The delegations called for additional border crossings to be opened, including the Aweil crossing from South Sudan
During a Press briefing yesterday, Helal Saaed Al Marri, Director General of the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), announced the inaugural event in partnership with the International Travel Catering Association (ITCA).
“As an inaugural exhibition, MENA Travel Catering 2006 has definitely responded to a strong need in the market, bringing together major international suppliers with local partners and shining a light on the rapid growth of markets like Dubai,” Al Marri said.
Quoting statistics released by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Abdullah Qassem, General Manager Venue of DWTC, said that the Middle East is the largest region for growth worldwide in terms of international passenger forecasts. “Figures indicated an increase of 6.7 per cent from 2005 to 2009, with an average growth of 5.7 per cent per year,” he said.
Qassem also mentioned that the projection for Dubai’s aviation sector continues to expand, particularly following the completion of the new Dubai Intenational Airport (DIA) in Jebel Ali, which could handle a traffic of 120 million passengers by 2009. In addition, the construction of the Terminal 3 at the existing DIA will offer connections to 165 destinations by 111 airlines.
In total, 123 companies from 25 countries will take part in the show, with 72 per cent of stands taken by international suppliers from outside the region. Bilal Al Rais, Assistant International Project Manager of DWTC, said that the conference aims to attract more aviation-related businesses into the region. MENA Travel Catering 2006 is sponsored by Emirates (key sponsor), Al Accad Group (platinum sponsor) and Adel Abuljadayel Flight Catering (gold sponsor). Emirates are the Official ITCA Carrier.
The delegations called for additional border crossings to be opened, including the Aweil crossing from South Sudan
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