Industry pioneer, Orient Tours, attends World Travel Market 2007

Industry pioneer, Orient Tours, attends World Travel Market 2007 More than 45,000 global industry experts to gather in London; Orient Tours to attend with DTCM and SCDTA His Excellency Shaikh Faisal Al Qassemi celebrates 25 years of inbound tourism in the UAE Sharjah, October 2007: UAE-based Orient Tours has confirmed participation at World Travel Market (WTM) 2007, alongside Dubai Tourism & Commerce Marketing (DTCM) and Sharjah Commerce & Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) from November 12–15 at ExCel London. Orient Tours was founded a quarter century ago by H.E. Shaikh Faisal Al Qassemi with the vision to open the tourism gateway to the Arabian Gulf and to encourage its embrace as a leisure destination by international travelers, as well as to help open doors for cultural exchange. Commenting on WTM, Shaikh Faisal said: "WTM is one of the leading travel trade shows in the world, with research indicating that 87% of visitors label WTM as the ‘must attend travel trade event of the year’.” This year more than 45,000 travel trade exhibitors and visitors are expected to attend. “With inbound tourism to the region growing at a staggering 8% during the first quarter of 2007, the Middle East is confirmed as one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations and Orient Tours, wants to continue to play an important role in this growth.” Shaikh Faisal said that quality and innovation have been the two main driving forces behind Orient Tours: “New ideas in product and excellence in delivery are the drivers that will continue to see us through this current growth cycle,” he said. According to Shaikh Faisal, Orient Tours has handled more than one million in-bound tourists to date, and is now gearing for the next wave of demand. He suggested that today’s leisure traveller wants a new experience, honest value and personalisation of service: “We aim to give all three, plus continue our insistence on quality because this is the way we will continue to grow our business and consequently the market in the years to come!” He confirmed that this has spurred his team to drive growth through constant product innovation particularly in this silver anniversary year which His Excellency has dubbed ‘Orient Tours – Celebrating the Sands of Time’. He continued: "We are now poised for another 25 years of innovation, delivering new tours and activities, while ensuring that we practice eco-responsible tourism. We have empowered our team, and will encourage the market to push the boundaries of hospitality even further." Shaikh Faisal concluded: “The reality is that the authentic Arabian experience belongs to us, so it’s up to us to be creative at all times and thus ensure sustainable product that has a global appeal.” Established in 1982, Orient Tours now employs more than 150 professionals and has numerous strategic partners across a variety of markets and services. Orient has introduced a series of industry-shaping tours including tailor-made alternative vacation destinations, overland tours between Dubai and Muscat, sea-safaris and the ground-breaking individual fly & drive programs. Today, Orient is a market leader in both United Arab Emirates and the Sultanate of Oman.