Experiential tourism a major driver for UAE travel

This year’s Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2017, will focus on the growing trend of experiential tourism. According to a report from Colliers International, this theme of is set to be one of the major tourism drivers in the UAE this year and for the foreseeable future.

The report from Colliers said: “The average length of stay remained at 3.6 nights in 2016 and it is expected that this will further grow as the city increases its theme parks and entertainment offerings. A greater family appeal is expected to drive overall spending as well.”

The total contribution of travel & tourism to the UAE GDP was Dh133.8 billion ($36.42 billion - 8.7% of GDP) in 2015. This was forecast to rise by 4.4% in 2016, and by a further 5.4% per annum to over Dh236 billion ($64.2 billion - 11.2% of GDP) in 2026, with experiential tourism credited as a key area of growth.

ATM is considered by many travel industry insiders as a respected indicator for the tourism sector in the MENA region. The forum has experienced a year-on-year visitor attendance increase of 9% to over 28,500 in 2016, with 2,785 exhibiting companies, signing business deals worth more than $2.5 billion over four days.

The Arabian Travel Market 2017 will take place from 24-27 April.