Expo Centre officials promote the UAE and Middle East markets in Thailand

The delegation, which comprised Mr Mubarak Balaswad, Director General of Expo Centre Sharjah, Mr. Mohamed Salem Al Mosharrekh, Board Member of the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce & Industry and Mr. Fasahat Ali Khan, Deputy Director General of Expo Centre Sharjah, conducted road shows and seminars with the support of the Department of Export Promotion of Thailand in three cities of Thailand, viz. Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Hat Yai.

"From the interest and response we received from Thai businessmen and exporters in all the cities, we can gauge that the Thai government and companies place great importance on linking their businesses to the Middle East markets. We can also confidently say that the coming 8th Thailand Exhibition, to be held from 27 to 30 September at Expo Centre Sharjah, is all poised to be the biggest yet gathering of Thai companies in the Middle East," Mr Mubarak Balaswad, Director General of Expo Centre Sharjah commented.

Commenting on Thailand Exhibition, Mr. Fasahat Ali Khan said, " Year on year, Thailand Exhibition has not only served as a ideal stepping stone for Thai companies to enter the Middle East markets, but also has been a strong factor in boosting trade between Thailand and this region.

"The exhibition, which was launched in 1996 with around 50 exhibitors occupying an area of 2,500 sq.m., has now grown to occupy 8,000 sq.m. and attracts over 200 exhibitors. In other words, the event has grown over 400 per cent in terms of exhibitor numbers, with a wider scope and range of product categories," Mr. Khan pointed out.

At the same time, Thailand's exports to the Middle East have steadily grown over the years, touching US $ 2.5 billion in 2002, a growth of 16.95% over 2001. Thai exports to the UAE grew by 12.24% in 2002 to US $ 717.3 million from US $ 639 million in 2001. Also, the first half of 2003 ( Jan ­ May) has already witnessed a growth of 8.5 % in exports to the Middle East.

The coming 9th Thailand Exhibition will be larger and more comprehensive than any of its previous editions, featuring a wider selection of consumer and light industrial products and services from Thailand. This year's special highlights will be the display of a wide range of halal food and special Thai heritage products under OTOP (One Tambon, One Products) project.

Commenting on OTOP, Mr. Mohammed Salem Al Mosharrekh said, "The Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry is pleased to sponsor the OTOP presentation at Thailand Exhibition. We share a deep, long-standing relationship with Thailand, and remain committed to enhance this relationship in the years to come."

The showcase of OTOP products aims to bring the spirit of Thai village to cities around the world through a vast variety of traditional goods. Each aesthetic item created under the government supported OTOP project carries out unique characteristic of local heritage for today's living. Thailand has also been marked as one of the world's largest production bases for Halal Food. Inspected and endorsed by Central Islamic Committee of Thailand, Thai Halal Food earns acceptance from Muslim consumers all over the globe.

Also the exhibition will feature Thailand's service sectors, including construction, health care and the private hospital service sector.