Marriott International & Emirates Airline to host third annual Global pursuits on June 6, 2004

Over 500 top accounts all over the globe will be attending the event.

Ghaith Al Ghaith, Emirate's Executive Vice President, Commercial Operations Worldwide says; "Emirates Airline has helped Dubai become an international travel hub. We are proud to be supporting Global Pursuits, which helps focus attention on the benefits of the Emirate as a launch pad for exciting travel destinations all over the world."

This year Global Pursuits 2004 will play host to over 50 exhibition stands, with participation from over 221 Marriott properties, representing 32 countries from around the globe. The two-day event will showcase products from Marriott, Emirates and other co-sponsors and also include seminars on travel and tourism from Marriott and Emirates Airline.

"Global Pursuits is a very well received event within Marriott International, attracting global exhibitors from around the world, which goes a long way in creating more effective travel and tourism opportunities for our properties. Our association with Emirates Airline has provided us the opportunity to reach a wider audience each year and we are very proud to have them join us again in this year's endeavor," said Samir Daqqaq, Vice President for Global Sales, Marriott International in Middle East, Africa and the Subcontinent.

Marriott International and Emirates Airline's joint event, Global Pursuits is aimed to help enhance Dubai's profile as one of the world's most attractive tourism destinations. The trade show offers unmatched value to its participants, especially because Marriott International and Emirates Airline exemplify excellence in the hospitality industry.

The visitors at the annual Global Pursuits can benefit from the numerous opportunities and services offered during the two-day show with the help of dedicated and well-trained team of marketing-oriented professionals from Marriott International and Emirates Airline.

"We were very pleased with the response received by Global Pursuits in Dubai in the previous years, which makes us optimistic about the success of this year's event. It is an ideal opportunity for industry experts to come to Dubai, which offers an idyllic business climate, coupled with state-of-the-art facilities and exciting tourism projects," added Daqqaq.

The last edition of Global Pursuits, held in 2003, was seen as a great success, attended by a large number of key customers from around the world. This year's event is being co-sponsored by Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, Emirates Post, Hertz, Travel Trade Gazette, Arabian Adventures, Department of Naturalisation and Residency, Dubai World Trade Center and EMAAR.

Global Pursuits is a concept to bring as many of the industry clients to one venue to meet as many individual Marriott hotels and co-sponsor representatives as possible.

"Global Pursuits is a very specialised forum, totally focused on the clients, where the experts meet and learn about Marriott properties and offers from Emirates Airline. It offers an excellent opportunity for the travel representatives to network and keep themselves abreast with the latest developments around the globe," concluded Daqqaq.