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Arabian Travel Market 2005 set to open today

DUBAI — Arabian Travel Market, the Middle East’s premier travel and tourism show, which gets under way at the Dubai World Trade Centre today, has registered unprecedented growth with 31 per cent more occupied floor space than last year and over 1,800 exhibitors from 63 countries.

The 12th in the annual series and spanning more than 16,000 square metres, Arabian Travel Market 2005 is the largest ever and organiser Reed Travel Exhibitions (RTE) said further growth is on the cards for next year.

“We have repeatedly recorded growth since this show was launched back in 1994, with an average of 10 per cent per annum, but this year the response has been unprecedented. This mirrors the continuing emergence of the tourism industry throughout this region and international recognition of the value of its outbound market,” said Tom Nutley, chairman, RTE.

“Growth is due to a number of factors, increasing stand space from the Middle East and Asia, and the entry of more than 100 first-time exhibitors. It is also resulting from spiralling inbound and outbound demand, he said, adding that inbound growth has been phenomenal and looks set to continue as more regional countries step up their tourism infrastructure and promotional efforts.

“The Middle East is now the world’s fourth most visited region as it registered more than 35 million arrivals in 2004. This dramatic improvement in tourism arrivals and its potential to double within the next 15 years will further fuel demand for Arabian Travel Market floor space.” And outbound demand is as buoyant as ever with new destinations seeking a share of the lucrative Middle East travellers’ business. “The Middle East’s growing airline sector, with the advent of new-to-market players and the increased frequency of flights and addition of new exciting destinations in the portfolios of the region’s established carriers, are playing a major role in the rapid development of outbound traffic,” said Nutley.

“Industry statistics repeatedly show that Arab tourists from the Gulf states alone spend about $12 billion on overseas vacations – that’s a very enticing market. Saudi Arabia is one of the biggest outbound markets with tourists from the Kingdom spending $6.7 billion annually on overseas travel – that’s about five per cent of the country’s GDP.''