DEBUTANTE DUSIT APPOINTED ‘OFFICIAL’ HOSTED BUYER HOTEL FOR ARABIAN TRAVEL MARKET 2001 50 MICE & 20 SAUDI TRAVEL BUYERS TO BE TARGETED

The striking 37-storey Dusit Dubai Hotel, the first Middle East property for the award-winning Thai Dusit chain, has been appointed ‘official’ hosted buyer hotel for Arabian Travel Market 2001.

Arabian Travel Market's hosted buyer programme will next year bring 50 of the world's leading incentive decision-makers to Dubai as well as 20 of the top buyers from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

"Responding to industry demand, the 2001 hosted buyer programme will focus on the lucrative MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) market," said Matt Thompson, Exhibition Director, Arabian Travel Market. "Eighty-four per cent of exhibitors polled in an independent Arabian Travel Market 2000 survey dubbed the MICE sector as crucial.

"We have also included 20 of the top travel buyers from Saudi Arabia because of its key importance to exhibitors. A post-show exhibitor questionnaire independently conducted this year revealed that 58% of participants viewed the Kingdom as their most important regional market."

The buyers will stay at the 5-star deluxe Dusit Dubai Hotel, which is due to open its doors early next year, and meet Arabian Travel Market exhibitors in pre-scheduled appointments.

"Another advantage of this great property is its proximity to the Dubai World Trade Centre it is only minutes away from the show venue," said Thompson.

The 5-star deluxe Dusit Dubai Hotel, on the emirate's main Sheikh Zayed Highway, will have 174 rooms, 147 fully-furnished, one and two bedroom serviced hotel apartments and 84 unfurnished apartments. It will have eight outlets, including four restaurants with a variety of cuisine from Royal Thai to Italian.

"This programme will give us exposure to some of the world's most influential travel purchasers," said Mel M. Barisic, General Manager, Dusit Dubai. "With the show quickly following our opening, it will help us swiftly establish our presence in the Middle East. We are confident of providing the buyers with unrivalled facilities and services during their stay.

"Of particular interest to the MICE sector will be our meeting room facilities," said Barisic.

Dusit Dubai boasts a 555 square metre, state-of-the-art banquet hall that can cater for up to 700 delegates in addition to five, technically-advanced "smart" meeting rooms and a fully-equipped business centre.

Hosted buyers for the 2001 show will be a mix of regional purchasers looking for international products and overseas buyers interested in Middle Eastern destinations and facilities.

"We are pleased with the inclusion of the Saudi buyer contingent because, as with any hotel in Dubai, the Kingdom is a high priority market for us," said Steve Jones, Director of Sales and Marketing, Dusit Dubai.

The Arabian Travel Market has already achieved a high profile in Saudi Arabia with this year's show attracting a total of 387 participants from the Kingdom, a mix of visitors and exhibitors, both buyers and sellers.

"Saudi Arabia consistently features within exhibitors’ top six target markets," said Thompson. "Another Arabian Travel Market advantage is, that being part of the Reed Travel Exhibitions Group gives us access to the powerful incentive buyer data-base of Geneva's EIBTM show the world's largest MICE exhibition."

Arabian Travel Market, the Middle East's foremost travel exhibition, organised by Reed Travel Exhibitions (RTE), will be held at the Dubai World Trade Centre from May 1-4, 2001.