‘Hospitality, food industry exhibition offers chance for partnerships’

AMMAN — HORECA Jordan provides a good opportunity to cement partnerships with international hotel and hospitality companies, participants in the exhibition said Tuesday.

Tourism Minister Nidal Katamine inaugurated the three-day exhibition featuring the participation of more than 100 local and international companies.

“The ministry will plan for more similar exhibitions for their role in developing tourism in the Kingdom,” Katamine said.

Companies specialised in hotel, food and restaurant products from Jordan, Italy, Brazil, Tunisia, the UAE, Lebanon, Turkey and Palestine are taking part in the exhibition.

The event, held at Zara Expo Centre at the Grand Hyatt Amman Hotel, receives visitors daily from 4pm to 9pm until Thursday.

Jordan Hotel Association Chairman Senator Michael Nazzal, who attended the inauguration ceremony, praised holding such events in Jordan as part of promoting the Kingdom’s tourism product.

“There are around 8,000 hotel rooms currently under construction, which need HORECA to provide the necessary equipment and develop services in the sector,” Nazzal said.

Established in 1993, HORECA is the region’s largest annual meeting place for both the hospitality and food and beverage service industries, according to the Jordan exhibition’s website.

The word HORECA is an acronym made up of the two initial letters of the words hotel, restaurant and café.

Munjid Abu Jish, head of the media department at the Palestinian Agricultural Development Society, said that he heard about the exhibition through the Palestinian union of food products.

“The aim of our participation is to sign partnership deals that enable us to market our products in the Jordanian market and beyond,” Abu Jish told The Jordan Times, adding that his nonprofit society has entered Europe and now is seeking to cover the Arab region.

The society’s products include homemade food items such as honey, jams, olive oil and thyme.

Nabil Rassam, general manager and owner of Al Nabil Food Industries Company LTD, said his company is showcasing more than 120 food items at the exhibition.

The company employs about 780 people and its products reach 29 countries in the five continents, Rassam said.

Ashraf Tirawi, showroom manager at Tatrez Uniforms Company, said the firm participated in the exhibition to extend its marketing level and reach more customers, noting that it designed the uniforms of the participating chefs.

Organised by Lebanese company Hospitality Services S.A.R.L, ExpoJordan, and Lawrence & Husseini Consult, HORECA Jordan 2014 also includes cooking, coffee-serving and bed-making competitions.