Month: November 2018
Press Release
Official Launching of the International Tourism & Investment Conference (ITIC)
on 02 November, 2018 at the InterContinental Park Lane, London
The International Tourism and Investment Conference was successfully launched on the 2 November 2018 at the InterContinental Park Lane, Mayfair, London in the presence of Her Excellency Mrs. Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, President of Malta who graced the event and under the leadership of Dr Taleb Rifai, Chairman of ITIC Advisory Board and former Secretary General of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO). ITIC is an initiative of Daiichi Display Ltd, conceived and headed by its Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Ibrahim Ayoub.
The function has the participation of Tourism Ministers namely: Honourable Najib Balala, Minister of Tourism and Wildlife of Kenya, and Vice-Chairman of ITIC, Honourable Edmund Bartlett, Minister of Tourism of Jamaica, and President of the Global Tourism Resilience Centre and Crisis Management, and Honourable Konrad Mizzi, Minister of Tourism of Malta. The event was widely attended by representatives of the diplomatic corps, other distinguished personalities, CEOs of the tourism industry, bankers and representative of a few financial services companies. There was also presence of journalists from the specialised and international media to cover the launch event.
H.E. The President of Malta, Mrs Marie-Louis Coleiro Preca, delivered a highly inspiring keynote address on that occasion and lauded the efforts of the organisers to build synergies among the various tourism players across the globe. The Chairman of ITIC Advisory Board, Dr Taleb Rifai delivered the welcome speech for that occasion and he also centred his speech around the need for innovation in tourism through partnership and synergies. Mrs Isabel Hill, Director of Travel & Tourism Office, USA, also delivered a speech on the occasion. Mrs Daniela Wagner, Director of International Partnerships at Jacob Media Group, UK, was the MC of the ceremony. The official launching was immediately followed by a brief presentation of Tourism in Malta by the Minister of Tourism of Malta and high-level panel discussions moderated by Mrs Anita Mendiratta, Founder and CEO of Cachet Consulting and Lead Consultant of CNN International T.A.S.K group. The panellists for the round table discussions comprised eminent personalities, namely: H.E. Mrs Marie-Louise Coliero Preca, President of Malta, Hon. Najib Balala, Minister of Tourism and Wildlife, Kenya, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, Minister of Tourism, Jamaica, Mr Gerald Lawless, former Chairman of the World Travel and Tourism Council and former CEO of Jumeira Group, Dubai, Mr Saleh Said, CEO of Penny Royal Ltd promoter of a tourism village in Zanzibar.
ITIC 2019 will take place in November 2019 in London and will see the participation of high calibre speakers from various parts of the world. It will be attended by about 500 delegates: tourism project owners and promoters having live and bankable projects, tourism experts, investors, funding agencies, private equity firms, technology experts and journalists will discuss major issues related to tourism and investment. A special emphasis will be laid of tourism investment in Africa and island destinations.
A Strategic Partnership between ITIC, the Mediterranean Tourism Foundation and the Global Tourism Centre for Resilience and Crisis Management which was agreed on 28 October 2018 in Malta under the Patronage of the President of Malta, was announced on that day. Mr Ibrahim Ayoub also unfolded the logo of Investourism with its mandate to facilitate and connecting tourism projects in Africa and Island economies to investors and which will henceforth serve as investment facilitator.
ITIC is going to tackle key global tourism issues through its concept Think Tourism 360 and Investourism, its investment tourism platform. The conference will mainly focus on investment through tourism in Africa and Island economies covering the Caribbean, Indian Ocean, Mediterranean, Pacific Ocean and all other islands nations worldwide.
As stated by the Organiser, “ITIC is a unique platform uniting a broad spectrum of stakeholders of global tourism industry: Finance and Tourism Ministers, policy makers, tourism experts, tourism project owners, funding agencies, high-net worth investors, bankers, private equity firms, fund managers, venture capitalists, family offices, law firms… in order to tackle key global tourism issues and challenges faced by African and island economies. We aim at bridging investments and innovation in tourism projects in Africa and Island nations with a view to promoting inclusive growth and sustainable economic growth.”
Mr Ibrahim Ayoub, principal organiser and CEO of Daiichi Display Ltd presented the closing speech and a vote of thanks. The ceremony ended in a very cordial atmosphere set around a lavish buffet dinner that regrouped all VIPs and guests altogether at the InterContinental Park Lane Hotel, London.
ITIC has the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) and Skal International as Supporting Partners and Jacobs Media Group, Travel Weekly, ETN Eturbo news, Africa Business, Africa Banker, New African Woman and The New African as Media Partners.
The ITIC Advisory Board also met earlier on that day at the InterContinental Park Lane Hotel, London, under the chairmanship of Dr Taleb Rifai.
Registration of participants and sponsors for ITIC 2019 can be made online at www.itic.uk.
Click to download pictures.
Please click to view video of the Launch Event.
For more information, please contact the Organiser of ITIC Mr. Ibrahim Ayoub at [email protected] or call on mobile 5251 4925.
London 15 November 2018
Ibrahim Ayoub
Board Member – Keynote Speaker – Experienced Financial Advisor specialised in structuring investments in travel and tourism, real estate, mixed-use projects and other sectors of the economy.
Holder of a Master’s in Finance from the University Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne (IAE Paris), France, since 2018, Ibrahim is the Founding Partner, Group CEO and Board Member of International Tourism Investment Corporation Ltd, ITIC Ltd, and Invest Tourism Ltd which are UK-based companies and is also a Director of Daiichi Display Ltd, located in Mauritius. The businesses he spearheads, provide financial advisory and consultancy services facilitating and structuring investments in projects in hospitality and other sectors of the economy but also insights, market intelligence, publishing and marketing services to enhance the value of his customers. In addition, ITIC Ltd specializes in the conception, production and organisation of tourism investment conferences around the world (London, Botswana, South Africa, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bulgaria, Jamaica, Mauritius, etc.).
Ibrahim hails from a family of industrialists who pioneered in the 1930s the introduction of heavy vehicles (buses and lorries) in Mauritius, an island in the southern part of the Indian Ocean. With the entrepreneurial skills and business acumen he acquired from his family, he brings to his clients a unique blend of 30 years of hands-on experience and multi-faceted advisory services in a broad spectrum of business areas ranging from financial services to tourism, real estate, and mixed-use development as well as in the classy creation & organization of events, marketing, and publishing.
Ibrahim has earned over the years a well-deserved global reputation by advising governments on their investment strategies to channel FDI to their destinations. His in-depth expertise in Corporate Finance is highly sought by the private sector in developing project concepts, business plans, and financial modeling as well as fundraising to clients in structuring either debt or equity or a combination of both for their projects. He also advises and structures partnerships and joint ventures for his clients.
Ibrahim has been instrumental in building a recognized global brand called the International Tourism & Investment Conference – ITIC (www.itic.uk). ITIC delivers annual international tourism investment conferences in different parts of the world in collaboration with ministries of tourism of different countries and the leading industry organisations to provide a forum for delegates to interact with leaders and policymakers of the travel and tourism and financial services sectors to discuss current but also emerging issues and challenges as well as on future trends in the sustainable development of travel and tourism. Ibrahim has also created a platform for project owners/developers to engage with potential investors.
During his career, he has also been working with high-profile companies and multinationals to develop their marketing and communication strategies. One of his major achievements was advising one of the leading banks in Mauritius on their marketing and communication strategies as well as advising on the rebranding of the bank. His company was bestowed the award of the best Annual Report design by PWC in Mauritius in 2005.
From 1994 up to 2018, he played an influential role in publishing several financial publications for his blue-chip clients in Mauritius and Africa as well as for the Mauritian government.
He was also the Founder member of FAIR (Fournisseur d’Acces à l’Internet Réunis) and in the years 2000-2004, he played an instrumental role by participating with members of the association in high-level negotiations leading to the liberalisation of the telecommunications industry of the island.
Ibrahim has hands-on experience in marketing and communication as well as the relevant financial academic background in Corporate Restructuring, Mergers & Acquisitions, Strategy and Financial Consulting, Legal, Fiscal and Financial Engineering, Bank Management and Investment Strategy and Capital Raising leading a project from its initial stage/conception up to its final delivery at world-class quality to any place in the world.
Last but not least, Ibrahim serves on the Boards of numerous organisations such as the International Tourism & Investment Conference, Investing in Tourism Sustainability Conference for Southeast Europe and the Commonwealth Entrepreneurs Club. He is also a member of the Institute of Directors in the UK and the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry, of the African Tourism Board and was a member of the Project Hope Africa Covid-19 Task Force. In Mauritius, he was the former President of Skal International-Mauritius and a founding member of the Rotary Club of Floreal.