Category Archives: Exhibitions

AVIAREPS is set to launch a series of international roadshows throughout 2017 to major and emerging outbound markets and cities around the globe. AVIAREPS Roadshows confirmed for 2017 include the United Kingdom (London, Cardiff, Birmingham and Manchester) from March 13-16; Italy (Monza, Piacenza and Pavia) from March 28-30; the Middle East (Dammam and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait) from October 15-18; and then a second Middle East roadshow to Dubai (UAE), Qatar and Oman from November 19–22. Additional roadshows planned include: Taiwan (Taipei, Taichung and Kaohsiung) in Q2; Brazil in Q2; and Germany and South Africa with dates yet to be formally announced. Further roadshows in other markets are also expected to be confirmed in the interim. Thomas Drechsler, COO Tourism, AVIAREPS: “We understand that for both large and small entities new market development is essential for long term commercial survival and success. We also understand that investing in a new market is expensive and can take some time to create a return on investment. The launch of the AVIAREPS roadshows allows such entities of all sizes to economically test and engage in a new market, knowing that they are meeting the right people, maximising their time, and as most cases to date have proven, coming away with new business and an immediate return.” The AVIAREPS Roadshows are unique in that they are not brand or destination specific, are open to all entities (both established AVIAREPS clients and otherwise), and provide quality individual meeting opportunities with each market’s leading outbound contractors, product developers, general managers, sales managers, and MICE specialists. The roadshows are open to all national, regional and city tourism promotion boards, hospitality brands, inbound tour operators, aviation …

The UAE is participating in this year’s Outbound Travel Market (OTM) that will take place from February 21 to 23, 2017 in Mumbai. The Ministry of Economy will organise a national pavilion under the theme ‘Visit UAE’ which will feature exhibitors from more than 18 government entities and private sector representatives from the hospitality, tourism and aviation sectors. Abdullah Saleh Al Hammadi, Director of the Ministry’s Tourism Department will be part of the delegation that will comprise senior representatives from local departments and authorities, most notably the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority; Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM); Sharjah Tourism and Commerce Development Authority; Ajman Tourism Development Department; Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority; and Fujairah Tourism and Antiquities Authority. Emirates airline, an elite group of hotels and hospitality and tourism companies, in addition to Miral Asset Management’s Yas Island, Dubai Parks, and Cleveland Clinics, which will promote medical tourism in the UAE, will be represented as well. H.E Eng. Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansoori, UAE Minister of Economy, said that the UAE’s participation in OTM 2017 is of great significance given the improvement of Indian tourism at the global level. He referred to India as one of the UAE’s most important tourist markets due to their countries’ deep historical ties at all levels – politically, economically and culturally. The Minister added that the exhibition is a unique international platform for promoting joint cooperation in tourism. He pointed out that Indian tourists accounted for about 8.5 per cent of the total number of inbound tourism to the UAE in 2016 which saw the number of tourists grow by around 9 per cent from the previous year to …

This year’s Arab Health held from January 30-Feb 2, at Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Centre, was attended by 4400 exhibitors, over 120,000 visitors and over 8000 delegates from around the world. Healthcare leaders from across the globe gathered on the final day at the “Leaders in Healthcare” conference held under the patronage of H.R.H. Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, wife of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum; Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. Many countries are currently offering a lot of support in order to make the health tourism sector stronger in keeping with the vision to have over 1.3 million medical tourists in Dubai. Speaking to Travel TV.News, Linda Abdulla Ali Ruhi, Consultant – Medical Tourism Council of Dubai Health Authority stated that they have seen an increased number of medical tourists especially from the African region since last year hence they will be having the first roadshow in order to promote Dubai as a medical tourism destination. Furthermore, the introduction of electronic gateways such as the Dubai health experience website, apps and you tube channel has received a positive response in terms of partnerships from 26 health care facilities to over 42 healthcare and even hotels.

By reorganising the hall sections and reallocating hall space at the World’s Largest Travel Trade Show ITB Berlin (March 8-12, 2017) has taken travel industry changes into account. “In recent years there has been an increase in demand for more floor space and two-tier stands for certain markets which up to now we have been unable to satisfy. Several display halls already have waiting lists. By reorganising the halls to suit the market we are now able to meet this demand,” commented David Ruetz, head of ITB Berlin. The new hall concept makes it possible for the fast-growing markets of the Arab states to enlarge their displays. There is now a better concentration of markets, which makes it easier for trade visitors to plan their visit. The major tourism destinations in the Mediterranean, including France, Gibraltar, Greece, Portugal, Cyprus and Spain, as well as Serbia and Hungary, have relocated to the entrance areas in Halls 1.1 and 2.1, directly next the South Entrance. The United Arab Emirates have moved to a new central location in Hall 2.2. Egypt, Bahrain, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, and newcomer Saudi Arabia are in Hall 4.2 as of 2017. Central America and the Caribbean are now directly next door in Hall 22, with South America in Hall 23. Armenia, Bulgaria, Georgia and Poland had already moved to Hall 15.1 at ITB Berlin 2016, where they can be found again next year.

From December 3-4, 2016, Middlesex University Dubai will host the 4th Annual Travel and Tourism Research Association (TTRA) Asia Pacific Conference (APAC).  The conference theme is Pushing the Boundaries: Driving Tourism Innovation & Creativity Through Research. The 4th TTRA APAC conference follows successful previous conferences in Kuala Lumpur, Melbourne, and Tokyo. Dr. Cody Morris Paris, Deputy Director of Middlesex University Dubai and Conference Co-Chair, said this theme “resonates with the spirit of Dubai and the UAE, where there have been significant investments to fulfil a vision of an innovation-driven economy with tourism playing a central role.   Already one of the most visited cities in the world, home of the busiest international airport, and the birthplace of some of the world’s leading hospitality and tourism brands, Dubai is well on its way of reaching 20 million international visitors by 2020, the year of EXPO2020.” “We are coming to Dubai at the Far West of the TTRA Asia Pacific region.  Dubai has been a leader in tourism leveraging its geographic advantages as a natural hub with long term investment and vision for our industry,” stated Carolyn Childs, TTRA APAC President and Conference Co-Chair.  TTRA International was founded in 1970 to support the travel and tourism industry’s growth and success through a focus on the quality, value, effectiveness and use of research in travel marketing, planning and development.  Today TTRA continues to provide leadership for the global community of practitioners, educators, and users of travel research. The Conference will feature nearly 50 leading researchers from industry, government, and academia from more than 15 countries including Australia, New Zealand, China, Japan, Seychelles, UK, USA, Italy, France, Jamaica, Finland, and the United Arab Emirates.   The conference will …

dmg events – Middle East, Asia & Africa has announced that it will launch its successful hospitality event brand in the Philippines in 2017 to capitalise on the Southeast Asian country’s growing international tourism and hospitality portfolio. The Hotel Show Philippines will take place from August 2-5, 2017, in Metro Manila, while the flagship show will follow in September at the Dubai World Trade Centre in the UAE. The Hotel Show Philippines will be co-located with the World Food Expo (WOFEX) organised by PEPTarsus, the largest food show in the Philippines which will turn 17 next year. Together, they will provide the biggest food and hospitality platform in the country’s history, occupying its two largest venues, namely the World Trade Center Metro Manila and SMX Convention Center. Andy Stuart, Vice President, dmg events MEAA, said: “Tailored for the Philippine market, The Hotel Show Philippines will be based on dmg events’ successful The Hotel Show Dubai. The Hotel Show Dubai yearly gathers international exhibitors to showcase their hospitality products for restaurants, cafes, bars and hotels, to cite a few. Bringing the Dubai show’s undisputed legacy and giving it a local flavor, we are confident that the Philippine version of our highly popular brand will attract the same level of local and global interest and attention. The upcoming opening of our geo-cloned hospitality event in the Southeast Asian nation forms part of our expansion strategy aimed at widening our scope and establishing our presence in key international markets.” The launch comes at a time when there is much buzz around the commercial opportunities being presented in the Philippines’ tourist destinations, central business districts and metropolitan areas. Metro Manila has the largest hotel …

Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) highlighted its new initiatives aimed at further enhancing the overall visitor experience and boosting green tourism practices, as part of the activities that are being held during UAE Innovation Week from November 20-26. Dubai Tourism has set up an exhibition stand at BOXPARK, the offbeat outdoor destination by Meraas that is showcasing a new version of the Dubai Calendar App, two exciting concepts developed under the Dubai Sustainable Tourism Initiative, and information on the Dubai Expert training programme. The annual UAE Innovation Week was launched in 2015 by His Highness, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister, and Ruler of Dubai to help create and sustain a culture of innovation in the UAE and help position the country as a global hub for innovation. Dubai Tourism is one of the government entities that are organising activities to celebrate Innovation Week in each emirate. Open daily from 3-9pm, the free-to-attend outdoor exhibition at BOXPARK features an upgraded Dubai Calendar App, a digital smart hub that is being displayed on an interactive screen designed as a mobile phone frame and offering visitors the opportunity to view all upcoming events in Dubai, buy tickets and make seat reservations through just one click. There are also video screens on site, highlighting Dubai Calendar activities. Visitors to the Dubai Tourism stand at BOXPARK can also learn about the Hospitality Sustainability Board Game and the Carbon Calculator, two concepts developed under the Dubai Sustainable Tourism Initiative. Workshops will be held daily during the exhibition to allow representatives from the hotel industry to play the Board Game, an educational tool that was created …

Reed Travel Exhibitions, organisers of the annual Arabian Travel Market (ATM) showcase in Dubai, from 24-27 April 2017, has announced that it will host the first ATM Global Halal Tourism Summit as part of its line-up of special focus events. The one-day summit, scheduled to take place on Wednesday April 26, 2017, on the Global Stage, will feature three interactive seminar sessions covering the big picture, halal destination strategies and how to sell halal travel, led by leading Muslim travel industry experts including Faeez Fadhlillah, Co-founder & CEO, Salam Standard & Tripfez; Nabeel Shariff, Founder and Director of Serendipity Tailormade and Luxury Halal Travel. A 2014 report by Thomson Reuters valued the global halal food and lifestyle sector at US$1.8 trillion and this is expected to reach US$2.6 trillion by 2020; That figure was supported by research commissioned by the Government of Dubai, and produced by Thomson Reuters in partnership with DinarStandard, which found that halal tourism represents 11.6% of global tourism expenditure, estimating the sector would be worth US$238 billion by 2019.

Ras Al Khaimah Finance & Investment Forum (RAKFIF), the new platform for uncovering business investment opportunities and set-up in Ras Al Khaimah (RAK), is gearing up for a successful first edition. Taking place from December 13-14, 2016, at the Rixos Bab Al Bahr in Ras Al Khaimah, [UAE], RAKFIF is already attracting huge interest in line with the growing demand for events like this in the region, which focus on markets with high growth rates such as RAK. Aiming to help business leaders, financiers, and investors navigate this developing landscape, the inaugural event Ras Al Khaimah Finance & Investment Forum provides a platform for information, networking and commercial opportunities. The forum will cover Hospitality & Tourism, Real Estate, Manufacturing & Production and Infrastructure sectors. RAKFIF, hosted under the patronage and with the presence of His Highness Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, is backed by strong government support and key RAK entities.

Sharjah’s tourism industry attended the World Travel Market (WTM) in London, in full force this year under a pavilion organised by Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA). Exhibitors presented Sharjah’s tourism destinations, hotels, resorts and amenities at the 2016 exhibition from November 7-9, including Sharjah Investment & Development Authority’s (Shurooq’s) award-winning Mleiha Archaeological and Ecotourism Project. Recently awarded the prestigious Cityscape Global – Best Community, Culture & Tourism Project Award in the Middle East in September, this is the first time that the Mleiha Archaeological and Ecotourism Project has been showcased at WTM. Shurooq has earmarked an estimated AED 250 million (US$ 69m) of investment to develop the tourism and heritage destination over the next few years, which is located in an area of natural beauty 50 kilometres to the east of Sharjah city. Other government authorities participating in WTM include Sharjah Museums Department, which manages 10 museums and a variety of other cultural attractions, and Sharjah’s Environment & Protected Areas Authority (EPAA), which has worked closely with Shurooq in the development of Mleiha. The EPAA has also recently opened two tourist-ready wildlife conservation centres. The Wasit Wetland Centre, in Sharjah’s 4.5 square kilometre Wasit Natural Reserve, was opened to the public in November 2015: a protected area that regularly attracts 150 species of birds, both migratory and resident. Meanwhile, earlier this year, the EPAA opened the new 12 square kilometre Al Hefaiyah Mountain Conservation Centre located in the Hajjar mountains, near the emirate’s east coast. The wildlife centre includes a visitor centre, tourist amenities and has trained guides are on hand to show visitors the reserve. Other Sharjah exhibitors at WTM 2016 include Al Shaab Village, Copthorne Hotel, …