An international trade exhibition highlighting products and services for the hospitality and food services sectors in the region will be held in Jordan later this year.
The International Hospitality Forum will bring together professionals and decision-makers in the hospitality, catering and leisure industries and showcase the wide range of products and services in the Middle East. The event will be held at Zara Expo, Amman's newest and most advanced conference facilities, from October 23-25. Organisers said 90 companies have already confirmed their participation with 80 per cent of floor space booked. Besides an exhibition of products and services, there will also be seminars, workshops and meetings related to tourism, hospitality and food service sector and a competition involving chefs from Jordan's top restaurants. While the event primarily targets visitors from Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Palestine, organisers hope it will appeal to a wider audience from the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East countries. Suppliers and manufacturers involved in food and beverage, furniture and furnishing, tableware, hotel amenities, catering, bathroom and bedroom accessories, kitchen and laundry equipment, interior decorating, lighting, uniforms and linen are expected to showcase their products at the exhibition. Companies involved in security and safety services, health, leisure and entertainment, maintenance and hospitality services are also expected to be part of the event. One and forty new hotels and resorts are planned for the Middle East in the next four to five years, adding more than 38,000 rooms to the region. All major international hotel chains are expanding their presence in the region with six new quality hotels set to open in Jordan alone by the end of this year. These include major brands like Sheraton, Meridien, Crowne Plaza, Marriott and Four Seasons. Governments too are investing heavily in the development of their tourism infrastructure with more than $1 billion to be spent on construction of new hotels and renovation of existing ones in Beirut alone. International Hospitality Forum is being organised by Hospitality Services, famous for its annual Horeca show in Lebanon, and new Jordan company, Events UnLimited. The Jordan Hotel Association and Jordan Tourism Board are the official sponsors of the event.