X X X WalshReed Travel Exhibitions revealed that most exhibitor reductions have been marginalised by increased space uptake from a number of destinations, including: Abu Dhabi, which has the largest stand this year, Hong Kong, Thailand, Greece, Cyprus, Italy, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Mauritius and the Kenya Tourist Board.

In addition, a host of first time exhibiting countries, such as Romania and Cambodia, as well as regional and international carriers including Swiss Airlines, Jazeera Airways and Wataniya Airways, have all made significant space commitments for 2009.

'Last year's event broke all our previous records, so it would be inappropriate to compare what happened in May 2008 with now; the world is a completely different place. However, whilst we have seen a few cancellations and some exhibitors reducing their commitment in 2009, this has been widely offset by a positive number of show debutants as well as returning companies and National Tourism Organisations increasing their allocations,' said Walsh.

'Furthermore, we have seen additional space uptake from non-traditional markets, as well as newly-formed companies, while Middle East countries continue to enhance their presence as they look to the show as a vehicle to promote their inbound and outbound products to the industry at large. Exhibitors making increased commitments this year, in light of the slowdown, speaks volumes about how important the Middle East, and this show, is to the global travel market and vice versa,' Walsh added.

With an 1152 m? stand, representing 74 booths and 132 co-participants, the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), under whose auspices the show is held, has significantly increased its presence at this year's Arabian Travel Market. The department has also increased its Hosted Buyer allotment by 28% over last year as it looks to capitalise on the event's global exhibitor base.

'In 2008, the tourism sector directly contributed 19% to Dubai's GDP, and indirectly contributed 32pc - up by two percent over the previous year. As the emirate overcomes the challenges brought about by the economic crisis, it becomes stronger and, as such, is being looked at with greater interest than before,' said Saleh Mohammed Al Geziry, DTCM's Director Overseas Promotions.

'Strong local participation at Arabian Travel Market 2009 reaffirms Dubai's tourism industry is indeed healthy. This department, in coordination with hotels, tour operators and tourism companies, has been working on boosting hotel occupancy and increasing the number of visitors to the emirate, a fact illustrated by our enhanced presence at this year's show,' Al Geziry added.

Emirates Airline, the event's official carrier, reinforced Arabian Travel Market's significance in promoting the region's tourism offering and highlighted the need for the industry to actively seek growth opportunities during this challenging time.

'Tourism is an integral part of Dubai, and the Arabian Travel Market is a great platform to showcase the city's infrastructure, as well as the thriving and diverse travel services available in the marketplace. Now, more than ever, travel and tourism operators need to invest in and capitalise on these types of exhibitions putting in place building blocks for future development,' said Ahmed Khoory, Senior Vice President - Commercial Operations, Gulf, Middle East and Iran, Emirates Airline.

'The Emirates Group has much to be excited about over this next year and we see Arabian Travel Market as the perfect place to showcase our plans across the group. As the largest aviation and travel services player in the region, Emirates is proud to play a major role in the success of the show and I look forward to seeing what this year's event has to offer,' Khoory added.

Reed Travel Exhibitions also outlined a number of initiatives developed for 2009 which they believe will be vital in nurturing increased business interaction and ensuring exhibitors have access to top-tier decision makers.

One such move was to increase the show's Hosted Buyers programme - which identifies high-quality buyers in terms of purchasing and decision-making power - to 150 top international, first time participants, up from 120 in 2008. These buyers, representing the leisure, MICE and golf sectors, will be available for appointment requests with exhibitors via a dedicated session on the opening day between 9-11am.

'For a long time now we have been investing in schemes which advance the business interaction between exhibitors, decision makers and visitors, which have catalysed the Hosted Buyer programme's success. Through this initiative, exhibitors have the opportunity to meet directly with top-tier decision makers; something which could take weeks, if not months, to achieve through conventional channels,' added Walsh.

The 2009 show also boasts an expanded seminar programme, with more than 30 experts discussing a variety of key topics in 18 sessions. This biggest-ever programme reinforces Arabian Travel Market's commitment to promoting increased dialogue and debate to stimulate the market's recovery.

Arabian Travel Market is held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, Ruler of Dubai, and under the auspices of the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, Government of Dubai

Copyright Emirates News Agency (WAM) 2009.