Dubai gets awesome attention at global luxury travel conference

The most-appealing Dubai Stand at the International Luxury Travel Market (ILTM), held at Palais des Festivals from December 7 to 9, attracted 10 co-participants under the umbrella of the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) which is pursuing an aggressive year-round marketing and promotional agenda to attract more tourists from across the world.

The ILTM is the only trade event dedicated to enabling global specialist luxury travel trade buyers to meet exclusively with worldwide luxury travel suppliers and destinations in a business-focused 'Hosted Buyer' trade forum.

The DTCM Manager Overseas Promotions, Mr. Khalifa Buamaim, said: "The world-class leisure and business facilities that Dubai offers to the visitors along with a slew of ambitious lifestyle-related projects have been generating tremendous interest in Dubai. The global response we got in the ILTM reconfirms our strong emergence on the world luxury travel market and good prospects this niche market holds for our tourism industry."

Luxury Travel is a lucrative segment representing the elite three per cent of travelers who account for 20 % of the total annual travel expenditure.

The exhibition's visitors include global specialist luxury outbound tour operators, world-wide specialist luxury outbound travel agents, travel arrangers to large corporations and businesses, VIP private travel arrangers to celebrities, royalties and governmental clientele.

DTCM officials who attended the ILTM said the top niche market exhibition attracted 850 VIP 'Hosted Buyers' from 50 countries, a 42 % increase compared with the previous edition.

It was also attended by 150 additional buyers bringing the total to 1,000, a 27.2 % increase compared to the 2003 edition.

The exhibition was attended by 950 companies, a 53.6 % increase compared with the ILTM-2003. Compared with the previous edition, there has been 80 % increase in the number of stands which numbered 320 this year.

A spectacular 42,750 appointments were pre-arranged between the sellers and Hosted Buyers, 71 % more than the previous year.

Representatives from over 100 international print and broadcast media outlets covered the event, a sizeable number of them devoting extensive coverage of Dubai and its attractions, promotions and upcoming projects.

Along with three DTCM officials, the Dubai Stand had 15 representatives from the co-participating companies from the emirate.