Over 40k attendees at ATM 2018
The Arabian Travel market opens doors from April 22-25, 2018 at Dubai World Trade Centre. Over 2,500 exhibiting companies with around 40,000 attendees from over 150 countries will ensure a steady network with the most important B2B clients from around the world on a single platform.
Sharjah is putting a spotlight on some of its most successful tourism offerings at the upcoming 25th edition of the Arabian Travel Market (ATM). The exhibition will lay emphasis on responsible tourism and sustainable trends. The emirate is strategically positioned to capitalise on this growing sector supported by the diversity of our heritage which is visible in our cultural, natural, archeological and historical sites, combined with our advanced efforts in experience-led tourism as well as our popularity in the family travel segment. Following the increase in tourists in 2017, we are also keen to introduce new offerings and explore opportunities in key markets, including GCC, India, Europe, Russia, China, among several others. Some unique developments are underway in Sharjah including The Sharjah Collection, Anantara Resort Novotel Sharjah Expo, Hilton Group, Accor Group and we are confident that our participation at ATM this year will be significant to support our vision to attain 10 million visitors in the emirate by 2021.
SIA’s success is achieved due to the continuous support of HH Sheikh Dr Sultan Bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, and the close coordination of HH Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Sharjah, and Chairman of Sharjah Executive Council. This has resulted in various programmes to enhance customer satisfaction by upgrading the services provided by SIA. Adaptation of the latest technology have led to continued growth in passenger traffic, aircraft movements and cargo operations.
Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq) will be highlighting a host of its leading leisure, family, authentic, cultural and ecotourism destinations to drive the emirate’s positioning as a leading destination in the region. It aims to exhibit Sharjah’s investment potentials and climates in relation to its travel and tourism sector, and the unique offerings it provides to tourists in Sharjah. We are excited to showcase the latest developments across all our destinations, such as Al Majaz Waterfront’s recent launch of its new phase hosting posting popular restaurant chains for the first time.
Fujairah will introduce diversified tourism products and present the latest hotels. The exemption of the citizens of the Republic of China and the Russian Federation travel visa has had a significant impact on the increase in the number of visitors from these countries. The Fujairah Tourism and Antiquities Authority has always sought to implement innovative ideas that serve the tourism sector. We are aiming to enter new markets as well as using modern technology to implement targeted tourism promotion programmes.
We will be focusing on our partnership with flydubai this year to educate trade about the benefits the partnership will be bringing to travellers. Seen as the new game changer, Emirates’ new First Class private suites have impressed our passengers and the feedback has been tremendous. Our investments put us in a strong position to embrace the future and all of the possibilities and challenges that come with it. We look forward to productive meetings and panels at ATM, and welcome the opportunity to network and cultivate stronger relationships with our trade partners. Our partnership with flydubai provides normous synergies on a network level, offering consumers a breadth of travel options to, from and via Dubai. We will present our operational hotels under the premium lifestyle brand and upcoming portfolio of hotel projects in international markets in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Maldives and more. We have seen a significant increase in the number of Chinese and Russian guests, including repeat guest and MiCE clientele, further supporting the robust performance of our hotels in Dubai. Geographic expansion to key markets globally is part of our growth strategy. We have expanded to several destinations and this will continue to be our priority this year. We expect significant engagement with industry stakeholders, and hope to foster our partnerships and raise the profile of Emaar Hospitality Group.
Last year sparked the announcement of another exciting year for GTA, joining Hotelbeds Group. Now we can focus on realising our ambition of becoming the very best travel trade partner by providing access to the best teams, products and data analysis in the industry, all backed up by an innovative technology platform. ATM has always been a major regional and international business-to-business (B2B) travel exhibition to showcase the development of travel, tourism and hospitality industries. This year, our participation will be under one umbrella of the entire group, including Tourico Holidays. This has always been an opportunity for us to launch new products, present new services and introduce key partnership programmes.