Lebanon, has once again made a place for itself in the world tourism map and the Arab World Travel and Tourism Exchange (AWTTE), which takes place in Beirut every year in October, is helping to consolidate its position.
The number of visitors to the exhibition has been growing steadily every year by 20 per cent and the exhibiting space has increased accordingly.
Last year, AWTTEE registered 6,252 visitors from 50 countries. Ministers, representatives from WTO, WTTC, major airlines, hotel chains and tourism promotion professors presented their latest studies, projects and developments in the Middle East region. Furthermore, Lifetime Achievement Awards were presented to three prominent figures in the travel and tourism industry; HRH Prince Al Walid Bin Talal, chairman of the Kingdom Holding Company, Akbar Al Baker, Qatar Airways CEO and chairman of Qatar Tourism Authority, and HE Sheikh Tarek Al Qasimi, chairman of the Sharjah Tourism Development Authority.
Hotel chains, such as Le Royal Hotels, who are also this year’s Gold Host Hotel Sponsor, InterContinental Hotels Group, Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts, Metropolitan Hotels and Safir Hotels in addition to local and private hotels in Lebanon, have already booked their spaces.
AWTTE promotes inbound and outbound tourism in Lebanon and the Middle East, be it for incentive and business or vacation and leisure. Through these vital times for regional tourism, AWTTE 2005 will be the meeting place of countries, major tour operators, travel agents, airlines, hotel chains and other members of the travel and tourism industry from across the region and the rest of the world.