Some 270 exhibitors from 55 countries were taking part in the Riyadh Travel Fair (RTF) 2017, which was inaugurated here on Friday.
The show, now in its ninth edition, is the Kingdom’s leading travel industry event, and opened its doors at Prince Sultan Grand Hall, Al Faisaliah Hotel, Riyadh. It will run till Monday.
The four-day event focused on business networking opportunities, insightful seminar sessions, ministerial discussions and the recognition of 12 months of the tourism industry’s achievements.
The 2017 edition is the largest on record with an increase in both the number of exhibitors and expected visitor arrivals. Over 50 national and regional pavilions have a prominent presence, with the show floor space increased by 10 percent compared to the 2016 event.
Bander Algryni, general manager of Asas Exhibitions, said: “The 2017 edition is the largest Riyadh Travel Fair to date thereby extending our prominence as the leading travel and tourism exhibition in the Kingdom. More than 250 exhibitors from tourism boards, airlines, tour operators and hotels from more than 50 countries are currently present in the exhibition.”
The Riyadh Travel Fair is open to both travel professionals and the general public looking for in-depth destination information and special deals.
Visitors to the 2017 edition will be able to interact directly with various tourism authorities, hotels, airlines and travel agents from around the world.
The Arabian Gulf region will have a strong presence at the fair including pavilions sponsored by Abu Dhabi Tourism & Cultural Authority, Sharjah Commerce & Tourism Development Authority, and Indonesia Tourism.
Exhibitors from Asia, Oceania, Europe and North Africa will also be present, along with hotels, airlines, travel agencies, online booking sites, and car rental companies.
This year, RTF introduces a platform for niche tourism segments. For the first time, RTF will also present activities and packages targeted to youth travel and medical tourism.
Exhibitors will be presenting digital innovations such as virtual reality (VR) goggles, information on new youth travel destinations, events and festivals as well as medical tourism destinations and packages.
Reynaldo L. Ching, from the Philippines pavilion, said his country remains an attractive destination for Saudi tourists. He said efforts are being made to attract them for a family holiday.
Ajantha Rathnayake, assistant director at Sri Lanka Tourism Promotions told Arab News that there has been a 10 percent annual growth in Saudi tourists to Colombo. Last year, he said the island attracted some 45,000 Saudis from the Kingdom. He said the island has more than 1,000 rooms within five-star facilities and new globally renowned hotels are coming up in all parts of island. The latest additions to this sector include the Movenpick and Shangri La hotels.

Source: Arab News