Half a decade of making connections

The GCC’s exclusive B2B luxury travel platform is all set to bring together a stellar list of global suppliers and corporate organisations to Dubai this March. Building on the tremendous success of the past four editions, Dubai-based QNA International will host the 5th edition of the MICE Arabia and Luxury Travel Congress at the illustrious Palazzo Versace Hotel “the official host sponsor.

TT Bureau

Emphasising on the potential of luxury travel from the GCC, Sidh NC, Director, QNA International, says, “When it comes to luxury travel, the challenges are more intense. Keeping in line with global changing tastes and attitudes, luxury travellers too are looking for more value for their money. While this does not necessarily mean cheaper, it does mean more benefits such as personalisation, simplification, and seamless services which is the key objective that the congress will focus on.”

The Middle East MICE sector has come a long way in a very short span of time and the GCC’s $1.3 billion MICE industry is set to experience further robust growth, with the UAE, Qatar, Oman and Saudi Arabia driving its expansion through economic diversification.

The value of outbound travellers from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has been estimated at $64 billion, according to a study conducted by Frost & Sullivan and Insights Middle East for Amadeus. The study further estimated the average spend in GCC countries for inter-regional travel at $4,980 and for international business travel at $9,920. These statistics clearly reflect the immense potential for business and meetings, incentives, conferences, and events (MICE) travel from the region.

The congress now completes half a decade and will provide a premier platform for regional and international hotel chains, team building companies, DMCs, tourism boards, cruise companies and other travel and hospitality suppliers to meet over 150 of the top GCC corporations that plan business and MICE travel for their organisations. The fifth edition will focus on the tremendous potential for outbound MICE and luxury travel from the Middle East.

From Tourism Boards such as Switzerland Convention Bureau, Taiwan Tourism Bureau, Tourism Promotions Board Philippines, Greater Fort Lauderdale – CVB, Singapore Tourism Board to five star luxury hotels like Grecotel Hotels & Resorts, Fairmont Baku, Esplanade Zagreb Hotel, Sofitel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills, Al Faisaliah Hotels amongst many others joining the congress from across the world to meet the highly sought after GCC MICE and luxury travel buyer.

The congress taking place on the 1st and 2nd of March 2017 will host the ultimate specialist on sports travel, RoadTrips. Dustin Kaylor, Business Development Director, RoadTrips, comments, “The year 2016 was clearly a challenging year for global travel. At the same time the travel market, and particularly the upper end of the market sees travel as integral part of their lifestyle. Combine ones love of travel with their passion for sports create a strong motivation to travel and experience these events. People will be somewhat more selective in choosing events and destinations, but their desire to witness top global sporting events is strong and they will travel.”

Speaking about business trends that 2016 has witnessed and what should the industry expect in 2017 for MICE and luxury travel, Dag Kastensson, CEO of the Swedish destination management company SNE Northern Europe, says, “We will see more bespoke travel with more demanding visitors travelling as individuals or in smaller groups. Scandinavia has a lot to offer these demanding clients, and the timing with faster and more efficient flight connections to Scandinavia is perfect. There are no indications in Scandinavia of any fiscal or economic changes that will effect luxury and business travel.”

The fifth edition of the congress will emphasize the opportunities for inbound and outbound business and luxury travel, unlike exhibition format events, the congress is all set to provide unparalleled networking opportunities for doing business during the one to one pre-arranged business appointments. It is the regions premier event focused on getting 100 per cent corporate and luxury travel buyers from GCC to meet with global MICE and luxury travel specialists.

The 2016 edition of the congress, held over 1,800 meetings with over 50 destinations represented at the event. “Since ‘doing business’ has been synonymous with the congress, we make sure that we build on the success of our previous editions and make the congress more productive for the delegates as well as the sponsors, thereby creating more opportunities to seal deals,’’ commented Sidh N.C while speaking about his expectation from the event. The congress will feature numerous panelists and keynote speakers, covering topics such as redefining MICE, global trends and challenges in MICE and the intricacies when dealing with luxury travel and how technology has transformed the world of luxury travel to name a few.