Upscale Swiss hospitality company Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts will showcase its expansion plans across the Middle East and Asia at a major upcoming MICE event in Abu Dhabi.

The Gulf Incentive, Business Travel & Meetings Exhibition (GIBTM) will run from March 26 to 28 at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec). This year marks the fourth time Mövenpick has taken part in GIBTM.

Mövenpick has 10 hotels under development in the Middle East – including properties in the UAE and Saudi Arabia – and 14 new projects in Asia. It already has 25 hotels in the Middle East and seven in Asia.

Toufic Tamim, vice president Sales & Marketing, Middle East Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts, said: “As the travel industry continues to adapt to a challenging landscape, exhibitions such as GIBTM are an important barometer of business trends.'

“We have seen worldwide economic challenges in the past year and new social dynamics in parts of the Arab world. Now more than ever it is important to understand how the MICE business is changing, how we can work together in a constantly evolving business environment and, most importantly, how we can all adapt to succeed.”

2012 is shaping up to be a significant year for the Middle Eastern MICE industry, the vice president said, and expectations are high that there will be an increase in intra-regional corporate meetings; improved incentive business as well as strong performances from the Russian and Indian incentive market to the UAE.

“A key company focus is also the development of the Chinese incentive market which has the potential to triple within a few years,” Tamim said. “We have already opened our sales office in Shanghai, translated our website into Chinese and planning workshops and road shows throughout China.” – TradeArabia News Service