Maldives Association of Travel Agents and Tour Operators (MATATO) has announced plans to host a destination stand for Maldives at Riyadh Fair 2019.
Riyadh Travel Fair will take place at Al Faisaliah Tower Hotel in Riyadh from March 20-22. This is the fourth year that MATATO is taking part in Suadi Arabia’s leading travel trade event.
“MATATO intends to make best of this opportunity, and give opportunity for Maldivian travel businesses to make direct networking with the Middle East market and other emerging markets around the world,” a statement issued by MATATO read.
Organised by ASAS Exhibitions, Riyadh Fair is considered as a significant annual event where the leading travel and tourism companies in Saudi Arabia and Gulf countries come together with exhibitors representing tourism authorities and tourist companies from different countries.
The show offers the opportunity for travel and tourism organisations to introduce their activities and services. It also offers investment opportunities in tourism within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Gulf Cooperation Council Countries (GCC).
Riyadh is one of the richest cities in the Middle East and the 80th richest city in the world. Once a small walled city, Riyadh has developed into a dynamic metropolis over the years. Along with the urban areas of Dhahran, Dammam, Khobar and Jeddah, Riyadh has become a focal point for both travel and trade.
Middle East accounts for 3.4 per cent of tourist arrivals to the Maldives, with 52,114 tourists from the region holidaying in the Maldives in 2018. It was a 5.9 per cent growth over 2017.