GTA has kicked off its 2017 roadshow in the Middle East region. The first stop took place in Riyadh at the Marriott Hotel on the February 6, 2017, where over 180 key travel professionals and hotel representatives attended the event. The second stop on Wednesday, February 8, at Atlantis, The Palm in Dubai. The event connects travel agents and key shop bookers with leading suppliers and hoteliers from across Asia Pacific, Africa & Turkey. The aim is to increase product knowledge and awareness and ultimately to grow outbound traffic from the Middle East markets to these destinations by building new distribution channels and stimulating specific customer segments.
Over 60 hotel partners, representing groups, chains and unique individual brands show cased their products. These included ACCOR Hotels (Platinum Sponsor), Regal Hotels Group (Gold Sponsor), Hilton Hotels & Resorts, InterContinental Hotels Group, Anantara Hotels & Resorts, Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts and many others.
“By organizing this roadshow, we enable our travel associates to connect with our leading hotel partners from across Asia Pacific, Africa & Turkey, allowing them to understand their key offerings, powering global travel while focusing on the most-loved destinations where we see a growing demand from the GCC region. We also support business growth with expert advice and insights on the latest travel trends”, said Rami Mashini, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Middle East, Africa, Turkey & India at GTA.
Today 35% of GTA Middle East business is going into Asia Pacific, Africa and Turkey destinations, the ambition is to keep growing with double-digit increase year-on-year. The Middle East Roadshow 2017 welcomed hotel partners from Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, India, Sri Lanka, Turkey, South Africa and Maldives, in addition to the Gold Coast Tourism board. GTA destination services team will also attend representing the top attractions, sightseeing and land services, including transfers, available to book on GTA platform across Asia Pacific, Africa & Turkey.