The  GCC or Gulf Co -operation Council comprises 6 Nations -Saudi Arabia,The UAE,Qatar,Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman.

25% of the world’s oil supply comes [...]]]> At the recent Arabian Travel Market in Dubai , Derek Houston learnt some interesting facts about travel by GCC Nationals.

Here is a Brief synopsis of the research study by Sunil Malhotra

The  GCC or Gulf Co -operation Council comprises 6 Nations -Saudi Arabia,The UAE,Qatar,Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman.

25% of the world’s oil supply comes from these 6 countries.

Average per capita income of Citizens is USD25,200 per person.

The GCC  Outbound Market comprises 4 different demographic groups

1)Arab Expats from Middle East ,North Africa

2)Westerners

3)Asian Expatriates

4)GCC Nationals -Emiratis /Saudis

Some Characteristics of GCC Nationals Travel Preferences

Prefer City Centre Hotels or Apartments

Serviced Apartments very popular.

Arabic Speaking Guides or Meet and Greet service

Role of the Travel agent is Crucial

GCC Nationals travel in large families 6-12 adults and children Plus Maid

Duration of trips averages between 21-42 days per year (their long holiday)

Travel spend per Person per day ranges from USD1600-USD4100 (this includes air fares).

Qatar has the highest Travel spend pppd

High proportion of  GCC Nationals travel First or Business Class. Air fares account for 54% of Outbound Travel spend.

GCC nationals travel frequently on Business trips and Government business .

A large number work in Government Depts or Agencies and  salaries are very high.

Critical Influencers

Word of Mouth recommendations

Press Publicity on a destination

Availability of Visas -hassle free application process

 Other Factors 

Shopping very important

Health Tourism also important

Weather not too hot-in fact they prefer milder climates and rain!

Mike Levy leads with 54 years  while Derek Houston only has 47 years’ experience!

I  remember Mike from his many years at AATB [...]]]>

Seen at the recent  spotlight Travel workshops at the Crowne Plaza Johannesburg are two travel golden oldies who have clocked up an incredible 101 years of working in the Travel industry.

Mike Levy leads with 54 years  while Derek Houston only has 47 years’ experience!

I  remember Mike from his many years at AATB Travel In Johannesburg says Derek. Them was the days of handwritten tickets , No BSP and real service from the airline reps (though most sales were done at the Commissioner Bar  at lunch time!!).

Derek and Mike challenge any two other “golden oldie”s  to beat their 101 years in travel and we will donate 1001 rand to a charity of their choice!!

Results of new study unveiled at Arabian Travel Market a must-have for destinations targeting Gulf travelers – Qataris are highest spenders abroad with daily average of U.S $4,100 followed by KSA $3,360 and UAE $3,280

The findings of a recent study on the outbound [...]]]> Unique survey reveals travel habits of GCC nationals

Results of new study unveiled at Arabian Travel Market a must-have for destinations targeting Gulf travelers – Qataris are highest spenders abroad with daily average of U.S $4,100 followed by KSA $3,360 and UAE $3,280

The findings of a recent study on the outbound travel habits of GCC nationals were revealed today (Wednesday 2 May) during a session held as part of the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2012 seminar series.

Authored by Sunil Malhotra, senior lecturer at the Emirates Aviation College, the study, entitled ‘The Outbound GCC Travel Market – Unique Trends and Characteristics of GCC Nationals’, interviewed 2,500 GCC nationals about their travel habits over a 12-month period from January to December 2011.

“The results of the survey are an invaluable tool for destinations and exhibitors looking to capture increased market share from this affluent and well-travelled market segment,” said Mark Walsh, Portfolio Director, Reed Travel Exhibitions, the organiser of Arabian Travel Market.

Malhotra surveyed a broad demographic of GCC nationals from Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. He focused on 20 criteria from travel spend and favored class of travel to destination-specific preferences and decision-maker identification, to present a detailed picture of GCC residents’ habits.

According to the study, Qataris spend the most on travel with an average expenditure of US$4,100 per day, followed by travelers from Saudi Arabia at US$3,360 and the UAE at US$3,280. The breakdown of spend across all GCC nationalities includes 54% allocated to airfares (across all classes of travel), 18% on accommodation, 9% on dining and 5% on car rental.

Compared to the rest of the world, GCC nationals spend 260% more on airfares and 430% on accommodation, but 13% less on car rental.

“The class of travel is also important, with 40% of Qataris interviewed opting for first class, and between 40 and 60% of all GCC nationals booking business class,” remarks Malhotra.

The study findings touched on the recurring theme of extended vacations as a major differentiator between this region and the rest of the world, led by Qatari and Saudi Arabian travelers, with stays ranging from 14 up to 56 days.

Decision makers also differ across the region and the six Gulf countries are split into two clear camps, with the wife usually choosing the destination in Bahrain, Kuwait and the UAE, while the male head of household has the final say in Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

According to the report summary, 53 per cent of survey respondents will travel to between two and five countries for leisure or pleasure within the next 12 months, with Saudi nationals the most frequent travelers, followed by the UAE.

“Cultural experiences and family-focus are the two most important factors when planning travel, with 40 per cent of survey respondents looking at taking an extended three to four-week trip in the next 12 months,” said Malhotra.

Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, Ruler of Dubai, ATM 2012 is being held at the Dubai International Exhibition and Conference Centre and runs through to Thursday 3 May.

You can view the article in the original Dutch or translated by Google into English.

Whilst PCMA (Professional Convention Management Association) has created an exclusive strategic partnership agreement with RTE’s IBTM [...]]]>

29 Nov 2011

AIBTM,voted by the industry as the ‘Best of Show’in the US this year,has announced a unique event partnership with PCMA,as well as collaborations with SITE and ACTE to deliver America Meetings Week for AIBTM 2012.

Pre-show expectations were more than met with 64,950 Hosted Buyer pre-scheduled appointments leading the way to substantial business being [...]]]> The sunshine of Barcelona shone brightly on EIBTM 2011 which closed today having delivered three days of powerful business opportunities and connections as the annual international event for the meetings industry broke all its own records.

Pre-show expectations were more than met with 64,950 Hosted Buyer pre-scheduled appointments leading the way to substantial business being conducted on the exhibition floor.

“Globally, this industry is responsible for 1.7 million jobs and $106 billion ofGDP. Our role is to provide the platform and environment for the sector to meet and conduct business. Ultimately we believe we have achieved that and more and delivered value and profitable results for our customers” commented Graeme Barnett, EIBTM Event Director.

As the show closes today, early indications of just how successful this year’s event has been are recorded in the pre-audited figures.  All trade show attendee numbers for Reed Travel Exhibitions (RTE) are subject to an independent ABC Audit to provide total transparency to all stakeholders.

Over 15,300 meetings industry professionals attended EIBTM over the three days including a total visitor and buyer attendance of 9,262 (last year’s audited numbers were 8,395), 10.3% up on 2010, of which 3,934 were Hosted Buyers (last year’s audited numbers were 3,693 ) delivering a 6.5% increase on Hosted Buyer attendance from 2010.

With more than 100 Professional education sessions – over 3,000 delegates attended seminars including those held in the Future Events Experience.

Eric Bakermans, Meetings & Conventions Marketing Manager, Netherlands Board of Tourism & Conventions summed up many exhibitor’s experiences of the business taking place on the show floor.  “We have been sold out solid, which means that EIBTM offers excellent business opportunities for the Dutch Business Events industry.”

“We have always managed to close a lot of business at EIBTM, but this year it has been especially encouraging.  To start with, it is very well organized and on top of that we have more than 80% of the appointments and had more contacts than last year.  We have also closed group bookings of approximately 2000 persons in various groups for 2012” added Esteban Miso, Solways Group, Congress & Incentives Department.

Sara Elleni, General Manager Chile en Colores DMC spoke of the high level of quality contacts with decision and purchasing power that they met with during the show, “We always have high expectations of EIBTM and this year all our appointments have been with high quality contacts.  We even had 9 people with appointments that we didn’t expect and 3 have given us strong potential business”.

Returning exhibitor Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces spoke of how after 5 years of absence their participation this year at EIBTM met their business objectives.  “The most important thing this year was to show our brand and educate clients, we are very satisfied by the appointments we have had, the high quality of Hosted Buyers and the incentive groups that we have closed with Italy and Belgium” said Kenny Teo, Director of Sales.

“Barcelonacertainly delivered the show we were really hoping for this year and we couldn’t have had better weather to lift the spirits for this industry.  Despite the global economic turmoil, the quality and professionalism of those determined to do business and drive the industry forward is testament to why this year’s event has been such a success” said Barnett.

 EIBTM 2012 will take place from November 27 – 29.  

Twenty exhibitors representing 15 countries in Africa participated and were very impressed by the quality of attendees who were overwhelmingly senior Managers and [...]]]> The Post WTM Spotlight seashow  took the Nordic countries by storm last week.  207 Trade attendees representing 146 different companies/organisations  attended the four sessions -three of which were held on cruise ships.

Twenty exhibitors representing 15 countries in Africa participated and were very impressed by the quality of attendees who were overwhelmingly senior Managers and decision makers.Several very substantial deals were concluded during the workshops and before the workshops ended some exhibitors reported that bookings were already being processed back in their offices.

Another  feature of the workshops were the very substantial prizes offered by the exhibitors including air tickets with Air Namibia, Air France /KLM and Kenya Airways.

Exhibitors were of the opinion that the Nordic countries were virtually

unaffected by the euro crisis and the  desire to travel to Africa was on the increase.Norway with its very high standard of living is an exciting potential market.

Attendance statistics

COPENHAGEN

Personnel attending: Director/Managers -29; Sales/Consultants -18; Press 4 ; Others 3
Companies attending: Travel Agents 15; Incentive 4; Tour operator 15; Press 4; Embassy 1

OSLO

Personnel attending:Managers/Directors -30: Consultants /Sales -22;Press -4;Others – 4
Companies attended :Travel Agency -6;Tour operators-27;Airline 1;Incentive Travel -3;Embassy-1;Press -4

Stockholm

Personnel attending: Owner/Director 20 Consultants 8 Embassy 7 Press 8 Others 3

Companies attending:Tour Operators 11 Travel Agencies 10 Incentive 4 Press 8 Embassy 2 Others 3

Helsinki

Personnel attending: Directors/Managers 25 Consultants/Sales 16 Embassy 2 Press 3

Companies attending: Tour operators 11 Travel Agencies 12 Press 2 Embassy 2

Some of the comments recorded during the Seashow included:

SA Ambassador to Norway

We need to do Spotlight on Africa workshops because of the long relationship Africa has with the Nordic countries. The Norwegians are wealthy people and they need the sun, enjoy different cultures ans share our love for nature.

This is a platform for the tourism industry to experience and see Africa in one venue

Julian Burton y Mones – Blue Bay Hotels

Spotlight on Africa workshops are superb opportunity to meet a wide range of potential business concentrated into  such a short window of time

Johan Brits – Getaway Tours and Safaris

Direct business dealings with major Scandinavian tour operators– quality trade!…bookings already being received in my office.

Mari Fiede – African Profile Namibia

The Nordics travel trade are really interested in new exciting products and Africa is on their bucket list

Liss-Carina Lund  - Jambo Tours Norway

Very interesting and learn a lot about various destinations in Africa.  Made good contacts  and touched base with contacts already made previous year. All in one venue.

Heidi Lium – Affinion International

Updated myself on new products and experiences in Africa. In a short time you can meet various people and take note of different developments.

Tone Eike – Kultur-Reiser

The place to make contact and experience the warm  personal feeling of Africa and its people . It is informative and informal.

Michael Horn Le Voyageur Madagascar
I have also been positively surprised by the quality and number of buyers in Copenhagen, Oslo and Helsinki, and had some nice new contacts in Sweden as well

Robert Cullens – Safaris in Style

Value for money! Big supporter of Spotlight on Africa workshops. we have some really exciting mega deals in the pipeline from the seashow

Babra Adoso – Asyanut Safaris

Spotlight  workshops in Nordic countries are very good for new contacts and new prospects. A destination like Uganda received a lot of  exposure.

John Wambugu Aberdare Safari Hotels

The quality of invited buyers who attended was better then my expectations and we are looking foward to closing some good deals soon.

Trade Journalist Eero Havia – EH-Avia ltd Matkavikko Publi Press

Important platform to make reliable contacts in Africa. Travel products are varied and interesting.

Roberto Cerea TransAfrica Togo
It was great experience to meet so many Tour Operators interested in knowing more about West Africa!

Maxwell Moyo African Sun Hotels Zimbabwe
The attendance and quality of the buyers was indeed amazing. Thanks to you guys!

Matilda Ullberg Avia Reps Sweden

I talked to one product manager in Norway that does production for the entire world and are always really busy. I said that I was happy and surprised that she had time to come. Her reply was that this show is something she definitely prioritizes because of the quality of the show. So that definitely says a lot.  Keep up the good work!

Derek Houston’s next European roadshow is scheduled for March 12-15 in Amsterdam, Prague and Warsaw and we plan to repeat the  Nordics seashow for the 5th year running from November 12-16 2012

ITB Trend report
Of Europe’s nationalities, Swedes are travelling 7% more in 2011, making them the second-biggest outbound growth market after the Swiss (9%). By contrast, Germans are taking only 1% more trips than they did last year. Overall, trips out of Europe have increased by 4% this year.

View the Photo Album – Spotlight Nordic Seashows