HMH – Hospitality Management Holdings will be present in full force at The World Halal Travel Summit & Exhibition (WHTS15) in Abu Dhabi. The three-day trade event will take place at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre from 19 to 21 October, 2015 and is exclusively supported by Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority.
Laurent A. Voivenel, CEO of HMH, stated, “As a pioneer in creating the region’s first international Halal-friendly chain of hotels, we are proud to participate and sponsor (WHTS15). The full potential of Halal market is yet to be realised / exploited and events such as WHTS15 are an ideal forum to meet global buyers and travel trade to capitalize on tourism opportunities in this niche segment. At HMH we have taken a ‘Halal-friendly’ and not ‘Halal-only’ approach. Our strategy has been to position ourselves as a perfect choice for both regional and international corporate and leisure travellers including families and single female guests seeking safe and healthy environment”.
According to industry reports Halal-friendly hotels will continue to claim bigger market share given the business opportunity and demand. By 2030, Muslims will make up more than a quarter of the global population rising from 1.6 billion in 2010 to 2.2 billion and 30 per cent of this population will seek Halal options.
Commenting on the opportunity for expansion in Halal segment, Laurent said, “We are eager to grow our footprint in this significant sector and are keen to have a bigger share of market as well as raise awareness among hotel developers / owners about the opportunity and our strengths in the segment. The biggest growth in the Halal tourism is being seen in the mid-market segment. And our strategy is to expand aggressively in this segment with a target of boosting our existing portfolio of hotels by 30% over the next five years. This will include having a hotel in every GCC country while doubling our portfolio in the UAE and KSA. We also have a strong interest in the booming Asian markets such as India, Indonesia, Malaysia and China. Given the experience we have, at HMH we are uniquely positioned to capitalize on both Halal-friendly and mid-market hotels having been successful in penetrating these segments early”.
