National Corporation for Tourism and Hotels confirms role as "Strategic Partner" for Equip'Hotel Middle East

Equip'Hotel Middle East is a world-class industry trade show for the hotels, restaurants, cafe, catering, pools and spas sectors.

The event, organised by Reed Exhibitions, attempts to create a platform to support the rapidly growing hospitality sector in Abu Dhabi and the wider Middle East. It will give buyers from the hospitality and related sectors, a chance to evaluate products, services and technologies from some of the world's leading suppliers who will exhibit at Equip'Hotel Middle East.

Sultan Ghanoum Al Hameli, Managing Director of NCT&H, said:

"Our collaboration with Reed Exhibitions marks an important step aimed at promoting Abu Dhabi's profile as a key international destination for business and tourism with specific emphasis on the hospitality sector. Abu Dhabi is investing massively in upgrading its hospitality infrastructure in anticipation of the boost that major Abu Dhabi projects such as the Ferrari theme park and the Cultural District at Saadiyat Island, are expected to provide, and an event such as Equip'Hotel Middle East benefits the whole sector."

"We are very proud to collaborate with the National Corporation for Tourism and Hotels (NCT&H) for our upcoming show - Equip'Hotel Middle East. The endorsement from a leading company like NCT&H highlights the excellent credentials of Equip'Hotel Middle East and we are very grateful for their support. We hope this is just the first of many such joint initiatives that Reed and NCT&H undertake," said Ara Fernezian, Group Exhibitions Director, Reed Exhibitions Middle East.

According to a Deloitte study, hotel room rates in Abu Dhabi rose in the first quarter of 2009 and the UAE capital witnessed a 24.3% growth in average room rates. RevPar in the capital grew by 16.8% in Q1 2009 as compared to the corresponding quarter in 2008.

Lack of an adequate hotel room supply and Abu Dhabi's emergence as a key business destination attracting business travelers by their hundreds have combined to ensure Abu Dhabi's hotel rates continue to remain high.

In a bid to rapidly ramp up the supply of hotel rooms, major stakeholders in the hospitality industry including the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA), Tourism Development and Investment Corporation (TDIC), NCT&H and ADNH (Abu Dhabi National Hotels) have launched a number of hospitality projects that will ultimately bring several thousand hotel rooms onto the market.

Exhibitors at the Equip'Hotel Middle East will include companies from across the entire industry segment representing 14 sectors comprising Building Layout & Fitting products, Tableware, Laundry, Coffee Making & Bar equipment, Hotel & Restaurant concepts, Food & Beverage, Vending, Kitchen Equipment, Linen & Professional wear, Furniture & Design, Guest Amenities, Spas, Bathroom & Wellness and Sound & Lighting Technologies.

Visitors at the show will include buyers from international hotel groups, officials managing hotel apartments and tourist facilities, restaurant and catering operators, chefs, distributors, importers, wholesalers, related educational institutions, government authorities, investors, promoters, developers, design and planning consultants, architects and interior decorators.

More than 150 exhibitors from over 18 countries will display a wide array of products, services, technologies and concepts used by the hospitality industry. A structured visitor promotion program is expected to attract more than 3,000 key buyers from the hotel industry in the GCC countries.