabi will host International Travel Week 2016 from November 21-25 at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center. The world’s largest travel industry hosted buyer programme will deliver an exceptional networking and knowledge-sharing experience for global travel professionals seeking to maximise new tourism revenue opportunities within the halal, medical and shopping tourism industry biggest buyers.  ITW-Abu Dhabi will aim to deliver a comprehensive programme which will combine targeted meetings with networking opportunities, inspiring knowledge-bound seminars and innovative experiences, culminating in a glittering gala awards evening to celebrate outstanding achievements across the international Halal Tourism landscape. This year, Indonesia Ministry of Tourism will be the official Headline Sponsor for the ITW Abu Dhabi 2016, and commented that, Indonesia participates again in 2016 but this time bigger than 2015 to bring more sales. As a major sponsor of the summit, Indonesia Ministry of Tourism expects to welcome key international delegations, investors, tourism associations and market-leading specialists to the summit. ITW-Abu Dhabi is a progressive and evolutionary event which has developed from last year’s World Halal Travel Summit. The 2015 edition enjoyed unprecedented success, where the summit yielded impressive results, generating more than $18.4 million worth of business on the show floor, and a further $73.5 million stemming from opportunities directly created at the event. With more than 6,000 travel professionals expected to participate in this year’s ITW-Abu Dhabi, this transformative five-day event is hotly-anticipated to be the premium platform for the global halal travel, medical and shopping tourism industry.

IMG Worlds of Adventure, wholly owned by the Ilyas and Mustafa Galadari Group (IMG Group), provides a sneak peek into Dubai’s first international mega-themed leisure and entertainment destination, announcing that it will open its doors to visitors on Monday, 15th August, 2016. Located in the heart of new Dubai and stretching across 1.5 million square feet, IMG Worlds of Adventure will be the first multi-themed destination to open in the region, and will set Dubai on the map as an international family entertainment hot spot. Tickets are available for online purchase on the website, www.IMGworlds.com, with adult ticket prices set at AED 300 and children at AED 250 for an all-day adventure offering access to over 20 signature rides and attractions, including live shows and a 5D cinema experience. Ilyas Galadari and Mustafa Galadari, Executive Co-Chairmen and Owners of the Ilyas & Mustafa Galadari Group, said that they are very excited to announce the opening date and look forward to IMG Worlds of Adventure coming to life in August of this year. As the first international leisure and entertainment destination in Dubai, they have designed an entire world of entertainment for their guests. By offering a fully immersive indoor theme park experience in a temperature controlled environment which  enables IMG Worlds of Adventure to be open all year round. With the capacity to welcome more than 30,000 people a day they anticipate 4.5 million guests in their first full year of operation, contributing to Dubai’s position as a leading tourism hub. As the pioneer in this new sector, IMG Worlds of Adventure will pave the way for other complementary hospitality offers to re-engage with key tourist markets, providing them with …

FRHI’s annual Global Meeting Exchange commenced with B2B meetings at the Fairmont Ajman. The FRHI Hotels and Resorts’ annual proprietary networking forum from June 22-26, 2016, is organised for Global Key account buyers and FRHI hoteliers from Australia, UK, USA, Poland, CIS, Russia, South America, Turkey, France, Germany, Kenya and India. More than 220 buyers are attending this annual meet from FRHI’s Global Key Accounts and prospects – Professional Conference Organizers / senior executives with decision making responsibilities from agencies and corporations, based in USA, UK, Europe, the Middle East, India, Asia Pacific. The main objective of the event is to educate clients and create business opportunities via pre-arranged meeting schedules with buyers. Last year the event was held in Abu Dhabi. Over a period of four days the partners will be able to gain the correct elements, incentives and knowledge to sell the destinations making it a more efficient programme for FRHI Hotels and Resorts.

Arab luxury world, a conference on the business of luxury in the MENA region is being held on June 1 and 2, 2016 in Dubai. The conference provides a platform for meaningful discussions, sharing ideas and networking with industry experts. The two-day conference by Mediaquest Corp, welcomed the who’s who of the regional luxury sector, from Watches and Jewelry, Fashion and Accessories, Perfumes and Cosmetics, Premium Cars, Tourism, and Art and Culture. The conference kicked off with the key note address by Patrick Chalhoub, Co-Chief Executive Officer, Chalhoub Group. He gave a clear insight to the luxury market in terms of tourism, hospitality, retail and other sectors. He stated that the region was transforming from abundance to an age of maturity, knowledge, seriousness and more rigorous governance. He reiterated that these are the times to better understand the underlying forces that are reshaping the luxury industry in the Middle East. There were several key macro-economic events in 2015 which had a strong impact on the luxury market. It entails the depreciation of the Russian rouble, break down of the Chinese stock market, Saudi stock market slows down by 50%and the oil price drop.

Oman Tourism Ministry has established a new Oman Convention Bureau, which is set to make the country a major regional centre for MICE. Talking of the new initiative, Salim Al Mamari, Director General of Tourism Promotion, Ministry of Tourism, Oman says, “The Ministry of Tourism is fully committed towards enhancing the MICE sector in Oman to help the Sultanate achieve its potential to be a first class destination for this sector. Our Tourism Strategy for 2040 has MICE as a major pillar for the future to help us grow and enhance the industry. “The objective of the Bureau is to support the international and local organizations in hosting their events and cater to their requirements. The main aim is to promote Oman as an ideal destination for the MICE tourism sector” The Ministry has appointed its esteemed Director, Khalid Al Zadjali, to become the Managing Director of the new Oman Convention Bureau. He says, “The Ministry’s initiative in establishing the Bureau under its supervision is an important milestone in building the solid foundations that will help us achieve our objectives in the MICE tourism sector in the future. “We will enhance this sector and regulate the processes to ensure the smoothest experience for organisations wishing to host events in Oman and actively promote what Oman has to offer to the MICE market internationally.” It is believed that the MICE area will receive a significant boost in 2016 with the scheduled opening of the Oman Convention Centre in Muscat in the last quarter of this year. The convention centre will include state of the art theatres, conference rooms and four hotels with almost 1000 rooms along with major exhibition halls that …

The recently concluded Arabian Travel Market (ATM) from April 25-28, 2016, at the Dubai World Trade Center declared an increase of 7 per cent in terms of visitor numbers and 9 per cent increase from 2015 in the number of Buyer’s Club members with over 28,000 trade visitors which included VIPs, sponsors and speakers attending the show released by Reed Travel Exhibitions. Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, Ruler of Dubai, ATM has grown to become the largest event of its kind in the region and one of the biggest in the world. The 2016 edition had an additional hall, with 423 main stand holders representing 86 countries, 64 country pavilions and over 100 new exhibitors making their debut. Main focus was the mid-market segment targeted at various new markets with wellness and responsible tourism playing a key role as well. One of the most interesting seminars was the discussion on UAE being the global tourism hub.