At Arabian Travel Market, 62 countries represented on the exhibition floor such as KSA, Germany, Italy,
Greece, Cyprus, Thailand, Indonesia, Egypt, South Korea, The Philippines, Malaysia, Maldives and Israel
67 conference sessions featuring 145 local, regional and international speakers
New hybrid format first time in ATM history; in-person at the DWTC from 16-19 May and virtually from 24-26 May
Health & safety measures top priority for organiser Reed Exhibitions
Since the outbreak of the pandemic last year, the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2021 has announced that Dubai will host the world’s largest in-person travel and tourism event. ATM 2021, now in its 28th year, will take place at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) from Sunday, May 16 to Wednesday, May 19, as final preparations are made.
“The theme of this year’s show is ‘A new dawn for travel and tourism and the spotlight will be focused on the very latest ‘COVID’ news from around the world – vaccine rollouts, the current state of the industry and more importantly, what the future holds,” said Claude Blanc, Portfolio Director, WTM& IBTM Portfolios.
Arabian Travel Market 2021 will have 67 conference sessions with a total of 145 local, regional, and international speakers. A Global Stage will be set up on-site, including a hotel industry summit, dedicated buyer forums for Saudi Arabia and China, and International Tourism & Investment Conference (ITIC), an aviation panel, and a special session on Gulf-Israeli relations.
Travel Forward at Arabian Travel Market, which boasts world-class technology specialists presenting industry-leading insights about the latest innovations and trends that will certainly affect the future of travel and tourism, will be another feature this year.
The UAE, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Germany, Cyprus, Egypt, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea, the Maldives, the Philippines, Thailand, Mexico, and the United States are among the 62 countries represented on the exhibition floor this year.
“This underscores the importance of ATM, connecting destinations with their source
markets” said Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director Middle East, Arabian Travel Market.
Arabian Travel Market 2021 will take place in nine halls at the Dubai World Trade Centre. There will be 11,000 people in the halls at any given time, in accordance with existing density constraints and social distancing standards and rules.
The event will once again play an integral role in Arabian Travel Week, a 10-day long
festival of travel and tourism events taking place in Dubai and online. In addition to the in-person Arabian Travel Market event, the travel events that are part of Arabian Travel Week are: travel technology exhibition Travel Forward, ARIVAL Dubai for the tours and attractions sector, GBTA’s half-day virtual business travel conference, ITIC’s Middle East Tourism Investment Summit, speed networking events for digital influencers and regionally focused buyer groups including China, and of course ATM Virtual, the online edition of the Arabian Travel Market exhibition.
For the first time in Arabian Travel Market history, this year’s hybrid format will include a virtual ATM that will run a week later to complement and reach a bigger audience than ever before.
ATM Virtual, which debuted last year and attracted 12,000 online guests from 140 countries, was a huge success.
“It is imperative that we include a virtual element, many industry professionals from
around the world, may not be able to attend in-person every year, particularly this year
with travel restrictions changing rapidly around the globe,”“Due to Dubai’s commitment to maintaining the highest standards of health and safety
and its effective citywide management of the pandemic, it was awarded a ‘Safe Travels’
stamp from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC),” said, Curtis
From arrival to departure, Dubai is one of the safest places in the world to visit, with a variety of preventative measures in place to protect the safety of tourists at every stage and touchpoint of their journey. In the UAE, over 10.6 million doses have already been provided, which is a significant success.
Dubai Tourism’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism), Emaar Hospitality Group’s Official Hotel Partner, Emirates’ Official Airline Partner, and The Vision’s Official Destination Management Partner are among ATM 2021’s strategic partners.
Commenting on the ATM 2021 hybrid event, the show’s strategic partners said:
Issam Kazim, Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce
Marketing (Dubai Tourism) commented: “As Dubai plays host to the Arabian Travel
Market during this challenging period is a testament to the city’s tireless efforts in
leading the restart of global tourism, inspired and guided by our visionary leadership
with the goal of positioning Dubai as one of the world’s safest destinations. It is
noteworthy that through a proven framework for welcoming back visitors safely and
ensuring they enjoy a well-rounded destination experience, as well as our ability to
transform challenges into opportunities, Dubai has demonstrated a successful model for recovery of the international travel and tourism sector. With industry professionals from around the world set to converge in the city this month, we look forward to sharing Dubai’s positive outlook during ATM 2021, while emphasising how crucial it is to always keep the health and safety of travellers at the top of the agenda to ensure tourism growth.”
Adnan Kazim, Chief Commercial Officer, Emirates Airline, said: “An event like ATM is
vital in supporting our industry to find its bearings, share new developments, work
together to help rebuild trust in travel, and simply do business. This important event will play a vital role in showcasing our home and hub, Dubai, as it continues to safely host mega-events. Dubai has also become a model for other governments and cities in its response to safeguarding public health through comprehensive health and safety
protocols, whilst thoughtfully providing a roadmap for the opening of businesses and
protecting its economy for the long term. We are proud to play a role in providing vital air links to support Dubai’s tourism industry, and enhancing the city’s appeal to even more potential visitors around the globe.”
Mark Kirby, Head of Emaar Hospitality Group, added: “ATM has always been an
indispensable part of the travel & tourism family, this year even more with the
challenges we’ve faced as an industry. I am certain I speak on behalf of my hospitality
friends and colleagues, that we’ve managed to come out stronger after a difficult phase last year. We like to believe 2021, is our year as we look forward to stepping outside of our home, Dubai to newer opening locations such as Address Fujairah, Vida Bahrain, Address Istanbul and Rove Marjan Island in Q4 and others in 2022. We are the Official Hotel and Hospitality Partner for Expo 2020. This is definitely a great opportunity to showcase Emaar Hospitality Group’s world-class service, amenities and much more. Rove Expo 2020 will be the only on-site hotel when the event commences in October his year.”
Dr. Ali bin Zaid Abu Monassar, Chairman, The Vision Destination Management, added: “If a little more than a year ago we would have been given the chance of a short glimpse into our imminent future, our reaction would have been of unbelievable astonishment. And somehow now, it is still the same. We all have been largely affected by the current situation, particularly our segment. But, once again, we had tangible reassurance on our way to deal with future trends, opportunities and challenges. Since its establishment, The Vision Destination Management embarked on a model which is a mix of flexibility, creativity and focused solutions adapting to ever-changing situations. We are resilient and optimistically preparing future steps based on our skills, contacts and experience.
Welcoming once again our international and local colleagues from the industry is a
strong message and we look forward to work with all parties involved for another
successful Arabian Travel Market.”
Photo caption:
From left to right:
Dr. Ali Abu Monassar, Chairman, The Vision.
Adnan Kazim, Chief Commercial Officer, Emirates Airline.
Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director for the Middle East, Arabian Travel Market
Claude Blanc, Portfolio Director, WTM & IBTM Portfolios.
Issam Abdul Rahim Kazim, CEO, Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM).
Mark Kirby, Head of Hospitality, Emaar Hospitality Group
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