Rabee Zureikat, Founder Of Jordan's Zikra Exchange, Wins Prestigious World Travel Market Global Award
Rabee Zureikat, Founder of Jordan's Zikra Exchange, has secured a prestigious World Travel Market Global Award in recognition of his work which is making a difference to some of the poorest people in Jordan.
World Travel Market Chairman Fiona Jeffery presented the award to Rabee Zureikat, Founder of Zikra Exchange, at today's (Monday November 8) WTM VIP Opening & Reception Ceremony.
WTM's Global Media Network, comprising key travel industry media around the world, put forward organisations and individuals which have contributed to their region's travel and tourism industry. Zureikat was nominated by TTN Middle East. Its Publishing Director Kim Thomson, jointly presented the award with Jeffery and the Boeing Company's Managing Director, Airline Marketing Services, Jeff Cacy.
Rabee Zureikat has pioneered the exchange tourism programme in Jordan through the foundation of the Zikra Exchange travel initiative. Exchange tourism encourages urban dwellers to visit rural areas to understand the different culture and traditions. Revenue generated is ploughed back into the economic development of the local community. The initiative also bridges the gap between the often isolated rural communities and the more affluent urban population.
An average trip generates about £630 and to date about 400 trips have taken place with visitors participating in a range of activities including tomato-picking, basket weaving and cooking traditional dishes. The model is simple and can be easily replicated with Zureikat already exploring opportunities to extend it across the Arab world.
World Travel Market Chairman Fiona Jeffery said: "Rabee Zureikat's entrepreneurial spirit has seen a simple project, carried out on a local scale, touch and change the lives of the local community in a sustainable way. The prospect of exchange tourism being widened out to help other communities in the region is very exciting going forward."
Every year, World Travel Market Global Awards are presented. The other 2010 winners are: China International Travel Service Co, Collette Vacations' Collette Foundation, Canada's Transat A.T. Inc, Iberia, Brazil-based Trend Operadora, Italy's Associazione Nazionale Alberghi Diffusi, India's Leela Palaces, Hotels & Resorts, Russian Express and Portugal's Turismo do Alentejo.
-ends-
About World Travel Market
World Travel Market, the premier global event for the travel industry, is the must-attend four-day business-to-business exhibition for the worldwide travel and tourism industry.
Almost 46,000 senior travel industry professionals, government ministers and international press, embark on ExCeL - London every November to network, negotiate and discover the latest industry opinion and trends at WTM.
WTM, which celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2009, is the event where the travel industry conducts and concludes its deals.
WTM 2009 will generate £1,139 million of travel industry contracts, revealed independent research by Fusion Communications.
WTM is owned by the world's leading events organiser Reed Exhibitions (RE), which organises a portfolio of other travel industry events including Arabian Travel Market and International Luxury Travel Market.
RE holds more than 500 events in 38 countries throughout Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific covering 47 industry sectors including aerospace & aviation, healthcare, manufacturing and sport & recreation.
In 2008 RE, part of the Reed Elsevier group, brought together more than six million industry professionals from around the world generating billions of dollars in business.
Loading...
10:34
ربيع زريقات في برنامج الحكي الناby Zikrajordan1,397 views
WAY TO GO Rabee!!!! Keep it up my friend!!!! Sofian Qurashi
Seba78stian 1 year ago