ATM to kick off in May 2021

This year Arabian Travel Market is to kick off from May 16-19, 2021, at the Dubai World Trade Center focusing on the recovery of Middle East tourism. According to the organiser Reed Exhibitions there will be a host of additional events in Dubai aimed at stimulating hotel, travel and tourism sectors under an ATM theme that has never been more relevant.

Shehara Rizly

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, May 19 and followed by our virtual summit, a week later on Thursday, May 27. 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.