JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s auto care and transport market continues to be on the upswing. This is reflected in the four-day inaugural Auto Care and Transport Arabia (ata’09) exhibition, which opened at the Jeddah Center for Forums & Events last night.
Describing the expo as “impressive and highly useful for the Kingdom’s ongoing progress,” Mufreh Al-Zahrani, assistant deputy minister for technical affairs and director of transport and road affairs for the Western Region, who opened the show, said the auto care and transport sector formed a major catalyst in the progress of the Kingdom.
The Kingdom’s auto care and transport market was estimated to be in the region of more than $9 billion, the minister said during a press conference held after his tour of exhibits.
A major highlight of the show is the General Authority of Civil Aviation that has put up a prominent pavilion at the center of the exhibition hall showcasing the new airports that are under plan or construction. They include Madinah, Jeddah, Najran Al-Ula and Tabuk. The Jeddah Islamic Port has also showcased its facilities.
China is the largest participant with 25 of its companies, followed by Egypt with 15 companies. Thailand, Taiwan, Tunisia, the UAE, the UK, Germany, Turkey and Iran are among the countries having their participation through individual companies alongside a large contingent of local companies.
A Russian company is exhibiting through its local partner.