In a lead-up to its preparation for the 2013 edition, the Gulf Incentive, Business Travel and Meetings Exhibition (GIBTM) organizers will be commencing a series of brand new GCC and Levant-focused education and networking forums.
These forums will be directed to Meetings, Business Travel and Incentive based companies to gain insight and knowledge in order to enhance their trade show experience.
Aptly themed, ‘GIBTM Talks: Maximising your ROI’, the road show will commence on 14th October in Muscat and run through 19th October, visiting Doha, Manama, Amman and Beirut.
“The Omani Ministry of Tourism, and Sultanate’s tourism industry, are working hard to raise the regional bar when it comes to showcasing the destinations competitiveness and diversity,” said Lois Hall, Exhibition Manager for GIBTM.
The Sultanate welcomed 1.6 million tourists in 2011, with 2012 figures forecast to reach two million by year-end, according to the Ministry of Tourism. In 2011, total tourism revenues accounted for 2.6% of Oman’s gross domestic product (GDP) and government aims to increase this to around 3.5% by 2015. According to the Ministry of Tourism, the meetings, incentives, conference and events (MICE) sector has seen healthy growth in the last two years, with up to 10% of MICE visitors returning as leisure travellers.
The educational and networking forum, is supported by the Ministry of Tourism and will be held at the Park Inn Muscat.