Dubai, April 28, 2009: Under the patronage of H.H Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Chairman of Dubai Airports, the fifth Middle East Forum for Accessible Tourism (MEFAT-2009) will be held in Dubai on May 13.

The event, to be held at Le Meridien Dubai, is expected to attract more than 500 decision-makers, experts and professionals and staff from the aviation, tourism, hospitality and retail sectors of the UAE and other parts of the region. Government officials and members of the diplomatic corps will also be attending the influential event.

H.H Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed will inaugurate the forum which has become a sought-after annual platform for debating the issues of development and challenges relating to the Special Needs Tourism, especially in the Middle East region.

H.H Sheikh Ahmed said: "Hosting of the forum in Dubai for the fifth successive year clearly reflects our eagerness to promote the UAE and other Arab cities as friendly tourism destinations for People with Special Needs. The MEFAT-2009, building on the progress made over the past four years, will further the cause of accessible tourism both as a humanitarian initiative and a high-potential economic segment."

He said the forum, in the backdrop of a turbulent global economy, will be able to draw the attention of all the industry players in the travel, tourism and hospitality sectors in the region to the great growth opportunities that exist in Special Needs Tourism.

"The downturn across businesses, more practically in travel and tourism domains, can be more than adequately compensated for by well-timed initiatives aimed at Special Needs Tourists," he said.

H.H Sheikh Ahmed said the nature of this initiative needs participation from all quarters and expressed the hope that more individuals and organizations will get involved in the Forum this year.

The one-day forum is being organized by Nad Al Sheba for PR and Events Management in association with Dubai Airports, Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) and Dubai Naturalisation and Residency Administration. Le Meridien Dubai, Damas, Printwell and Joseph Graphics are among the sponsors.

The UAE and other Arab countries have the potential to be a world leader by expanding facilities to accommodate more people with special needs and spread the awareness of Tourism for All.

The regional tourism industry was expanding at a pace outracing all other similar developments in the world. Expanding tourism facilities for people with Special Needs will lead to a greater economic output, while fulfilling the social and humanitarian commitment.

Mr.Ibrahim Khayat consultant for the Forum said this year's forum will chalk out the future agenda on a variety of issues, ranging from legislation to infrastructure development for People with Special Needs.

"To secure a more stable position for the tourism industry in the region, it is highly important that investments are made in development of the infrastructure and facilities that would help People with Special Needs explore tourist destinations in the Arab world where tourism has been given a prime focus in the recent years," he said.

Travel and tourism is regarded to be a basic human right, as fundamental to one's essential needs. It aimed to celebrate travel and tourism as a manifestation of human freedom and initiative - and its contribution to economic and social freedom and to peace and international understanding.

The Middle East region is home to 35 million People with Special Needs. If 10 per cent more of this huge chunk of population travel and spend approximately US$1,000 per annum, this would result in US$3 billion annually business to the tourism industry. Globally, the number of people with special needs is around 700 million. Tourists with special needs constitute around 10 per cent of the total number of tourists in the world; they approximately spent over US$28 billion alone in the United States and Europe annually. 

According to the World Tourism Organisation (WTO), the number of tourists worldwide will triple in size by 2020, with the Middle East region poised for spectacular growth. According to the World Travel and Tourism Council's (WTTC) Tourism Satellite Account (TSA) research, the Middle East accounts for 2.4 per cent of travel and tourism market share globally. Statistics issued by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) show that the tourism sector in the Middle East will contribute US$189.5 billion revenues by the end of 2016, which is equivalent to 10.1% of the region's GDP.

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For further information, please contact:
Mohammed Abdul Mannan
forum@accessibletourismme.ae

© Press Release 2009