·
Only
8% of Dubai airport’s transit passengers left the airport to explore the
emirate during 2018
·
New
transit visas and dedicated tourism packages to drive stopover tourism across
the UAE as we look ahead to 2020 and beyond
More
than 63% of the 89 million passengers who passed through Dubai airport in 2018
were in transit with just 8% of these passengers leaving the airport to explore
the emirate, according to the latest Colliers
International data published by Reed Travel Exhibitions
ahead of Arabian
Travel Market (ATM) 2019, which takes place at Dubai World Trade
Centre between 28 April – 1 May 2019.
As
Dubai targets 20 million annual visitors by 2020, plus an additional five
million between October 2020 and April 2021 for Expo 2020 – 70% of which will
come from outside the UAE – a number of initiatives to increase stopover
tourism have been introduced including new transit visas and dedicated tourism
packages.
Danielle Curtis,
Exhibition Director ME, Arabian Travel Market, said: “Last year, the UAE
introduced a new transit visa allowing all transit passengers an exemption from
entry fees for 48 hours with the option to extend up to 96 hours for AED 50.
This visa is not only good for the country’s tourism sector but for the local economy
as a whole, enticing passengers to view their transit not as an unwanted delay
in their travels – but as a good opportunity to add value to their trip and
experience everything the UAE has to offer.”
According
to IATA, the Middle East is forecast to see an extra 290 million air passengers
on routes to, from and within the region by 2037, with the total market size
increasing to 501 million passengers during the same period.
Adding
to this, figures from ATM 2018 show
the number of delegates interested in buying airline products and services
increased 13% between 2017 and 2018.
“This
projected growth underscores Dubai, and of course the Middle East, as the ideal
location to bring together professionals from the aviation and tourism industry
for our inaugural CONNECT Middle East, India
and Africa forum which will be co-located alongside ATM 2019 –
taking place on the last two days of the show,” Curtis said.
The
success of the aviation industry in the sky is matched in the GCC and wider
MENA region by the continued huge infrastructure investment.
The total value of 195 active aviation-related projects in the Middle
East reached almost $50 billion in 2018, according to research provider BNC
Network.
The various airport investments under way include AED30
billion in developing Al Maktoum International Airport, AED28 billion expansion
of phase four of Dubai International Airport and AED 25 billion for the
development and expansion of Abu Dhabi International Airport. In addition,
Sharjah Airport is also undergoing a AED1.5 billion investment in expansion of
its terminal.
There are also a number of upcoming and planned airport
expansion projects across Saudi Arabia, including King Abdulaziz International
Airport Expansion in Jeddah and King Khalid International Airport Expansion in
Riyadh.
Curtis said: “2018 was also an exciting year for new flight
routes with GCC airlines alone adding 58 new flight routes – focusing on areas
of consistent and substantial growth.
“With two thirds of the world’s population within an
eight-hour flight from the GCC, it is an ideal base for exploring some of the
world’s most interesting and previously inaccessible corners of the world. And
the GCC’s airlines are making it even easier with the continuous addition of
new and direct flight routes,” Curtis added.
Looking ahead to ATM 2019, aviation will feature heavily in
the programme with a keynote from Emirates’ President Sir Tim Clark titled ‘Emirates:
Still leading the way’ as well as an exclusive
one-to-one with Air Arabia CEO, Adel Ali. A panel session titled ‘What
are the hot topics in the airline world’ which will explore how
traffic is performing against a backdrop of volatile fuel prices and geo-political
challenges as well as discussing stopover tourism and how the digital world is
affecting airline and airport services and experiences for customers.
Confirmed exhibiting airlines for ATM 2019 so far include Emirates, Etihad
Airways, Saudi Airlines, flydubai and flynas.
Considered by industry professionals as a
barometer for the Middle East and North Africa tourism sector, ATM welcomed
over 39,000 people to its 2018 event, showcasing the largest exhibition in the
history of the show, with hotels comprising 20% of the floor area.
Brand new for this year’s show will be the
launch of Arabian Travel Week,
an umbrella brand comprising four co-located shows including ATM 2019, ILTM Arabia, CONNECT
Middle East, India & Africa – a new route development forum and new
consumer-led Tags:Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2019
