·
ATM 2022 attracts over 23,000 visitors, growing
by more than 100 percent YoY
·
Over 30,000 participants, including 1,500
exhibitors and attendees from 150 countries, were at ATM 2022
·
Focusing on the future of international travel
and tourism, the show explored the fields of transportation, hospitality,
events, attractions and more
· Innovation, sustainability and talent were key themes during the four-day event
More than 23,000 visitors attended the 29th edition of Arabian Travel
Market (ATM) 2022, as industry leaders gathered at Dubai World Trade
Centre (DWTC) to share insights into the future of international travel and
tourism.
“In addition to doubling our visitor numbers year on year,
ATM 2022 hosted 1,500 exhibitors and attendees from 150 countries,” commented Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director ME for Arabian Travel Market. “These figures are especially impressive given
that lockdowns are still taking place in China and other destinations. What’s more, the development of the travel and tourism sector throughout
the Middle East region shows no signs of abating, with GCC hotel construction contract awards set to
rise by 16 percent this year alone.”
The value of UAE and Saudi Arabian projects accounted for 90 percent of
all regional hospitality contracts awarded in 2021, according to research from
BNC Network. With analysis from Colliers International forecasting that $4.5
billion worth of hotel construction contracts will be awarded in the GCC during
2022, industry experts took to the ATM Global Stage for a panel discussion
about the future of the region’s hospitality industry.
Moderated by Paul Clifford, Group Editor – Hospitality at ITP Media
Group, the panel discussion featured insights from Christopher Lund, Director –
Head of Hotels MENA at Colliers International; Mark Kirby, Head of Hospitality
at Emaar Hospitality Group; Tim Cordon, Area Senior Vice President – Middle
East and Africa at Radisson Hotel Group; and Judit Toth, Founder and CEO of
Vivere Hospitality.
Commenting on the need to attract and retain talent within the Middle
East’s hospitality sector, Radisson Hotel Group’s Cordon said: “The
organisations that get this right are going to benefit because, of course, we
know how expensive it is to bring new people into our business and it’s even
more expensive if you lose them. I don’t think you can talk about the future of
hospitality without talking about the future of talent.”
Vivere’s Toth pointed out that it was equally important to educate
industry professionals on the priorities and mindset of younger employees and
guests alike. “[The younger generation] think completely differently. They live
in a world of crypto and NFTs. How are they going to be able to bring their
ideas and talents into the [hotel] business? And remember, on the other side,
your new and future customers are also coming from the same background, with
the same motivations and understanding. So, it’s a matter of bringing in new
talent that shares common ground with new customers.”
Speaking on the continued importance of nationalisation efforts, Emaar
Hospitality Group’s Kirby said: “Emiratisation coexists with how we develop our
leadership teams to operate hotels. We focus on leadership at this level to
come from within, [drawing on] internal talent. The fact that we’re growing and
opening new hotels helps us, because it provides opportunities for our existing
team members to move up.”
The four-day live event was inaugurated by His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin
Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman of
Dubai Airports, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group
Chairman of Dubai World. The show’s opening session, which was moderated by
CNN’s Eleni Giokos, featured Issam Kazim, Chief Executive Officer, Dubai
Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing; Scott Livermore, Chief
Economist at Oxford Economics; Jochem-Jan Sleiffer, President – Middle East,
Africa and Turkey at Hilton; Bilal Kabbani, Industry Head – Travel and Tourism
at Google; and Andrew Brown, Regional Director – Europe, Middle East and
Oceania at the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC).
The show’s opening day also featured the first
session of the ARIVALDubai@ATM forum, during which industry experts explored
the role that in-destination experiences are playing in shaping the future of
global travel and tourism. Later in the afternoon, ministers from the UAE,
Jordan, Jamaica and Botswana took to the ATM Global Stage to discuss the
importance of investment, technology and inclusivity in driving Middle East
tourism forward, as part of the International Tourism & Investment
Conference (ITIC) Ministerial Roundtable.
The second day of ATM 2022 saw senior
representatives from Air Arabia and Etihad Aviation Group join JLS Consulting’s
John Strickland on the ATM Global Stage for a discussion about efficiency and
sustainability within the aviation sector. Later in the afternoon, D/A’s Paul
Kelly offered his perspective on how to connect with the Arabic travel audience
more effectively. At the end of day two, video-sharing platform ‘Welcome to the
World’ secured up to $500,000 of investment after winning the inaugural ATM
Draper-Aladdin Startup Competition on the ATM Travel Tech Stage.
Day three of ATM featured sessions focused on
what guests really want, sports tourism, hospitality tech trends, dining
experiences, metaverse-based travel services, the role of influencers and more.
The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) also hosted two
panel discussions on the third day, shining a spotlight on sustainability and
long-term trends within the business travel segment.
As part of the conference agenda for the fourth and final day of ATM
2022, representatives from Atlas, Wego Middle East and Alibaba Cloud MEA took
to the ATM Travel Tech Stage to explore how data is changing airline retailing.
Panellists shared insights into how to build data-led organisations, and why
companies that successfully harness travel data today will be most likely to
succeed in the longer term.
The morning sessions included a session hosted by WTM Responsible
Tourism, on the ATM Global Stage, focusing on how the latest innovations can be
used to promote responsible technology for travel and tourism. Concluding this
year’s edition of ATM, afternoon sessions included a discussion about the
return and rise of city tourism.
The final day of the live event also included the
announcement of ATM 2022’s ‘Best Stand Design’ and ‘People’s Choice Award’,
which were presented to SAUDIA for its futuristic and striking concept. Other
stands awarded for their creativity included the Department of Culture and
Tourism – Abu Dhabi, Jumeirah International, Ishraq International and
TBS/Vbooking.
“ATM 2022 has provided a timely opportunity for the global travel and
tourism sector to gather in Dubai and explore the future of our industry.
Innovation, sustainability, technology and talent acquisition and retention
will be crucial to its long-term success,” concluded Curtis.
Following the success of the hybrid approach adopted for last year’s
edition, the live, in-person component of ATM 2022 will be followed by the
third instalment of ATM Virtual, which will take place next week from Tuesday
17 to Wednesday 18 May.
For more news about ATM, you can visit https://hub.wtm.com/category/press/atm-press-releases/.
