World Travel & Tourism Council and Arabian Travel Market to Bring Heightened Focus to the Gulf

The Arabian Travel Market (ATM) - the Middle East's premier travel and tourism trade show - and the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) - have joined forces to jointly market their events planned for May this year in the Arabian Gulf.

WTTC is staging its 4th Global Travel & Tourism Summit in Doha, Qatar from May 1-3, 2004, just days before the opening of the Arabian Travel Market at the Dubai World Trade Centre, United Arab Emirates from May 4-7.

"The synergy between these events is extensive," said Matt Thompson, Group Exhibition Director, Overseas Events, Reed Travel Exhibitions (RTE), which organises the Arabian Travel Market.

"The Summit is the highest-level meeting in the international travel and tourism calendar and together with Arabian Travel Market, we will ensure the eyes of the global industry are firmly focussed on the Gulf in May."

The 4th Global Travel & Tourism Summit will be attended by the chairmen and CEOs of the world's top travel and tourism companies, over a hundred of the world's leading travel and business journalists and numerous government officials. The Summit will be held at the Sheraton Doha and will discuss the future of the industry in a series of highly interactive panel discussions. The programme will also include a golf tournament, which will be open to all delegates, a gala dinner and a spouses' programme.

Confirmed speakers due to address the Summit, which is themed 'Driving Change' include: Stelios Haji-Ioannou of Easy Group; Lalit Suri MP, Chairman and CEO of Bharat Hotels; Akbar Al Baker, the CEO of Qatar Airways, Edouard Ettedgui, Group CEO of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group and Dr. Michael Frenzel, Chairman TUI AG and several others of similar standing.

Many of the Summit's speakers and delegates are expected to travel on to Dubai for the Arabian Travel Market 2004, which currently has contracted exhibitors from 36 countries, including 31 official destination promotion authorities.

Now in its 11th year, Arabian Travel Market is set to be the largest yet with new-to-market exhibitors and increased participation from key traditional participants.

"The joint promotion with Arabian Travel Market means the Summit will now reach the 40,000 travel trade delegates Reed Travel Exhibitions is targeting in the show's direct mail campaign," explained David Tarsh of WTTC. "It will also feature in the ATM's extensive e-marketing campaign and on its website. Conversely ATM will feature in WTTC's promotion and the cross-marketing should encourage more senior travel trade professionals than ever to make the trip to the Gulf this May."

BBC World has recently been appointed the Global Broadcast Sponsor for the 4th Global Travel and Tourism Summit.