KINGDOM LOOKS FOR RECORD TOURISM YEAR
Bahrain’s Department of Tourism Affairs will be heading its strongest ever delegation from the Kingdom with more than 50 businesses expected at Arabian Travel Market 2004 (ATM), the premier tourism and travel show in the Middle East.
The island is expecting a boom in its tourist trade this year, boosted by the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix, the first visit of Formula One racing to the region, at the Kingdom’s new state-of-the-art racing circuit
The Department of Tourism Affairs is predicting that the number of visitors to Bahrain will break through the five million mark this year, well ahead of last year’s total of 4.84 million.
Bahrain organisations exhibiting at their own stands at ATM at the Dubai World Trade Centre from May 4 – 7, include Gulf Air, tour operators and travel agents KK Holidays and Sabre Travel Network along with travel publications TTN Travel & Tourism News and The Arab Traveller.
Bader Nasser, Head of Marketing for Bahrain Tourism Affairs, said: “As well as the exhibitors who have taken stands we will be providing facilities for about 50 Bahrain travel and tourism business that will use our pavilion during the show.
“We will focus on promoting our joining the Formula One racing circuit which we see as a major boost for tourism in the coming years.”
Matt Thompson, Group Exhibitions Director, Reed Travel Exhibitions (RTE), which organises ATM, said the show signalled a strong increase in intra regional tourism.
“This is reflected in a healthy increase in the number of companies and tourist organisation from the Middle East who are participating at the show this year,” he said.
To date, exhibitors from 55 countries have signed on for ATM 2004 which is already bigger in floor space by 25 per cent on last year’s event.
ATM 2004 is expected to benefit from the staging just prior to the event of the 4th Global Travel & Tourism Summit in Doha from May 1 to 3 organized by the World Travel & Tourism Council.
-Ends-
ABOUT THE ARABIAN TRAVEL MARKET ORGANISER
RTE, which is part of Reed Exhibitions (RX), organises 13 events worldwide, including World Travel Market, Arabian Travel Market, C.I.S. Travel Market, EIBTM, and LACIME in Brazil, British Travel Trade Fair, the International Luxury Travel Market, La Cumbre, International Golf Travel Market, Mediterranean Travel Fair, Top Resa, AIME and ICCA Exhibitions in association with ICCA Congress.
RX is the world leader in creating high profile, targeted industry events where buyers and suppliers come together to do business. Each year, RX events bring together 156,000 suppliers and over nine million buyers from around the world. Today RX events are held in 19 countries throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia/Pacific and are organised by 30 fully staffed offices.
The RX portfolio of over 440 events services 49 industries in 12 key sectors. As a member of the Reed Elsevier Plc Group, a world-leading business and information provider, RX offers integrated market access programmes covering exhibitions, trade publications, direct marketing and the Internet.
For further information:
Barbara Saunders,
MCS/Action,
PO Box 20970,
Dubai,
United Arab Emirates.
Tel: +9714 390 2961;
Fax: +9714 390 8161.
email: Barbara@mcsaction.com
Or visit the show online at: www.reedtravelexhibitions.com
© Press Release 2004
