Arabian Travel Market 2019 to host Hotel Industry Summit

Reed Travel Exhibitions, organiser of Arabian Travel Market (ATM) in Dubai, will host the first ATM Hotel Industry Summit as part of its line-up of events.

The inaugural summit, scheduled to take place on April 30 on the Global Stage, will see panels of experts discuss the latest hotel infrastructure developments, investment opportunities and digital innovations shaping the region’s industry.

The UAE’s hospitality market is expected to be worth US$7.6 billion annually by 2022, growing at a five-year Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 8.5% between 2017 and 2022, driven by Dubai’s Expo 2020, Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and various other government initiatives to boost travel and tourism across the region. Over the same period, hotel supply is forecast to grow at a CAGR of 6% to 183,718 keys, according to research published in a report by Alpen Capital.

In addition to this, STR data shows that the GCC is expecting an additional 58,761 hotel rooms to enter the market in 2019. The leading contributors are the UAE with 31,517 rooms (53%) in the pipeline; Saudi Arabia with 24,170 (41%); and Oman with 2,984 (5%).

The summit will get underway with a session on 'Regional Development and Investment Hotspots', highlighting buoyant destinations in the Middle East and explaining the factors behind their underlying growth. The second session of the day will discuss ‘The New Normal – Digital Transformation Secrets Revealed’, in which panelists will show how hotel groups can boost revenues and guest personalisation by implementing the latest technological tools. Rounding off the first summit will be a discussion on ‘New Hospitality Concepts Making Waves in the Middle East’, as operators target a wider range of visitors and aim to meet the needs of modern travellers, many of whom are yearning for more authentic experiences.

ATM 2019 will take place at the Dubai World Trade Centre from April 28-May 1,2019.