The week of Chile in Dubai begins

The event consists of two parts: Firstly the culinary festival held at The Market Café, Grand Hyatt Dubai where Chef Christophe was flown in from Chile to delight the Dubai public with traditional meals and recipes, using produce that was also flown in for the occasion.

"The public can meet and interact with Chef Christophe to ask him about the meals and recipes at The Market Café", says Jean-Paul Tarud-Kuborn, Trade Commission of Chile. "This gives people an authentic feel of what Chile is about".

The second part of the event is the sampling stands available at Géant Hypermarket Ibn Battuta Mall and various Spinneys outlets across Dubai. Chilean products will be on display and Chef Christophe will make appearances throughout the week to perform live cooking for the shoppers.

"The Trade Commission has only been open for a year yet we have increased significantly exports to the UAE. We went from $67m in 2006 to an estimated 122m for 2007 and we hope to increase that a lot further in 2008 given the current regional potential. This shows that with a bit of awareness creation effort we can make a serious difference in this market and throughout the region. We have done a few events along with business delegations to and from Chile but this is the first event that targets the general public", added Tarud-Kuborn.

The first UAE business delegation travelled to Chile in May 2007 and was received by Chilean President Michelle Bachelet who stated Chile has a strong interest in developing business with the GCC.

Chilean exports to the UAE consist of about 180 product categories of which white wood is the largest for the moment, followed closely by fresh fruit (apples, pears, grapes, kiwi and other European varieties of fruit), salmon and seafood and processed foods. The GCC as a whole represents a yearly total of approximately USD 250 million for Chilean exports.

Chile is by far the strongest and most dynamic economy of Latin America and follows the same strategy as Dubai in being a regional hub for trade and commerce. With a GDP of over US$200 billion, its population of 16 million enjoys a high living standard in a country rich in natural resources.