Arabian Travel Market to open next week

Tourism professionals from all over the world will return to Dubai next week when the Arabian Travel Market, the Middle East’s leading event for the travel industry, returns to the Dubai World Trade Centre on Monday, May 9.

During the four-day tourism showcase, which concludes on Thursday, May 12, more than 20,000 visitors and over 1,500 exhibiting companies will be present. On the show floor, 112 countries will be represented, ranging from Japan to Jamaica and South Africa to Italy. Industry professionals will be able to meet and discuss the latest trends in travel, including technology, transportation, sustainability, events, and business.

Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director ME – Arabian Travel Market, said: “Arabian Travel Market 2022 will reiterate the importance of the travel industry as we continue to address the challenges of COVID-19 while also outlining how we drive the industry forward.

“The tourism industry has rebounded incredibly well. As a result, we have seen a clear uptick in participation, with floor space increasing by over 85% compared to the previous year and Middle East exhibitor space eclipsing 2019 levels. We now have the perfect opportunity to hear from industry professionals on the latest trends helping the industry recover and flourish in many instances.”

In keeping with this year’s theme of ‘The Future of International Travel and Tourism,’ ATM 2022 will introduce new technology that will eliminate the need for business cards and allow exhibitors and visitors to share information, brochures, and marketing materials via innovative scanners and badges.

The revamped and rebranded ATM Travel Tech event, previously known as Travel Forward, emphasizes the technology focus even further. Andrew McEvoy, NEOM’s Managing Director of Tourism, will present the NEOM’s vision and strategy for creating memorable experiences, among other things. In addition, Zeina Dagher, CEO of Emaar Entertainment, will discuss the future of visitor attractions, traveler trends, and what’s next in distribution, attraction tech, and the guest experience.

The inaugural ATM Draper-Aladdin Start-up Competition, which was launched earlier this year, will see 15 travel, tourism and hospitality start-ups pitch for US$500,000 of funding and potentially a further US$500,000 of investment as part of the hit TV show, Meet the Drapers.

Making their debut at the live show, ARIVALDubai@ATM forum and the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) will focus on current and future trends for tour operators and attractions. ATM will also include in-depth buyer forums dedicated to India and Saudi Arabia, live interviews with aviation and hospitality experts and will feature the return of ILTM Arabia with its focus on the lucrative luxury travel market.

Capitalising on the growth of regional tourism investment, the ITIC-ATM Middle East Summit – hosted jointly by ATM and the International Tourism Investment Conference (ITIC) – will spotlight access to project finance in the post-Covid era and include a high-profile ministerial session.

Building on the success of ATM’s hybrid approach during the global pandemic, the in-person event this year will be followed by the third installment of ATM Virtual, which will take place from Tuesday, May 17 to Wednesday, May 18, 2022.

ATM 2022 is co-located with the Dubai World Trade Centre, and its strategic partners include the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) as the Destination Partner, Emirates as the Official Airline Partner, and Emaar Hospitality Group as the Official Hotel Partner.

Starting at 10 am on Monday, 9 May, ATM continues until 5 pm Thursday 12 May.

To register for ATM 2022, go to https://www.wtm.com/atm/en-gb/enquire.html.