The GCC’s Mice industry, valued at $1.3 billion, is set to experience robust growth in the coming years, with the UAE, Oman and Saudi Arabia driving its expansion.

To showcase the region's boom, Alpha Destination Management will be participating at ‘The Meetings Show’ at Olympia London from June 27 to 29 as a co-exhibitor at the Dubai Tourism stand.

Abdullah Aridi, director of sales and operation – Mice, Alpha Destination Management, said: “Mice is a very lucrative sector for us. Therefore, it is important for us to be present at The Meetings Show, a premier trade event in the UK market, which presents us a great opportunity to leverage our relations with both existing and new partners.”

Mice contribution to the total travel market is 54 per cent. Globally the Mice market, which includes around 400,000 conferences and exhibitions, is estimated at a size of US$280 - $300 billion.

Aridi stressed: “The Middle East Mice sector has no doubt come a long way in a very short span of time and is poised for continued growth. The UAE is the biggest and the most popular destination for Mice in the Middle East. At Alpha, we are ideally placed to capitalise on this opportunity being the leading destination management company in the GCC and a pioneer in the tourism sector in the Arabian Gulf.”

Highlighting the reasons for the UAE’s growing significance as a pivotal Mice destination, Aridi said: “Safety is a huge plus for the country with the Emirates setting a great example in being one of the safest destinations in the world. Moreover, the exciting new developments coming up for Dubai Expo 2020 that are aimed at enhancing the infrastructure, business facilities, leisure attractions and connectivity will further boost and accelerate UAE’s global and regional positioning as a MICE destination. Geographically too the country enjoys a strategic location between the East and West with over 2/3 of the world's population living within an eight hours flight from Dubai and 1/3 within four hours. The new visa policies that are meant to ease the travel process will also have an extremely positive impact on the sector.”

Elaborating on the specific requirements of Mice, Aridi stated: “Our approach to Mice has to be different than other segments and key to that is coming up with new ideas and curated packages. Excellence, innovation, personalisation, flexibility, competitive pricing and value-added packages are essential to succeed in this demanding segment. Mice travel is not restricted to meetings and events only. These days we are increasingly witnessing demand for Bleisure Travel (Business + Leisure) among Mice travellers, hence it is important that we focus on offering unique experiences in terms of adventure, entertainment, cuisines and culture.”

Alpha Destination Management will be present at Dubai Tourism Stand no. C400 at The Meetings Show at Olympia London. Attending the exhibition from Alpha will be Aridi, offering support and guidance to global business event organisers in planning international meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions in Dubai. - TradeArabia News Service