MENA Region in Focus at WTM London

With Expo 2020 on the horizon and the Middle East representing high growth potential for the travel industry, WTM London 2018 which takes place on 5-7 November and is placing a spotlight on the region with a host of key speakers lined up for the show’s new regionally-focused Inspiration Zones.

As Dubai gears up for Expo 2020, one of the first sessions in Middle East & North Africa Zone, ‘Expo 2020 Taking Responsibility for Environmental Impacts – Water and Energy’ will take place Monday 5th November, with Gillian Hamburger, Senior Vice President of Commercial, Expo 2020 Dubai, leading the discussion.

Aspiring to create the most sustainable Expo in history, this session will explore the efforts being taken by Dubai to leave a legacy of cutting-edge sustainability practices that will inspire generations to come. 

Simon Press, Senior Director, WTM London, said: “Over the last decade the tourism industry in the Middle East has grown ten-fold. The developments have been incredible with the tallest buildings and tallest hotels; revolutionary transport infrastructure; theme parks and leisure attractions that are the envy of the rest of the world.

“With visitor arrivals predicted to reach 25 million annually by 2025 and the opening ceremony of Dubai Expo 2020 now just two years away, the Middle East is set to continue to be one of the most dynamic travel destinations in the world.”

Indeed, according to figures from the UN’s World Tourism Organisation, the number of international tourists to the Middle East is also rising steadily, receiving 58.1 million tourists in 2017, an increase of 5% over the previous 12 months.

Other sessions at WTM London include exploring the trillion-dollar Muslim lifestyle and food industry, panel discussion - ‘How are mainstream travel companies and destinations attempting to take advantage of the rise of Halal Travel?’ will take place on Tuesday 6th November in the Middle East & North Africa zone.

During the session panellists will discuss the development of an industry that is growing at such a rate that it should no longer be deemed a niche, while exploring the ways in which travel companies and destinations are adapting how they do business to cater to Muslim travellers.

Meanwhile, as the Middle East and Africa’s travel and tourism industry continues to evolve, Lea Meyer, an analyst for Euromonitor International’s Middle East & Africa team will provide an insight into the current state of the industry in the region, while highlighting how regional and global trends are expected to shape travel demand and supply as we look to the future.

Press said: “We are always striving to make the event more relevant and beneficial for our exhibitors and participants. A regional centre point in the form of hubs will allow each region to debate its specific opportunities and challenges in all sectors. Furthermore, the inspiration zones will be used for specific regionally-focused networking sessions.”

This year, key exhibitors at WTM London from the Middle East will include: Dubai Corporation for Tourism & Commerce Marketing (DTC), Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism, Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority, Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage, Ajman Tourism Development Department, Oman Ministry of Tourism and Jordan Tourism Board. Other exhibitors include Saudia Airline, QE2 Shipping LLC and Al-Muhaidb Group of Hotel Apartments & Grand Plaza Hotels.

WTM London (5-7 November), the leading global event for the travel industry, witnessed more than 50,000 participants in 2017, including 10,500 buyers conducting business worth over US$4.02 billion. And organisers are predicting a record year for 2018, boosted by a strong contingent of exhibitors from the Middle East region.

This year, WTM London will add seven regionally-focused Inspiration Zones to the show – UK & Ireland, Europe & Mediterranean, Middle East & North Africa, Asia, International and Africa – to make the event more focused on specific destinations.

Further changes to this year’s show will see the WTM Global Stage become an Amphitheatre, holding 400 delegates. It will continue to host the main session at the event including the WTM & UNWTO Ministers’ Summit.

About World Travel Market

World Travel Market (WTM) portfolio comprises six leading B2B events across four continents, generating more than $7 billion of industry deals. The events are:

WTM London, the leading global event for the travel industry, is the must-attend three-day exhibition for the worldwide travel and tourism industry. About 50,000 senior travel industry professionals, government ministers and international media visit ExCeL London every November, generating about £3.1 billion of travel industry contracts. http://london.wtm.com/. Next event: 5-7 November 2018 – London.

Travel Forward is a new travel technology event co-located with WTM London 2018 and part of the WTM portfolio of events. The inaugural Travel Forward conference, exhibition and buyer programme will take place on 5–7 November 2018 at ExCeL London, showcasing next-generation technology for travel and hospitality. http://travelforward.wtm.com/.

WTM Latin America attracts about 9,000 senior executives and generates about US$374 million of new business. Taking place in Sao Paulo, Brazil, this show attracts a global audience to meet and shape the direction of the travel industry. More than 8,000 unique visitors attend the event to network, negotiate and discover the latest industry news. http://latinamerica.wtm.com/. Next event: 2-4 April 2019 – Sao Paulo.

WTM Africa launched in 2014 in Cape Town, South Africa. Nearly 5,000 travel industry professionals attend Africa’s leading inbound and outbound travel and tourism market. WTM Africa delivers a proven mix of hosted buyers, media, pre-scheduled appointments, on-site networking, evening functions and invited travel trade visitors. http://africa.wtm.com/.

Next event: 10-12 April 2019 – Cape Town.

Arabian Travel Market is the leading, international travel and tourism event in the Middle East for inbound and outbound tourism professionals. ATM 2018 attracted almost 40,000 industry professionals, with representation from 141 countries over the four days. The 25th edition of ATM showcased over 2,500 exhibiting companies across 12 halls at Dubai World Trade Centre. To find out more, please visit: www.arabiantravelmarket.wtm.com

Next event: 28th April-1st May 2019 – Dubai.

About Reed Exhibitions

Reed Exhibitions is the world’s leading events business, enhancing the power of face-to-face through data and digital tools at more than 500 events a year, in more than 43 countries, attracting more than seven million participants. Reed’s events are held in the Americas, Europe, Asia Pacific and Africa and organised by 41 fully staffed offices. Reed Exhibitions serves 43 industry sectors with trade and consumer events. It is part of RELX Group plc, a world-leading provider of information solutions for professional customers across industries.

About Reed Travel Exhibitions

Reed Travel Exhibitions is the world’s leading travel and tourism events organiser with a growing portfolio of more than 22 international travel and tourism trade events in Europe, the Americas, Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Our events are market leaders in their sectors, whether they are global and regional leisure travel trade events, or specialist events for meetings, incentives, conference, events (MICE) industry, business travel, luxury travel, travel technology as well as golf, spa and ski travel. We have more than 35 years’ experience in organising world-leading travel exhibitions.