In-person ATM event to take place 16-19 May 2021
Host
of additional events in Dubai aimed at stimulating hotel, travel and tourism
sectors under an ATM theme that has never been more relevant - ‘A new dawn for
travel and tourism’
Reed Exhibitions, organiser of the annual Arabian Travel Market (ATM) showcase in Dubai, has announced the return of Arabian Travel Week (ATW) between 16-26 May 2021.
“This
week-long festival of events is dedicated to travel professionals from all over
world, to collaborate and shape the recovery of the Middle East travel industry,
through exhibitions, conferences, breakfast briefings, awards, product launches
and networking events,” Danielle Curtis,
Exhibition Director ME, Arabian Travel Market.
“Essentially,
Arabian Travel Week will provide a pivotal platform for
the region’s travel and tourism industry, whether participating in-person at
the events or virtually, over the course of 10 days – it will put a spotlight
on Dubai, the UAE, GCC and of course the wider MENA region’s tourism sector,” she added.
Now
in its 28th year and working in collaboration with Dubai World Trade
Centre (DWTC) and Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce
Marketing (DTCM), ATM 2021 will play an integral
role in Arabian Travel Week.
“There will be a whole host of in-person
seminars on ATM’s show floor specifically designed to support, inspire and
innovate all travel and tourism professionals, looking at the latest trends in
technology, sustainability and profiling the next generation of global
travellers,” said Curtis.
There will also be an array of
high-profile keynote speakers and world-class technology experts lined up for
the Travel
Forward Theatre, providing industry-leading insights and discussing
the latest technologies and trends that will shape the future of travel.
Other notable features of Arabian Travel Week and in-person at ATM
include ILTM Arabia 2021, buyer forums with networking dedicated to key source markets
including Saudi Arabia, India and China, a hotel summit, the responsible
tourism programme and the International Tourism & Investment Conference (ITIC)
summit.
Ibrahim Ayoub, Group CEO, ITIC & Invest Tourism Ltd said, “We
are delighted to host in partnership with ATM, our ITIC Middle East Tourism
Investment Summits, in-person on Wednesday, 19th May and followed by our
virtual summit, a week later on Thursday, 27th May. We will bring together hospitality,
tourism and financial services leaders to discuss how the Middle East’s travel
and tourism industry can position their businesses to be ready for the post
COVID-19 recovery, through instituting and making strategic investments to
rebuild the sector.”
“This year’s theme of ‘A New Dawn for Travel
and Tourism’ has never been more relevant nor important - this message of
recovery will be integrated into all of the show verticals and planned
activities,” added Curtis.
To complement the four-day in-person show, for the first time, a new hybrid format will mean a
virtual ATM running a week after to reach a wider audience than ever before.
ATM Virtual, which made its debut last year, proved to be a resounding success
attracting 12,000 online attendees from
140 countries.
“It is imperative that we
include a virtual element to Arabian Travel Week because many industry
professionals from around the world, may not be able to attend the in-person
event for 2021.
“Indeed, it would also be impossible for us, at this moment in
time, to even begin to speculate on how effective the vaccine rollout will be
and subsequently when governments around the world will start to withdraw their
travel restrictions,” said Curtis.
ATM Virtual will feature comprehensive
webinars, live conference sessions, roundtables, speed networking events, virtual digital influencers’ speed networking session, one-to-one meetings, destination briefings,
as well as facilitating new connections and offering a wide range of online
business opportunities.
A highlight on Arabian Travel Week’s agenda and
part of ATM Virtual is Arival
Dubai @ ATM. This event will feature a series of sessions covering
current and future trends for operators of tours and attractions. Douglas Quinby, CEO of Arival said, "Arabian
Travel Market has long been the event that gathers the global travel community
around the Middle East, and its role in the revival of our industry is more
important than ever. We are partnering with ATM to create a special virtual
forum that assembles leading voices from tours and attractions, as well as
technology innovators, from across the region to help our industry chart a path
of resilience and resurgence in 2021 and beyond."
The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), the world’s premier
business travel and meetings trade organisation, will also be participating at
ATM Virtual for
the first time. The GBTA will deliver the
latest business travel content, research and education to drive the
post-pandemic recovery and support growth in business travel.
The show will strictly adhere to all DWTC’s stringent health and
safety guidelines and will set out to provide a touchless and seamless
experience. The team at DWTC are working hard to ensure that all events run
safely and have implemented a range of measures including an enhanced cleaning
regime, improved air circulation, multiple hand sanitiser stations and
temperature checks.
For more news about ATM, please visit: https://hub.wtm.com/category/press/atm-press-releases/
