MENATA Information

The Middle East & North Africa Travel Association is a new travel industry body aimed at promoting tourism to the Arab world. Stretching 6,500 kms from the Atlantic coast to the Indian Ocean, the MENATA region covers 18 Arab countries, plus Turkey, Cyprus and Iran. It brings together high-profile tourist destinations such as Dubai, Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco with countries still waiting to be discovered. MENATA will operate as an umbrella organisation, acting as a catalyst to bring together companies and organisations with a shared interest in promoting travel to one of the most exciting, distinctive and rewarding tourism areas anywhere in the world. Aimed principally at UK-based companies with an interest in Middle East and North Africa tourism plus travel-related companies operating within the MENA region itself, membership is open to all sectors of the travel industry including national tourist offices, airlines, hotels, tour operators, car rental suppliers, destination management companies and tourist attractions. MENATA is the brainchild of travel journalist and PR consultant Peter Lilley who offers nearly 30 years' experience of the travel and tourism industry. In 2004, he rescued and reinvigorated the national tourist boards' body, ANTOR, serving as its Executive Secretary for three years. He served on the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office Travel Advice Review Group from 2005-07 and is a former Vice-Chairman of the British Guild of Travel Writers.