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ITCA Dubai a window on rapidly growing Middle East travel market The second edition of the International Travel Catering Association Dubai Exhibition and Conference concluded December 13 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre (DICEC) in a region marked by rapid growth in the aviation sector. The three-day specialized exhibition and conference featured 123 participating companies from 23 countries, representing the most well known in the world of travel catering and in-flight services. The exhibition also served as a key platform for boosting associated industries in the region. The official opening ceremony was presided over by HE Khalid Bin Sulayem, Director General, Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, and attended by several representatives from government organizations, and public sector companies. The VIP entourage toured the exhibition after the opening ceremony. The event was organized by the Dubai World Trade Centre in association with ITCA, and sponsored by the airline Emirates, while Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) sponsored the exhibition component. Helal Saeed Al Marri, Director General of Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), stressed on the importance and impact of the event in a local environment where new businesses are emerging on a frequent basis, and where competition is strong. “The ITCA Dubai event is designed to address the needs and concerns of the thriving market place,” he said. “The Middle East is very strategic and this is where the growth is,” said Gate Gourmet, Chairman and CEO David N. Siegel, who was in Dubai for the announcement of the group’s new regional office. “We are unmatched in our scope of services, in the synergies and the added value that we can bring in all segments. At the same time, our sweet-spot is in long-haul premium, and that is what the carriers do here.” Certainly, from the evidence of the recent Dubai Air Show in November, the region is moving to a new level in terms of its importance as an East-West gateway – or a series of gateways on the lines of Europe – and in terms of its importance to caterers and service providers. The declared on-site sales tally of the Dubai Air Show in November topped U.S. $100 billion. After three days of major announcements, it emerged that the regional airlines and lease-back companies will take the lion’s share of global aircraft orders up to 2018 including Qatar Airways (30 firm and 30 options for 787-8 Dreamliners and 27 777s), Dubai Aerospace Enterprise (eight A330-200s for leaseback plus 100 A350 XWBs), Saudi Arabia’s NAS (120 single-aisle aircraft) and the list goes on. “The shift is very profound,” commented Siegel. “When you consider the growing East-West passenger flows, a lot of that traffic will be flying over the major hubs of the Middle East.” “We see the region as growing very fast in catering and we are open to any kind of assistance or partnership” said Servair Executive Vice President, Pierre Daul. “There is no doubt, they are really expanding here, and we don’t know when it will stop. This means there is a booming demand for advice, as well as capital.” At the exhibition, Mark Deboer, President of CFSC, the Dutch travel catering company, said: “The ITCA Dubai this year overall is already better than last year.” Terry Daly, Emirates' Divisional Senior Vice President, Service Delivery said that Emirates was pleased to be the official airline, and to play a vital role in ITCA Dubai. “Emirates has a major role in bringing ITCA 2007, the region's biggest travel catering industry event, to Dubai again this year. The Middle East is one of the world's fastest growing regions for travel and aviation, and Dubai is at the forefront, with numerous multi-billion dollar tourism infrastructure projects underway. It is the perfect location to host the region's top specialist travel catering services exhibition and conference,” he said. Ian Ross, the Regional Manager for the Middle East and Africa of MLA, said that the organization has been working closely with Australian exporters to capture market share in the evolving foodservice and catering sectors of the Middle East. “Participation in ITCA 2007 will provide MLA the opportunity to showcase the Australian meat industry, from on-farm developments to the latest industry initiatives including food safety and quality assurance programs to menu development opportunities,” he said. (An interview with MLA’s Rodney Simms can be found in the November-December issue of PAX International). Other major exhibitors included Emirates Group’s Foodpoint, many of the major food, juice, water and produce suppliers such as Safa Dairies, Del Monte, Dole, Middle East, Gourmet House, plus newcomers such as RAK Porcelain. Dole said that it is keen to build on its packaged fruits business, and the awareness of lighter and healthy food options. It is currently supplying Emirates and is talking to several airlines that are willing to take fresh products. During the event it also received enquiries from hotels and operators of convenience stores at petrol stations and the future Dubai Metro stations. RAK Porcelain Sales Manager-Retail, Sandeep Indulkar, explained that since establishing its state of the art factory two years ago, the UAE company has already made inroads into the hotels sector, supplying 62 countries. He said RAK Porcelain is now ready to supply special light and less-decorated tableware for airlines and other special travel segments. “For airlines and other customers we can customize, and for inflight we have special items that are light and strong,” said Indulkar, adding that the company has just started supplies to its first fully-fledged airline client. “The airlines place yearly porcelain orders and we are ready to work with them to change the designs of the items,” he said. “They find RAK Porcelain is very feasible for them, and with our fast turnaround and using the latest technology we can help to reduce the inventory tied up at the base station of the airline.” —Trevor Lloyd-Jones |
