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    ATM : World’s first in-person international travel trade event in 18 months opens in Dubai

    May 16, 2021
    Travel Conference /Marts / MICE News
    , , , ,
    ATM : World’s first in-person international travel trade event in 18 months opens in Dubai

    Travel Biz News —

    HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, CEO and Founder of the Emirates Group and chairman of Dubai World, officially inaugurated Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2021 today, marking the start of the 28th edition of the Middle East’s largest travel and tourism exhibition.

    HH Sheikh Ahmed was accompanied by HE Helal Saeed Al Marri, CEO of Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) and Director-General of Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), Claude Blanc, WTM and IBTM Portfolio Director; Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director Middle East, ATM and other personalities as the four-day event got underway at DWTC.

    Addressing the audience , Helal Saeed Al Marri said: “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” .

    Other notable speakers on the panel included Dr Taleb Rifai, Chairman ITIC and Former Secretary General United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO); Scott Livermore, Chief Economist of Oxford Economics Middle East, Dubai; and Thoyyib Mohamed, Managing Director, Maldives Tourism Board. , according to a statement issued by the organizers.

    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.

    Taking place from 16 to 19 May, this year’s event has 1,300 exhibitors from 62 countries including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Italy, Germany, Cyprus, Egypt, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea, the Maldives, the Philippines, Thailand, Mexico and the US, underscoring the strength of our reach.

    ATM 2021’s show theme is appropriately ‘A New Dawn for Travel & Tourism’ and spread across nine halls. Consistent with the existing density restrictions and social distancing guidelines and regulations, there will be 11,000 people in the halls at any given time.

    In addition to the in-person Arabian Travel Market event, the travel events that are part of Arabian Travel Week are: travel technology exhibition Travel Forward, ARIVAL Dubai for the tours and attractions sector, GBTA’s half day virtual business travel conference, ITIC’s Middle East Tourism Investment Summit and regionally focused buyer groups including China, and of course ATM Virtual, the online edition of the ATM exhibition.

    This year, for the first time in ATM history, a new hybrid format will mean a virtual ATM running a week later, from 24-26 May, to complement and reach a wider audience than ever before.

    (with inputs from ATM / Shamal Comm)

    Photo : ATM

    May 16 , 2021

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