Al Bustan Centre and Residence, the popular hotel apartment among visiting tourists and businessmen in the heart of Dubai, participated in the 17th East Mediterranean International Travel & Tourism Exhibition (EMITT), aimed at introducing the property to potential markets in Turkey.

Held in Istanbul, Turkey, EMITT is the fifth largest tourism exhibition in the world with 4500 exhibitors from 70 countries. In 2013, EMITT set a new record with much broader attendance with 4500 exhibitors from 70 countries and the total number of visitors increased by 12% when compared to the year 2011. Al Bustan Centre and Residence exhibited under the umbrella of Department of Tourism & Commerce Marketing (DTCM).

Yasser Moussa, Director of Revenue and Business Development represented the property to establish new business contacts, learn about new items, maintain existing business contacts, search for tour operators and travel agents, sign purchase contracts for tourist products/services, assess the market opportunities, attend workshops and presentations, learn about competitors’ activities and offer own tourist products/services.

Moussa El Hayek, Chief Operating Officer, said: “Turkey is the world’s seventh biggest tourism country and the potential is there for Dubai properties. Attending EMITT gives us a good position to showcase our services and at the same time we can explore the needs of the travelers from this part of the world. EMITT is an important event for the global tourism industry and attracts tourism professionals from all over the world which make it an ideal platform to network and meet new partners”.

He added: “EMITT has been playing an important role in creating 100-billion-dollar tourism market in Turkey. Last year, 28.5 million tourists visited Turkey. We believe Turkey will attain its goal of hosting 30 million tourists this year thanks to EMITT which creates many opportunities for both inbound and outbound tourism. The feedback was positive and business is expected to improve in the coming seasons. Major tour operators who participated in the exhibition are of the opinion that Turkey market has great potential for outbound tourism especially to Dubai and this trend will increase in the coming months for both leisure and business segments.”