As Abu Dhabi prepares to host the 2012 Gulf Incentive, Business Travel and Meetings Exhibition (GIBTM) at its Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), the Emirate reports 215,00 business visitors come annually to the Emirates for MICE activities.
Economic winds in the Gulf are generally warmer than in most parts of the globe; the UAE witnessed a five per cent increase in air traffic last year and Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority expects 20,000 more visitors when the 2011 figures are in.
Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority also says 1.3m of the 1.8m guests arriving at the Emirates’ 115 hotels and apartments are business travellers.
GIBTM organiser Reed Travel Exhibitions tightens the focus this year on the business travel element of the show, with an agreement with the Association of Corporate Travel Executives to provide seminars.
Lois Hall, RTE Manager, GIBTM, says: “The regional business and corporate travel community has been expanding steadily, which is why we are making business travel a key focus at GIBTM 2012. The exhibition is the largest gathering of meetings professionals in the Middle East, attended last year by 2,750 visitors.” The acid test will be if the show can grow to fully embrace the previously missing Gulf states, however.
There are certainly big ambitions in the region: “In 2015, we aim to become the number one meetings destination in the region, host four times the number of current MICE events and double the number of MICE visitor arrivals and yield,” said Gillian Taylor, ADTA Business Tourism Manager.
One eye-catching development in the region is the Qatar National Convention Centre, which officially opened at the end of 2011 within the Qatar Foundation’s Education City.
“We are proud to be a world-class venue conceived to bring together the world’s best minds under one roof,” said GM Adam Mather-Brown.
QNCC features a 4,000-seat conference hall. It also houses 40,000sqm of exhibition space, adaptable to seat 10,000 for a conference or banquet.
Qatar hosted 250 meetings and events in 2010, and forecasts a 10 per cent increase for the 2011 figure.
Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) chairman Ahmed Abdullah Alnuaimi said: “Five years ago we had 2,500 rooms, now there are 13,000. We need to build 80,000 to accommodate visitors coming by 2022.”
Another exhibitor is Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts, which brings to the show its research finding that high-speed internet, breakfast, late checkout and laundry pressing are the four most requested services by corporate travellers. VP Sales and Marketing, Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts, Middle East, Toufic Tamim, says: “Business travellers don’t want the detail of extras, they simply want to know everything they need is included as part of their stay”. Tamim will use the show to launch the company’s Business Bundle package to provide just that.
There will also be an update from the Oman Tourism Ministry on the planned convention centre and airport in Muscat.
RTE expects 275 pre-qualified hosted buyers, 106 of which are from the Middle East and will welcome them at a reception hosted by The Emirates Palace. The GIBTM Networking Reception will be hosted by The Rocco Forte Hotel Abu Dhabi.
The show runs for two and a half days this year, 26-28 March in Halls 1 and 2 of ADNEC.
