Marina Sarruf*
São Paulo – The Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (CCAB) is going to participate in the Horeca, a fair turned to products and services for hotels, restaurants, buffets and supermarkets, scheduled for April 5 to 8, in Beirut, Lebanon. Brazilian companies interested in participating will be enrolling at the CCAB until today (7).
According to Michel Alaby, the secretary general of the organization, Lebanon is a country turned to tourism. "This is an important fair for suppliers of hotel services. Lebanon is also one of the distribution centres of trade to Syria, Jordan, Greece, Turkey, Palestine, and to some countries in central and north Africa," he stated.
Alaby believes that the Horeca is an opportunity for Brazilian companies to show their products. According to him, Lebanon is among the main tourist destinations among the Arab countries, a fact that shows the great importance of the hotel sector for the country.
According to site Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), belonging to British magazine The Economist, last year the Lebanese GDP was US$ 18.1 billion and the service sector contributed to 66% of this value. The site shows tourism as one of the main sections of the country economy. Each year, more than 1 million foreign tourists travel to Lebanon.
Among the main products exhibited at the fair are kitchens, refrigerators, dishwashers, equipment for supermarkets and preparation of foods. In the decoration sector there are carpets, curtains, wallpaper, fabric for upholstery, plaster facing and illumination. Dinner sets, uniforms and software are also normally included in the event.
The Brazilian pavilion is going to cover an area of 30 square metres. The intention is for participation to help increase sales from Brazil to Lebanon. Last year, Brazilian exports to the country rose 63%.
12th edition
Horeca was created in 1994 and is considered the largest hotel sector fair in Lebanon. Last year, the exhibition received over 18,000 visitors, 1,100 foreign, at a space of 4,356 square metres. Around 297 companies from over 50 countries participated in the last edition.
This year, apart from Lebanon, other Arab countries participating will be Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Egypt, Bahrain, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Tunisia.
Contact
Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce
Marketing department
Tel: (+ 55 11) 3283-4066
e-mail: marketing@ccab.org.br
*Translated by Mark Ament
