JEDDAH – ASAS Exhibitions – organizer of the annual Riyadh Travel Fair – has confirmed that the 2015 edition of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's biggest travel and tourism exhibition will be the largest to date, with a robust increase of 20% in the number of exhibitors compared to that held in 2014. The annual event now in its seventh year will be held from April 14 – 17, 2015 and will see over 200 exhibitors from 50 different countries. The Riyadh Travel Fair will be held at the Four Season Hotel Riyadh and is open to travel and tourism professionals as well as the general public keen to discover more about exciting and exotic travel destinations. Bander' Algryni, General Manager ASAS Exhibitions, said: “2015 will be the largest Riyadh Travel Fair to date thereby extending our prominence as the leading travel and tourism exhibition in the kingdom. 200 exhibitors from Tourism Boards, Airlines, Tour Operators and Hotels from 50 countries will be present in the exhibition. It's been a year of growth not only for the tourism and hospitality industry in the Kingdom, but for RTF; and with Saudi nationals increasingly travelling overseas at a greater number year on year, the opportunities that the RTF provides for domestic and overseas destinations, hospitality service providers and other tourism related businesses, to directly meet with the kingdom's leading travel professionals and travellers has never been more significant.” The 2014 edition of the Riyadh Travel Fair saw a total recorded number of visitors reach 13,678. Total visitor numbers for the 2015 edition are expected to further increase with a projected number of 20,000 –visitors targeted. Visitors to the 2015 edition will be able to interact directly with various tourism authorities, hotels, airlines and travel agents from around the world. The Arabian Gulf region will have a strong presence at the fair including stands by; Abu Dhabi Tourism & Cultural Authority as strategic partner, Sharjah Commerce & Tourism Development Authority as gold partner and Fujairah Tourism and Antiques Authority as silver partner to name just a few. Turkey Tourism will have the biggest presence and delegation attending the show. Exhibitors from Asia, Oceania, Europe and North Africa will also be present, along with travel agency and online booking site representatives. — SG
