Derek Houston of Houston Marketing, Africa Representative of Reed Travel Exhibitions, a close ally to the East African tourism sectors and in particular to Kenya, was swift to step into the breach when news broke that the Kenya Tourism Board will not be able to have a stand at the 2014 edition of the Middle East’s most important tourism trade fair, the Arabian Travel Market.
While only recently efforts were made by Kenya to get into the Kuwait market, the absence due to lack of funds from ATM 2014 is seen as a major miscalculation by Kenya’s government, and the decision, going by the comments received since the news broke late last week, all indicate that many stakeholders, top guns among them, now think that their government has finally lost the plot.
Houston Marketing’s mail to the Kenyan private sector came as a welcome relief and reads as follows:
Hi all Kenya tourism colleagues,
Unfortunately for budgetary reasons KTB aRe not going to exhibit at Arabian Travel Market 2014.
We have therefore decided to offer Kenyan and other East African companies booths on an East African pavilion* at Arabian Travel Market which takes place from 05-08 May 2014 in Dubai.
*If we fill the stand with Kenyan companies only we will then rebrand it as a Kenya stand with Kenya graphics!
Arabian Travel Market is the premier business to business travel exhibition in the Middle East. The show provides an established international platform to reach high value customers and build your brand.
At Arabian Travel Market you will meet buyers not only from the UAE, but also from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Iran, India , Pakistan and Bahrain.
Arabian Travel Market also has a good attendance of buyers from East Mediterranean and North African countries.
There has been a tremendous response from African countries for Stand space at ATM 2014. Currently, Nigeria, Seychelles, Mauritius, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Namibia, and Ethiopia will be participating.
ATM 2013 attendance figures included 21,096 travel trade professionals from 165 countries.17.0% of all visitors were interested in doing business with Africa.
For information, go to www.houstonmarketing.co.za
WHAT TO TAKE AWAY FROM THIS ARTICLE:
- Derek Houston of Houston Marketing, Africa Representative of Reed Travel Exhibitions, a close ally to the East African tourism sectors and in particular to Kenya, was swift to step into the breach when news broke that the Kenya Tourism Board will not be able to have a stand at the 2014 edition of the Middle East's most important tourism trade fair, the Arabian Travel Market.
- While only recently efforts were made by Kenya to get into the Kuwait market, the absence due to lack of funds from ATM 2014 is seen as a major miscalculation by Kenya's government, and the decision, going by the comments received since the news broke late last week, all indicate that many stakeholders, top guns among them, now think that their government has finally lost the plot.
- We have therefore decided to offer Kenyan and other East African companies booths on an East African pavilion* at Arabian Travel Market which takes place from 05-08 May 2014 in Dubai.
