As we get closer to the event, the international tour of Road to TUTTOFOOD continued with a stop in Dubai on February 21, during the week dedicated to food, with a networking event at the Emirates Tower that involved operators, buyers, institutions and media from the region. The tour already touched the cities of Chicago, Orlando, Toronto and Mexico City in North America; Paris, Lyon, Frankfurt and Düsseldorf in Europe; and Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Singapore in the Middle East and Asia.

GCCs, a very promising market

Gulf countries (GCC) confirmed to be one of the focus areas of TUTTOFOOD 2023 - at fieramilano from May 8 to 11 - and they are showing interesting and fast-growing numbers. According to the TUTTOFOOD Observatory on the findings by Export Planning, today the interchange between GCC and Europe is worth nearly seven and a half billion euros (7,429 million), with an annual growth of +7.4% that will bring the figure close to 10 billion euros (9,901 million) in 2026. The details regarding the products present valuable insights with respect to consumption trends. The success of luxury pastry is reflected in the estimated annual +3.5% up to 2026 reported for milk and dairy products imported from Europe, and in the +6.2% for bakery products, confectionery, and ice cream. In contrast, the interest of international markets for the products of the region is well represented by date exports, particularly from Saudi Arabia. With 1.5 million tons in 2021, the country ranks as the world's third largest producer, with a share of about 16% and exports growing at a rate of 12% a year (data from the National Center for Palms and Dates, Riyadh).

Giacomo Bernardelli, CEO of Casinetto Trading, commented that: “The market is evolving a lot, the population in Dubai is increasing, and consumer knowledge in the food sector is evolving as well. There are also more Europeans, with more sophisticated needs. We noted a strong push related to the pizza world, which received strong interest. Niche products are also important, as they are selling more than before, partly thanks to e-commerce. In particular, last year Dubai had a strong expansion in food service, with many openings in the high-end segment that generated an increase in the quality of purchases.”

“At TUTTOFOOD 2023 we are definitely going to strengthen the relationships with existing suppliers” explained Bernardelli, “but we are also looking for new ideas to be implemented. For some products the search is more structured, for example in order to find a new brand of pasta.”

To meet many more high-profiled international buyers like these, if you are a company or brand, you can find out how to become an exhibitor. Otherwise, if you are a professional visitor, buy now your ticket for TUTTOFOOD 2023 with a preferential price valid until April 8.