- JEDDAH: The scene of a tree full of apples has been recreated at the entrance to Saudi Arabia's 15th international event for food, beverages and catering, and hotel equipment supplies and services that opened at the Jeddah Centre for Forums & Events on Sunday.
- The four-day event has the support of the Ministry of Agriculture and the Organization of the Islamic Conference represented by Islamic Center for Development of Trade.
National and international exhibitors notably from Thailand, Egypt, Malaysia, Indonesia, Turkey, Iran, and individual companies from Sri Lanka, Pakistan, the UAE Bahrain, India, China, Taiwan, Korea and Germany are showcasing their new and traditional products at the show, opened by Hassan Sangof, assistant at the Ministry of Agriculture's General Directorate for Agriculture Affairs, Makkah Region. "The show assumes importance in the context of the Kingdom's food import policy and efforts toward providing food security," Sangof told reporters during a tour of the expo organized by Al-Harithy Company for Exhibitions Ltd. He welcomed the event's special emphasis on health foods.
With the Kingdom's current expansion program including plans to build a large number of new hotels, the Hotel Arabia assumes importance, especially as a total of 50,000 new hotel rooms and 75,000 new apartments are being built by 2020.