Jordan Times
Monday, January 28, 2008
Jordan to participate in
FITUR 2008
By Dalya Dajani
AMMAN - The Kingdom’s tourism industry is preparing for its annual participation
at one of the world’s largest travel and tourism trade shows in Spain this week.
The three-day International Tourism Fair (FITUR), which opens in Madrid on
Tuesday, is a key meeting platform for thousands of industry professionals to
discuss tourism business developments, network and enhance destination
competitiveness.
Participants will have the opportunity to examine the latest developments and
strategies in the industry, in addition to marketing measures and
communications.
As one of the largest gatherings of tour operators in the industry, FITUR is a
key opportunity to reinforce the Kingdom’s position on the global tourism map
and Spain in particular, according to Jordan Tourism Board (JTB) Managing
Director Nayef Fayez.
“FITUR is a very important event to conduct business with other tourism industry
representatives and tour operators,” said Fayez.
“Our focus, however, will be on maintaining our presence in the Spanish market
and increasing the number of visitors from that market,” he added.
Around 16 Jordanian exhibitors will be taking part in the event, including eight
local tour operators, seven hotels, the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority
and Royal Jordanian, Fayez told The Jordan Times
According to the JTB official, the Spanish market is considered one of the
strongest in terms of outbound travel, with travel interests pointing to the
region, including Jordan, Egypt, Israel and Turkey.
Tourist arrivals from Spain have been growing steadily, with a reported 67 per
cent increase in 2007 compared to the previous year.
Fayez said over 30,000 Spanish tourists visited Petra last year.
A 2006 report published by the Institute of Tourism Studies in Spain showed that
it was one of the most important markets in the world with regard to visitor and
visitor revenue.
The report noted that this growth came largely from e-marketing efforts as
nearly 60 per cent of hotel and airline bookings were made online.
According to FITUR organisers, attendance is going to be higher than last year’s
with around 12,000 exhibiting companies from 170 countries. Over a quarter of a
million visitors will be attending, 150,000 of them travel and tourism sector
professionals.
Conferences and seminars providing analytical perspectives and discussions on
current and future prospects of global tourism will be held on the sidelines of
the event, which will also feature other seminars including state-of-the-art
trends in tourism e-marketing, social networks, mobile technologies, and the
integration of e-marketing in holistic marketing strategies.
UN World Tourism Organisation (WTO) partner Microsoft and other technology
companies will be sharing their experience and predictions at the seminar.