The 12th edition of UITT, 29 March – 1 April 2006 at IEC – Kiev, has already…
The 12th edition of UITT, 29 March – 1 April 2006 at IEC – Kiev, has already registered an unprecedented growth of 16% in exhibiting space and sales have not yet closed.
Many new companies are showing an avid interest in the Ukraine market reflecting the positive development of the Ukraine tourism industry over recent years, and the enormous opportunities available for companies looking to expand their business into new markets.
The GDP in Ukraine increased by 10% in 2004 and significant investment is being made to develop the tourism infrastructure. According to WTTC, Ukraine’s travel & tourism is expected to grow by 3.6% in 2005 and by 5.4% per annum, in real terms between 2006 and 2015. Visa requirements for EU members have also been cancelled encouraging travel to and from the region.
There are a number of new exhibitors at UITT this year, including first time national participation from the Greek National Tourist Organisation and Argentina Secretaria de Turismo.
The Regional Tourist Board of GATAB (South Antalya Development & Infrastructure Management) will be promoting its destination on the Ukraine market for the first time as well as Prefecture of Halkidiki who will exhibit in association with the Halkidiki Hotel Association.
Also represented will be Montenegro and Bolivia through newcomers BeRing Montenegro and Check Point Latin America.
Frederique Maurell, Event Manager says, “We are pleased to see new destinations joining UITT. We believe this growth is due to a number of factors including the economic climate in Ukraine and the development of the Ukraine tourism industry, with increasing numbers of Ukrainians travelling abroad.”
Stepping up their promotion in Ukraine, many of the established tourist boards have increased their stand sizes based on last year’s success including Austria, Bulgaria, Cyprus, India, France, Malaysia and Catalunya. The Slovakian Tourist Board has doubled its participation compared to last year.
New at UITT2006 will be the MICE Conference. This one day Conference will be held alongside UITT on the 31st March and will address the development of the MICE industry in Ukraine. The MICE sector is currently a hot topic in Ukraine, and business tourism already accounts for a large part of travel spend in Ukraine.
The Conference will be the next step in highlighting the issues faced by those involved with the Ukrainian business travel market by providing MICE industry professionals with a platform to meet and discuss the development of the market.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
