The 15th annual Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2018 will be officially starting today and will take place Dubai World Trade Centre from April 21-25.
His Highness Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, officially inaugurated Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2018 today, marking the start of the 25th edition of the show.
He was joined by Nick Pilbream, divisional director, Reed Travel Exhibitions, and other VIPs who embarked on a tour of the exhibition as the four-day industry showcase got underway.
This year’s show, which is taking place at Dubai World Trade Centre from 22-25 April 2018, has more than 400 main stand holders with representation from over 150 countries. With more than 40,000 visitors expected to attend, ATM 2018 will showcase over 2,500 exhibiting companies – of these, 100 will be making their show debut - and 65 national pavilions.
Celebrating its 25th year, ATM 2018 has adopted Responsible Tourism – including sustainable travel trends – as its main theme and this will be integrated across all show verticals and activities.
ATM 2018 will welcome more than 2,500 exhibitors and 40,000 industry professionals from 150 countries to participate in the largest travel and tourism event in the Middle East compared to the 39,000 attendees at last year’s event.
More than 100 new exhibitors are set to make their ATM debut this year, including Visit Finland, Guizhou Province of China, Hungarian Tourism Agency Ltd, Polish Tourist Organisation, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Dubai Municipality Leisure Facilities Department, Yas Experiences, Indigo Airlines, Kurdistan Tourism, Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau, Jakarta City Government Tourism and Culture Office and Shanghai Municipal Tourism Administration to name a few.
ATM senior director Simon Press said: “The growth and scale of ATM 2018 is testament to the buoyant travel and tourism industry here in the MENA region. With Expo 2020 now just two years away, this growth will undoubtedly continue as Dubai aims to complete 160,000 hotel rooms in time to welcome an additional five million visitors over the course of the event.”
This year, ATM has adopted responsible tourism – including sustainable travel trends – as its main theme and this will be integrated across all show verticals and activities.
On the Global Stage, the opening session ‘Future Travel Experiences’ will take place from 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 22nd, with a panel including: Christoph Muller, Chief Digital and Innovation officer, Emirates Airline and Harj Dhaliwal, managing director, middle east and india field operations, Virgin Hyperloop One.
Press added: “The tourism industry in the GCC has grown ten-fold and more since we first opened our show doors 25 years ago. Today, we are seeing dozens of ambitious projects being announced across the UAE and wider GCC. From innovative hyperloop train systems and the development of key airports to cities-within-cities, the region has a masterplan for growth and development, and it is vital that these plans are discussed in forums such as the ATM Global Stage 2018.”
ATM will also host the second ATM Global Halal Tourism Summit, from 11a.m. on Tuesday April, 24th to explore the growing trillion-dollar Muslim lifestyle and food industry.
Additionally, for the first time, the event will host the ATM Student Conference – ‘Career in Travel’. Taking place on the final day on April, 25th, the programme is aimed at aspiring travel professionals and hoteliers.
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