GIBTM kicks off in Abu Dhabi
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The Gulf Incentive, Business Travel and Meetings (GIBTM) show commenced in Abu Dhabi with 70 new exhibitors, 265 expected key hosted buyers and 7,500 pre-scheduled onsite appointments as regional business travel surges.
This year, the show space has increased 7% on 2012, with more than 35 countries participating and first-time destinations including Madrid, Serbia, Athens, Georgia, Morocco, Ukraine, San Francisco and Belgium, while existing exhibitors including the Kingdom of Bahrain, Ministry of Culture, Tourism Sector, Jordan Tourism Board and Etihad Airways have at least doubled the size of their stand compared to 2012.
“The substantial increase in interest from suppliers and influential buyers is evidence that after a slow but sustained recovery, since 2009, regional business travel in all forms is firmly back on track due to confidence in the regional economy and a plethora of venues and facilities being developed that are attracting global interest,” said GIBTM Exhibition Manager Lois Hall.
“This bullish outlook is further supported by the findings of the 2013 GIBTM Trends Report, which reveals that with 80% of global and Middle East buyers forecasts an increase in conference and events business in the GMENA region in the next 12 months,” she added.
Figures released by GIBTM host destination Abu Dhabi reveal business events contributed AED 2.4 billion to the emirate’s economy in 2010. This is expected to increase to AED 2.6 billion by the end of 2013. Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi) anticipates the economic impact of business events to grow 7% each year until 2020.