|
Krasnodar Krai resorts in Southern Russia
is to target the Middle East health tourism sector with a first appearance at
the Arabian Travel Market 2005 in May.
The Russian region is famed for its health spas which offer curative muds and mineral waters at some of the country’s best equipped health centres and sanatoria.
Olga Andreeva, Director, Krasnodar Krai Economic Development Agency
said, “We are exhibiting at ATM 2005 to expand an existing market which has seen people from
the Middle East come here for health cures.
“We see health tourism as key to bringing more Arab visitors to a region that can offer everything from beach holidays to heritage and culture, and a look at the Cossack
way of life.”
Andreeva said Krasnodar Krai would also be looking for investors at
the ATM, either to develop hotels and resorts on green field sites or refurbish existing sanatoria to cater
to Arab clientele.
She
added, “We have people in place to train staff in Arab customs and traditions, and we have had some negotiations with potential developers and remain open to
proposals.”
Krasnodar Krai, with a Mediterranean climate, 1,200 kilometres of coastline and snow capped mountains, is
one of Russia’s leading resort tourism regions. It has more than 1,500
spa resorts and hotel developments and its tourism industry is currently growing by 10 to 15 per cent a year. It has three international airports at
Krasnodar, Sochi, and Anapa with weekly flights to the UAE.
Krasnodar Krai is joined as a newcomer to the ATM line up by Bolivia, which will be mounting national participation for the first time at the show, which runs at the Dubai
World Trade Centre from May 3-6.
New-to-market entries and expansion by regular exhibitors is driving floor space growth of around 20%, according to ATM organisers Reed Travel Exhibitions (RTE).
Chris
Chackal, RTE’s Group Exhibitions Director, said, “Outbound tourism from the Arabian
[Persian] Gulf is now worth more than US$12 billion a year, according to recent
reports and the average spend by people from the region when they travel abroad is US$ 1,000 a day, three times the international average. ATM is key to accessing this
highly lucrative market by the global industry.”
The
ATM 2005 is set to break yet more records in exhibitor numbers with 99 per cent of space booked in a show that will be 3,000 square metres larger than last year at 14,200 square
metres.
RTE
has said it will donate entry fees from the ATM’s two public sessions to the ‘Just A Drop’ charity to provide fresh water to communities ravaged by the
December Asian tsunami.
See
other recent news regarding:
Arabian
Travel Market
|
