Tourism experts from the Middle East and around the world will gather in Bahrain this October to discuss current issues and opportunities in the tourism industry, including “Digital Tourism”, at the Gulf Travel & Tourism Forum (GTTF).

The first edition of GTTF will take place from October 23-25, under the patronage of chief executive officer of the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibition Authority (BTEA), Shaikh Khaled bin Humood Al Khalifa.

The GTTF is organised by Alwane Bahrain Society and WorkSmart for events management.

The three-day event will provide a platform for speakers to share their knowledge and discuss tourism industry topics, including; challenges and opportunities for digital tourism business, practices for sustainable tourism in the gulf, travel innovation and concepts for the millennial market, and the impact of technology to tourism in Bahrain.

The gala event, themed “Tourism Onwards”, will be an opportunity to discuss overcoming the challenges of Tourism in the GCC, understanding the special interests in tourism, women and community involvement in the tourism development and reinventing the GCC tourism blueprint.

The GTTF will provide skills and strategy enhancement through specialised workshops conducted by high-level trainers from local and international companies. The workshops are open for business owners, agents and operators who would like to take on new learnings for the growth of their business.

The four workshops will discuss the integration of marketing for experiential tourism services, fundamentals of destinations pricing and ticketing, E-commerce for travel and tour agents, and boosting to excel the tour guides globally.

A three-day travel and tourism exhibition will be held alongside the forum, where exhibitors will present their diverse products and services. Visitors and exhibitors will have a unique opportunity to meet other travel and tourism key players and establish new contacts and potential business leads.

Chairman of Alwane Bahrain Society, Ammar Awachi, said Gulf Travel and Tourism Forum 2019 seeks to fill in the gap between digital age and heritage in promoting and improving the services of the tourism industry.

“The GTTF aims to foster a positive destination image by promoting Bahrain’s landmarks and its festivals and events. It also supports local travel agencies owned by women, thus providing them with the exposure needed through the event and it creates a platform where the business community can connect with quality partners,” said Awachi. - TradeArabia News Service