·
Chinese
visitors up over 100% & international visitors up 20%
·
Massive
potential of Saudi Arabia’s new ‘White Oil’ recognised
·
Travel
& tourism technology now beyond disruption, say experts
This year’s Arabian Travel
Market witnessed a 106% increase in visitors from China and a 20%
increase in international visitors to the event, which was held at Dubai World
Trade Centre from 28 April – 1 May 2019.
ATM has
grown to become the largest event of its kind in the region and one of the
biggest in the world with visitor numbers smashing through the 28,000 mark for
the third year in succession.
This year’s
event showcased the largest ever exhibition from Asia, witnessing an 8% YoY
increase in total floor space, with Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Sri Lanka
being the largest exhibitors.
Danielle Curtis,
Exhibition Director ME, Arabian Travel Market, said: “The continued growth of
ATM is testament to the continued strength of the travel and tourism industry
in the Middle East.
“It
not only brings together travel and tourism professionals from around the globe
to discuss the potential of the regional outbound market, where GCC tourists
spend over six times the global average.
“In
addition, it draws major inbound players, eager to capitalize on the huge
amount of investment that is being put into the region’s tourism
infrastructure, including its airlines, resorts, attractions and facilities.”
The 2019 edition, which
placed a spotlight on cutting-edge technology and innovation, boasted more than 400 main stand holders with over 100 new
exhibitors making their debut. The number of countries represented at ATM 2019
totalled over 150.
Identifying
the top tourism trends showing the greatest growth potential is one of the most
valuable insights ATM has to offer, and this year’s event was no different as
it launched Arabian Travel Week
– an umbrella brand comprising four co-located shows.
ATM 2019
formed part of the inaugural Arabian Travel Week, as well as ILTM Arabia,
CONNECT
Middle East, India and Africa – a new
route development forum which launched this year and new consumer-led event ATM Holiday Shopper
which kicked off proceedings on Saturday 27th April.
ATM 2019
got underway with the ‘Arabia China Tourism Forum’. With the overall number of
outbound tourists from China projected to hit 224 million by 2022, according to
research conducted by Colliers
International, the session explored how Gulf
states can boost Chinese visitor numbers by catering to the younger travellers
arriving from the Far East.
An expert
panel revealed that unique and tech-enabled experiences represent a key
component when it comes to convincing younger Chinese travellers to visit the
GCC. Panellists noted that China’s free independent travellers (FITs) are
looking for attractions that are not available in other markets.
Terry
von Bibra, GM Europe, Alibaba Group, said:
“Smaller groups [of Chinese travellers] are going to new places to discover and
have unique experiences – special experiences that they can share with friends
on social media, which is very important.
Another
of the highlights from the Global Stage was an informative discussion on the
potential benefits and pitfalls of technology implementation in the Middle
East’s tourism sector.
Panel discussion titled
‘The Big Picture – Who Will Sell Travel Best in the Future?’ revealed
gulf-based travel and hospitality companies that use disruptive technologies to
boost personlisation and remove friction for customers are likely to become
future market leaders.
While innovations such
as the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning
and personalisation technology have the potential to boost efficiency across
the industry, panellists emphasised that operators should always consider how
new applications are likely to impact the customer experience.
Fouad
Talaat, Regional Manager of Partner Services – MEA, Booking.com,
said: “Some of us think we’re in an era of disruption but I think we’ve passed
that already. I think we’re in an era of powerful customers.
“We think of ourselves
as a customer-first AI company. This means that the application of any new
technology is introduced to enhance the experience for our customers.”
New to ATM 2019,
focused seminar ‘Why Tourism is Saudi’s New ‘White Oil’, was one of many other
sessions on the Global Stage. With Kingdom-based industries in direct contact
with tourists expected to generate more than US $25 billion this year, an
expert panel discussed the opportunities related to upcoming tourism-focused
developments and visa reforms.
The development of new
projects such as The Red Sea Project and Qiddiya, both of which are completely
reinventing destinations, and the creation of local attractions thanks to the
Quality of Life Vision Realization Program and the General Entertainment
Authority (GEA) as well as the roll-out of 30-day Umrah Plus Visas, eVisas and
specialists visas for events, the Kingdom looks set to attract more tourists
than ever before
Dr
Badr Al Badr, CEO, Dur Hospitality, said: “We’ve been in
the hospitality sector for 42 years and we’ve never seen anything like this.
What’s happening now is earth shattering. The change of mindset in terms of
opening up this country for visitors – whether for religious or general tourism
– is definitely something to be celebrated.”
Tags:ATM 2019
