MALT Congress 2018 to return for its 6th annual to Dubai
Emphasizing on the tremendous potential of the Middle East’s outbound travel market, MICE Arabia and Luxury Travel (MALT) Congress, the region’s premier by invitation-only business platform, will bring the world under one roof for the 6th time to Dubai on Feb. 27, 2018.
Outbound business and luxury travel from the Middle East increased at an annual rate of 4 percent from 2012 to 2016, a figure higher than the global average.
Figures released by VISA estimated that the MENA region will see the number of annual outbound trips rise from 42 million in 2016 to 65 million by 2025.
According to a Credit Suisse report, GCC nationals spend 260 percent more on airfare than other nationalities, with up to 60 percent purchasing business tickets. They also spend an average of 430 percent more on accommodation and 558 percent more on dining.
Travel demand in the region is underpinned by the lucrative GCC business and luxury travel buyers. Poised to capitalize on the region’s fast-growing outbound travel market, the sixth annual MALT congress will welcome influencers from the world of conferences, meetings, incentives, events, business and luxury travel for more than 15 hours of learning and more than 10 hours of business networking over two days.
Experiential travel will be a key theme at the 2018 event and will encompass the adventure, culture, heritage, wellness and spa, and cruise tourism segments, which are currently trending globally.
The congress will see hoteliers, destination management companies, concierge services, team building companies, tourism boards and other suppliers of varied categories from around the world who can customize their offerings to MICE needs and explore potential business opportunities.
The congress will feature expert sessions on how to create meaningful supplier relationships, technology trends and the latest on how travel buyers and managers can keep their programs relevant to changing needs, and of course, the crux of the event lies in sealing business deals and getting the most out of the pre-arranged business meetings interwoven into the two-day congress.
Speaking about the congress, N.C. Sind, director for conferences, QNA International, said: “The 2017 edition of the MICE Arabia Congress boasted a whopping 1,800 meetings during the two-day period and with the 2018 edition, we intend on raising the bar even further for the event. We have introduced six ‘WOW’ elements that make it the special sixth edition.”