Horeca 2018 to be held from January 15 to 17
KUWAIT: The Horeca Kuwait 2018 organizing committee announced that the exhibition will be held in the period of Jan 15-17, 2018 under the auspices of Minister of Commerce and Industry and Minister of State for Youth Affairs Khaled Al-Roudhan at the Mishref International Fairgrounds. This came in a statement by the head of the committee and Leaders Group General Manager Nabila AlAnjeri, who stressed that Roudhan’s patronage adds more value to this one-of-a-kind event in Kuwait and manifests the minister’s interest in activating trade and industry as well as the care given to youth issues and enhancing Kuwaiti youth role in national production, not to mention creating more job opportunities for them.
“The continued success of our exhibition emphasizes that Kuwait is ready for promising achievements in the line of hospitality, especially if the government cooperates with the private sector and proper policies are set,” she said. Anjeri added that business and hospitality tourism is rapidly growing in Kuwait thanks to initiatives by non-governmental bodies. “The total number of participants has so far reached more than twice as much as those taking part in Horeca’s first edition,” she added, noting that over 80 leading companies specializing in hospitality, food, hotel equipment, tourism, shipping and energy have so far joined Horeca 2018.
Anjeri stressed that it is one of the exhibition’s aims to prove that tourism and hospitality can be promoted and developed “once we have the will and sound planning”. “This is annually proven with each edition of Horeca even without implementing new government policies or strategic plans to encourage tourism and business. So, what if we had such policies and plans?” she wondered.
Anjeri thanked the International fair Grounds Company and participants in the exhibition, the culinary competition and other activities, noting that sponsors are actual partners in the success achieved so far. She added that the exhibition is held through a strategic partnership between Leaders Group and the Lebanese company ‘Hospitality Services’, the owner of the ‘Horeca’ trademark in the Arab world.
“Horeca is not just an exhibition - it is rather a specialized phenomenon directly related to tourism and the hospitality sector,” Anjeri said, noting that the exhibition is also a venue for catering and hotel equipment business. Over the past seven years, the exhibition has proven its ability to grow and develop despite the occasional regional economic and political crises. “This proves that Kuwait is a fertile environment for these activities once we have the needed executive decisions,” she concluded.