Dubai: 3rd Biggest Expo in World, Arabian Travel Market 2012

  • 12 years ago
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Dubai hosts the world's third biggest -- and the Middle East's largest -- travel and tourism expo. Events like this are part of Dubai's plans to become the foremost tourist hub in the region. Our correspondents bring you the details.

In line with its ambition to set world records and poise itself as the premier tourist hub in the Middle East, Dubai has just played host to one the world's largest trade exhibitions.

And unsurprisingly, perhaps, the theme of the event is travel and tourism.

Called Arabian Travel Market 2012, the biggest event of its kind in the Middle East, featured over 2400 exhibitors from 87 countries.

[Abdullah Bin Suwaidan, Deputy Director, Overseas Promotions & Inward Missions]:
"The travel market 2012 is very important, it's one of the biggest exhibitions in the world, the third actually biggest exhibition in the world."

The event's organizers say it unlocks tourism business potential in the Middle East.

[Abdullah Bin Suwaidan, Deputy Director, Overseas Promotions & Inward Missions]:
"The theme as host is to attract new things for Dubai. Everything is Dubai is very new to attract the travel agencies and to attract the visitors to come to Dubai. We are expecting to receive more than 24,000 visitors in 4 days."

Besides government programs to stimulate tourism, the fallout from the Arab Spring revolutions has helped Dubai grow as a tourist destination. In the region, Dubai is widely seen as a safe destination.

[Monika Canty, Editor of Arabian Travel News]:
"Dubai this year has been absolutely booming for tourists. I think they announced yesterday that tourist figures were 9 percent up and tourism revenue has increased. A lot of this I think has been to do with the Arab Spring, with countries around the region have been suffering so lots of the tourists have been coming in to Dubai."

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