Panellists (L to R): Pierre Frederic Roulot, President, Golden Tulip Hospitality & Louvre Hotels | Kurt Ritter, President & CEO, The Rezidor Hotel Group | Sarmad Zok, Chief Executive Officer, Kingdom Hotel Investments | Gerald Lawless, Executive Chairman, Jumeirah Group | Eric Danziger, President & CEO, Wyndham Hotel Group.Picture taken at past Arabian Hotel Investment Conference, which took place 1-3 May 2010 in Dubai (UAE) — Photo by MEED (Middle East Economic Digest)
Session: Successfully Tapping Into The Regional Arab Travel Market. Left to right: Moderator: Alex Kyriakidis, Global Managing Partner – Tourism Hospitality & Leisure, Deloitte | Selim El Zyr, President & CEO, Rotana | HE Saif Mohamed Al Hajeri, Chairman, Abu Dhabi National Hotels | HE Sheikh Mubarak Abdulla Al Mubarak Al Sabah, Chairman, Action Hotels — Photo by MEED (Middle East Economic Digest)
  • Event opened yesterday and will continue through to tomorrow, with attendees enjoying increased opportunities to network with industry leaders
  • The attendance has increased since 2009, with a wider global spread of participants
  • The focus is on ‘Unlocking Investment Opportunities in the Middle East and North Africa’, through an interactive programme that includes panels, breakfast briefings and breakout sessions
  • Conference being held at the Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai, United Arab Emirates; full programme can be found at www.arabianconference.com/programme

AHIC 2010 is being attended this year by over 600 industry professionals from 42 countries, and has enjoyed a significant increase in participants from the hotel investment sector.

One of the highlights of the day was the Leaders’ Panel, which look at how industry CEO’s are protecting and growing their businesses, and where and how they are unlocking investment opportunities in the region. The participants included:

  • Eric Danziger, President & CEO, Wyndham Hotel Group
  • Kurt Ritter, President & CEO, The Rezidor Hotel Group
  • Gerald Lawless, Executive Chairman, Jumeirah Group
  • Pierre Frédéric Roulot, President, Golden Tulip Hospitality & Louvre Hotels
  • Sarmad Zok, Chief Executive Officer, Kingdom Hotel Investments

Mark Wynne-Smith, CEO Europe, Middle East & Africa, Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels, who moderated the panel, commented: “One of the key themes that was discussed was the expected increase in investments in the budget and mid-level hotel sectors in the region. This diversification in the market will help protect against fluctuations in price and occupancy levels caused by the impact of broader economic factors and is an important step as the regional market continues to mature.

These themes were reiterated, and expanded upon, in the panel focusing on ‘Successfully Tapping into the Regional Arab Travel Market’, which looked at gaps in the market for new supply. Participants included:

  • HE Sheikh Mubarak Abdulla Al Mubarak Al Sabah, Chairman, Action Hotels
  • HE Saif Mohamed Al Hajeri, Chairman, Abu Dhabi National Hotels
  • Selim El Zyr, President & CEO, Rotana
  • Moderated by: Alex Kyriakidis, Global Managing Partner – Tourism Hospitality & Leisure, Deloitte

Jonathan Worsley, Chairman of Bench Events which co-organises AHIC, commented: “I am delighted at the increased turnout this year, and particularly the constantly growing participation by investors in the sector, as well by attendees from the MENA region. The quality and quantity of the debates that have been held by the participants so far has been extremely high, and it is proving to be great opportunity to facilitate networking and deal-making prospects.”

Selected Programme Highlights For Monday 3rd May:

The Country Forum

What you need to know to invest intelligently in Oman, Saudi Arabia and Morocco, by listening to those shaping the direction of tourism and hotel investment.

Moderator:

  • John Defterios, Host, CNN Marketplace Middle East

Panellists:

  • HE Yassir Zenagui, Minister of Tourism and Handicraft Kingdom of Morocco
  • HE Dr Rajiha Abdul Ameer Ali, Minister of Tourism Sultanate of Oman
  • Dr Salah K AlBukkayet, Vice President, Investment, Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities

2010 AHIC Leadership Award Winner

  • The Award will be presented to Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoon al Nahyan, Chairman of TDIC and Chairman, Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority by His Highness Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of the Dubai Department of Civil Aviation, Chairman of Dubai Airports and Chairman and CEO of Emirates Airlines, followed by a conversation with John Defterios, Host of CNN Marketplace Middle East.

Rosemary Youssef
+971 50 354 8805
MEED (Middle East Economic Digest)