Turkish PM to be guest of honor at leading int’l halal tourism conference

KONYA

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Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu will be the guest of honor to inaugurate the world’s biggest international halal tourism conference, the organizers of the conference said in a written statement on April 28. 

The Halal Tourism Conference 2016 will take place May 3-5 in the Central Anatolian province of Konya and will bring together some of the world’s leading names in the travel industry.

Davutoğlu will officially open the two-day conference themed “Developing Halal Tourism Industries,” which aims to shape the future of a sector currently worth $150 billion, said the statement. 

It is the second time the event has been held in Europe following the success of the inaugural event in Andalucía, Spain, added the statement. 

The conference will feature a number of keynote speeches, panel discussions and workshops and will also see new tourism campaigns and projects launched.

Alongside the conference, there will also be a three-day exhibition featuring businesses from across the world.
Delegates from destinations such as the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Singapore, the U.K., the U.S., Malaysia, Indonesia, South Africa, Kuwait and Qatar are expected to attend including tourism boards, travel agencies, tour operators, hotels and airlines. 

This year’s event will also feature Hajj and Umrah providers, financial institutions and food and drink businesses, according to the statement. 

A recent study revealed that in 2015 the estimated total Muslim visitor arrivals were 117 million, representing close to 10 percent of the entire travel economy. This is forecasted to grow to 168 million visitors by 2020 and 11 percent of the market segment with a market value projected to exceed $200 billion, according to data in the statement.