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The Travel Tech Show at ATM 2015
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Arabian Travel Market 2016 Travel Tech Theatre line-up to identify
customer engagement opportunities in the race to improve conversion rates with
online bookings in Middle East forecast to grow from 25% to 36% by 2017
Growth in online travel planning and booking across the region
will underpin the Travel Tech Theatre focus at Arabian Travel Market 2016, with
research firm Phocuswright reporting that the Middle East’s online travel
market is forecast to almost double in value within the next two years, rising
from US$18 billion to US$35 billion by 2018.
According to research released by Euromonitor International, in 2014, 60%
of airline reservations and ticketing was made online by Dubai based travellers
alone, driven largely by a younger tech-smart generation for whom online and
mobile technology is the preferred booking channel.
Looking at
it regionally, 46% of airline tickets in the UAE are booked online, followed by
Kuwait (34%), Saudi Arabia (23%), Lebanon (18%) and Egypt (12%).
Around 50% of the UAE
population relies on the Internet as the first port of call when planning or
purchasing travel-related products, and the rising use of mobile technology is
also supporting online trends, with 50% of travellers from the UAE and 35% from
Saudi Arabia leading the region in using their smartphones to make travel
arrangements.
“The region has seen phenomenal
growth in online engagement in the last two years, transitioning from a
traditional face-to-face booking model to a new virtual reality where 24/7
updated information is a basic expectation and speed of access is essential
when it comes to planning, researching and booking,” said Nadege Noblet-Segers, Exhibition Manager, Arabian Travel Market,
which takes place at the Dubai International Convention & Exhibition
Centre, on 25-28 April 2016.
By the end of 2017,
according to a joint study conducted by Travelport and Phocuswright, online
travel bookings, which currently account for 25% of all bookings in the Middle
East, will rise to 36%.
“Airlines and hotels are the acknowledged market leaders when it comes to
highly effective online marketing and consumer engagement, and this is an area
where all industry players needs to ensure that they look at increasing market
share and awareness through a blend of creative messaging teamed with ongoing
technology investment, especially when it comes to mobile applications,” said
Noblet-Segers.
A key area of annual growth, the travel technology
area of the exhibition floor was launched as The Travel Tech Show at ATM in
2015. With this renewed focus it grew
38% in 2015 and for 2016 will cover over 1,500 square metres - a 68% increase
on 2014 figures. 51 exhibitors are
already confirmed, including first-time participants Travelbook, iWeen Software
Solutions and ChatSim and Plug In Travel, as well as returning exhibitors such
as Amadeus, Travelport, Digital Trip, IATI and TravelClick.
The Travel Tech Theatre component at
Arabian Travel Market (ATM)
has consistently grown both in terms of content and attendee numbers. In 2015,
the number of Travel Tech Theatre attendees grew by 41%.
The 2016 seminars will once again take the form of panel-led discussions at
which expert speakers will share invaluable insight on destination trends, the
regional digital marketplace and segment-specific opportunities for growth.
The Innovation Sponsor will be a joint partnership
between Sabre Travel Network and Sabre Hospitality Solutions. In addition to
two presentations in the Showcase Theatre, the sponsors will highlight the
latest advances in wearable technology throughout the Technology & Online
section of the event.
Confirmed
speakers include Ali Hashmi from Google talking about digital transformation,
Stewart Smith of Sojern, on mid-market travel and market diversification, and
senior executives representing Amadeus and Clicktripz, who will analyse the latest
travel tech trends.
The
Travel Tech Show at ATM is only a part of a packed agenda being developed for
ATM 2016. Other highlights include mid-market travel, luxury, aviation,
responsible tourism, spa & wellness tourism, business, adventure, and halal
tourism
ATM 2016 will build on the success of this
year’s edition with the announcement of an additional hall as Reed Travel Exhibitions looks to add to
its record-breaking achievements earlier this year. ATM 2015 witnessed a
year-on-year visitor attendance increase of 12% to over 26,000, with exhibiting
companies increasing by 5% to 2,873. Business
deals worth more than US$2.5
billion were signed over the four days.
For
more information on The Travel Tech Show at ATM please log on to: www.arabiantravelmarket.com
