Hilton International reveals record sales reservations at ATM 2003

Commenting on ATM 2003 Rudi Jagersbacher, Hilton International's Vice President, Arabian Peninsula said: "ATM is an ideal time to meet our international and regional clients, and it also plays an important role in our summer sales strategy. We have participated in ATM for ten consecutive years, and we are extremely pleased that this year was one of the most successful to date. Bookings are extremely strong for the summer season and an increasing level of interest in Hilton's regional properties is a very encouraging sign that in-bound visitor numbers are on the up."

The Middle East continues to grow in popularity as a leisure and business destination, and the bookings for the coming few months look very encouraging. Thanks to the substantial level of advance bookings, our second quarter results look set to be extremely positive," he concluded.

According to exhibition organisers Reed Travel Exhibitions, the number of travel trade professionals at this year's ATM rose by twenty per cent compared to last year. The show attracted an estimated 7,000 trade buyers and travel professionals many of which visited the Hilton International stand over the course of the four-day event.

Much of the interest this year focused on Hilton's two new leisure products for 2003 - the launch of its first global resort brand, Hilton Worldwide Resorts and the summer holiday promotion,'Hilton for Free'.

Hilton Worldwide Resorts™ offers a unique leisure experience at some of the most exciting and exotic holiday destinations around the globe with 40 resort properties in total, 15 of which are located in the Middle East, and plans to open several more over the next two years.

The 'Hilton for Free' summer promotion, now in its sixth year, runs until the end of September, offering Middle East travelers an opportunity to gain incremental free room nights when booking three consecutive nights or more at over 120 Hilton International hotels. Supported by Visa, an exclusive benefit of ten percent discount is also extended to Visa cardholders when booking their holiday this summer. In the two weeks since launch, "Hilton for Free" has generated close to 5,000 room night reservations and www.hiltonforfree.com has had over 51,500 visitors to the website.

"Our key focus this year is to work closely with the various local tourism boards across the region to help develop the business and leisure sector. Hilton prides itself on an in depth understanding of the Middle East hospitality market," said Guy Epsom, Regional Sales and Marketing Director, Hilton International, Arabian Peninsula. "We look forward to participating in Arabian Travel Market again in 2004 for an eleventh consecutive year."