DUBAI — The first ever virtual event in the region, the Gulf Travel Show 2020 ended its first day with 40 plus exhibitors, over 1,600 one-to-one meetings, 1,000 plus visitors which included travel agents, tour operators, tourism boards, airlines, hotels, travel management companies, international agencies and media.

San Jeet, director DDP group, in his welcome message reiterated how the industry is slowly but steadily in the process of recovery, “While this year is coming to an end, we decided to put together an event that will help the industry reconnect, restructure, restart and reimagine travel. Our virtual show tests the boundaries of technology while making it more accessible, affordable and safer.”

Attending the event as a buyer Nasir Jamal Khan, CEO — Al Naboodah Travel stated, “It is a great pleasure to be a part of region’s first-ever virtual Gulf Travel Show as TravTalk Middle East brings together the world-class speakers, attendees, and experts from the industry all under one virtual roof connecting and building business relationship.

“Although I believe, live, in-person meetings are irreplaceable which is not possible at present, the smart thinking and planning by TravTalk team resulted in this extremely well organized event aimed to excite, inspire and most importantly connect one another through engaging conversations and webinars led by acknowledged experts.

“However, I look forward to welcoming and meeting our travel trade partners in person to discuss the opportunities and growth in the near the future.”

Exhibiting for the inaugural event was Shahrin Mokhtar — director Tourism Malaysia-Dubai, shared his experience, “GTS 2020 proved a success in connecting buyers with industry players during this critical time. Tourism Malaysia is impressed with such well-organized digital event and the smooth process of meetings with visitors.

“Having an assigned project manager for each exhibitor was a unique service that helped us a lot. It’s a pleasure to be part of GTS 2020 and we are happy that our Malaysia hotels and tour operators took part of this professional business platform. Malaysia is looking forward to welcome tourists again soon and we are keen to showcase our latest tourism products updates for trade & media partners, where Malaysia Truly Asia is always a destination to keep in mind.”

Some of the key highlights of the day included panel discussions with renowned personalities in the industry. Gerald Lawless, former CEO Jumeirah Group and ambassador WTTC, kicked off an insightful session with Anita Mendiratta, special advisor to the secretary general UNWTO, Adel Mardini, founder & CEO Jetex and Ross Veitch, co-founder and CEO — Wego focused on corporate travel.

A special interview about the current aviation trends was discussed between PATA and IATA; Dr. Mario Hardy, CEO PATA, had a very interesting discussion with Kashif Khalid, regional director Africa and Middle East, IATA.

The UK and European market update had a lot of eyeballs during the day. Organized by Alison Cryer, founder & MD, Representation Plus, this discussion included Simon McNamara, area manager UK & Ireland, IATA, Tom Jenkins, CEO, ETOA and Peter Ducker FIH, chief executive, Institute of Hospitality. Overall, attendees appreciated the choice of viewing panel discussions at their own time.

Gulf Travel Show’s exclusive buyer program gained the most traction during the show. Buyers appreciated the personalized services and enjoyed the competitive leader board. A lot of exciting giveaways kept the agents working till late evening. — SG