DUBAI The 2018 GCC Food and Travel Awards scheduled to take place in Dubai next month has been cancelled in the wake of last week’s XPRESS expose.
The Global Resturant Invest-ment Forum (GRIF) which had partnered with the dodgy Food and Travel Arabia for the industry awards night said they have snapped ties with the magazine following the XPRESS story. The Al Jadaf hotel which was supposed to host the annual event has also slammed the doors in the face of its organisers.
Trillion dollar conman strikes Dubai
On February 15 XPRESS reported that Food and Travel Arabia and a bogus edition of Financial Times called FT Business Arabia were both fronted by Bahrain-based Russell King, dubbed as the Trillion Dollar Conman by BBC.
Our report revealed how the notorious convicted international fraudster used these magazines to rake in millions of dollars in advertising revenue and barter deals with luxury retail brands and top hospitality groups in the UAE.
GRIF, which is hosting a mega event in Dubai between March 12 and 14, said they work with recognised partners.
“The global positioning of the Food & Travel brand is a great fit for GRIF, but we were very concerned to hear of the allegations raised in your article against the publishers of the Arabian edition. As a result, we will no longer be a partner of the Food & Travel Arabia Award,” it said in an email to XPRESS.
