DUBAI, Oct 19: The Middle East’s largest information technology event, Gitex Technology Week 2008, opened on Sunday in the Gulf emirate of Dubai.

Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid al-Maktoum, inaugurated the annual show which is expected to attract some 130,000 visitors. More than 3,300 companies from 83 countries are taking part in the fair.

This year will be the 28th GITEX, organised by Dubai’s World Trade Centre.

Dubai, one of the seven members of the United Arab Emirates, is in the vanguard of the IT sector in the region. It is home to Dubai Internet City and Media City, duty-free zones for electronic commerce and the media respectively.—AFP