DUBAI, 4 May 2006 — Most of the 16 participating companies in the Saudi pavilion at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) have finalized deals worth millions of Saudi riyals. Mohammed Al-Dajwi, supervisor of flower production in Taif at Hamil Al-Misk Perfume Company, said that the company signed a deal worth more than SR2 million with a UAE perfume company. Al-Dajwi said that his company would export the famous fresh Taif flowers to Oudakum Company in the UAE to be processed and marketed in the region.
Abdul Rahman Al-Hazimi, official at Dream Diver company, said that they had held several meetings during the exhibition with a Bahrain-based tour company to prepare diving and tourism offers to the Kingdom.
He said that they had also held serious meetings with tour operators from Kuwait, Yemen, Egypt and Tunisia to formulate special tourism packages for diving and desert adventures in the Kingdom.
Ahmad Al-Ghayamah, official at Al-Sarh Tour Operating Company, said that they have set up meetings with a Tunisian tour company, to finalize hotel prices and tourism facilities in the Kingdom in order to sign a tourism agreement to bring tourists from Tunisia.
Fahad Al-Utaibi, official at Al-Fursan Travel Agency, said that they managed to make successful primary agreements with tour operators from Brazil, France and China in order to bring tourists from those countries to enjoy special tourism packages in the Kingdom. He noted that they had been approached by many international tour operators, especially after the announcement by Prince Sultan ibn Salman, Secretary General of the Supreme Commission for Tourism that non-religious tourism visas to the Kingdom would now be issued.
The ATM has achieved a first day visitor record of 19 percent more industry professionals attending than last year, according to organizers.
The show, which runs until Friday night at the Dubai World Trade Center, attracted 3,564 visitors on Monday, according to figures released by Reed Travel Exhibitions, organizing company.