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Opening session of the high-level summit highlights the critical role that travel and tourism plays in long term sustainable economic recovery of the Middle East·
Panellists call for unity from
countries across the world to work together to overcome the pandemic
The 28th edition of Arabian Travel Market (ATM),
the region’s largest travel and tourism showcase, returned to Dubai in-person
this morning to shine the spotlight on Tourism
For a Brighter Future during the opening session at ATM’s Global Stage.
With 2021
ushering in a new dawn for travel and tourism, leading industry figureheads
from around the world kicked off the discussion on the ATM Global Stage as they
explored factors delivering the sector’s fast-paced recovery. Vaccinations,
market segmentation and innovations in tech, travel corridors, marketing and
product diversification were all highlighted as drivers for significant
recovery by 2023.
Addressing the audience this morning, His Excellency Helal Saeed Al Marri, Director General, Dubai
Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), said: “To see true
recovery in travel and tourism, countries need to accept that COVID-19 exists
and that we need to learn to live the new COVID-19 normal.
“Since the beginning, Dubai has shown remarkable resilience in dealing
with the pandemic. Taking decisive action at the right time, using all the data
available to us as a smart city to make decisions, and opening the economy
sector by sector, with the right precautions being taken at each stage, has
enabled the gradual recovery of the travel and tourism industry and allowed the
city to open its borders to both domestic and international travel.
“With the number of COVID-19 cases stabilising, due to high vaccination rates and some of the highest testing rates in the world, we can expect to see further easing of restrictions in Dubai in the near future,” he added.
Other notable speakers on the panel were Dr Taleb Rifai, Chairman ITIC
& Former Secretary General United Nations World Tourism Organization
(UNWTO); Scott Livermore, Chief Economist of Oxford Economics Middle East,
Dubai; and Mr. Thoyyib Mohamed, Managing Director, Maldives Tourism Board.
Elsewhere on the agenda on the ATM Global Stage, tourism ministers and
key industry stakeholders from the Gulf and Southern Europe convened during the
Tourism Beyond COVID Recovery session
to discuss the vast opportunities for travel, tourism and hospitality presented
by the potential return of mass leisure tourism, medical and educational
travel, business events and beyond that, cross-cultural exchange and collaboration.
This was followed by the ATM China Tourism Forum, which highlighted the
continuing importance of China as a major source market for many MENA
destinations, and examined the imminent return of inbound tourism from China as
destinations including Dubai near “COVID-19 safe” status due to the success of
their domestic vaccination drives.
Meanwhile, delegates
at the ATM Travel Forward theatre heard from world-class technology experts discussing
industry-leading insights about the role of technology in the future of travel.
“Technology plays a critical role in facilitating the restart of global
travel and tourism in the wake of the COVID-19 bounce back,” said Danielle Curtis,
Exhibition Director ME, Arabian Travel Market. “The discussions taking place at
ATM Travel Forward highlight the readiness of travel businesses to face the new
realities of the industry and provides a valuable forum for identifying the new
technologies and innovations essential to restore travel confidence.”
Throughout
the four-day event, ATM 2021 will feature 67 conference sessions with over 145
local, regional and international speakers. On the Global Stage, attendees will
also be able to attend the hotel industry summit, the ATM Saudi Arabia Tourism
Summit: Transformation through tourism, an International Tourism &
Investment Conference (ITIC), as well as an aviation panel, and a special
session on lessons learned leading to recovery and on-going resilience in world
travel.
ATM 2021, which was inaugurated by His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed
Al Maktoum, President of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, CEO and Founder of
Emirates Group and Chairman of Dubai World, continues on Monday 17 to Wednesday 19
May at the to the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC).
Tags: ATM 2021, Arabian Travel Market