InterContinental Hotels Group is looking forward to an excellent 2004 with first-quarter revenue marking a 75-per cent increase on the same period last year.Ê The company’s Middle East Global Sales Office has already generated US$3 million since January, with 67 per cent of this revenue being driven into InterContinental, Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn hotels and resorts within the region.

“Since we’ve opened in 2002, the Global Sales Office has been constantly developing and has witnessed fantastic growth and results,” said Mara Campi, Director of Global Sales, Middle East while addressing a global sales Middle East meeting held at the Crowne Plaza Amman in Jordan recently.

“2004 has so far marked an extraordinary 39 per cent positive variance on the year’s forecast, which means solid and strategic factors are behind this staggering growth,” she said.

Growth came from all segments, and mainly from conference and incentive business. Following last year’s trends, the major volume of traffic came from Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Lebanon, with the most popular overseas destinations being the UK and France.

As in 2003, hotels in Dubai, Cairo and Beirut enjoyed the biggest share of inter-regional business. InterContinental Hotels Group properties in Saudi Arabia have also witnessed strong growth this quarter with corporate travel taking up 60 per cent of total bookings in the Kingdom.

The meeting outlined key strategic goals for the team, including keeping the momentum throughout summer and beyond, and attendees inspected the other three properties managed by the InterContinental Hotels Group in the region - the InterContinental Jordan, Crowne Plaza Resort Petra and Holiday Inn Amman.
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