Bridging the world

In its 24th year, the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) opens its doors to 2,500 exhibiting companies spread across 12 halls at the Dubai World Trade Centre, making it the largest ATM in its history. Last year the event attracted almost 40,000 industry professionals, settling on deals worth $2.5 billion over the four days.

Opening on April 24, the exhibition this year will host a diverse international diaspora on one platform for four days to network and tap into the most potential travel markets in the world. The focus of this edition of Arabian Travel Market is on the trends which have taken the world by storm.

Many tourism boards around the globe are looking into creating local experiences as part of the tourism itinerary which enables the tourist to be more aware of the importance of culture and heritage. More focus is on cultural and heritage tourism in this part of the world as it is very rich in its unique culture and tradition.

Technology, on the other hand, continues to play a pivotal role in today’s travel, tourism and hospitality sector. Traditional travel agents are gearing up to be more versatile and they are fast becoming consultants who sell experiences beyond what is offered on a website. In this manner, influencers are the new breed which has bloomed, sharing their thoughts, recommendations and guiding travellers around the globe.

AHIC opens from April 25-27 at Madinat Jumeirah with the theme ‘Catalysts of Change’, an apt theme for recent times. Among the topics of interest would be the way in which technology will shape the future of hotels and the global major trends that impact hospitality in the ME region.

At ATM last year the introduction of midscale brands witnessed a major share in the tourism market ensuring more numbers to the region. The Middle East is considered to be the most lucrative region to do business by most operators because of its connectivity options, swift terms of business and continued growth trajectories.