Tourism & Hospitality | Monday 4 May, 2015 12:56 am |

Middle East’s largest travel trade event showcasing 2,700 exhibitors, 64 national pavilions, over 35 seminar and technology theatre sessions, and the return of the UNWTO Ministerial Forum set to welcome an anticipated 23,000 visitors
Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2015, the region’s leading travel industry showcase, opens its doors today Monday 4th May for four days of business networking opportunities, insightful seminar sessions, ministerial discussions and recognition of 12 months of industry achievement.
Now in its 22nd year, the 2015 edition, which takes place at the Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Centre from 4-7 May 2015, will welcome Over 400 confirmed exhibitors and an expected 23,000 visitors to the largest travel trade event in the Middle East.
The show has grown by 7% since 2014, and added an extra hall for 2015, with 86 countries represented, 64 national pavilions, and a total of 113 new exhibitors set to make their ATM debut.
“As we count down to Expo 2020 and a target of at least 20 million visitors annually as part of Tourism Vision 2020, and a forecasted figure of 25 million visitors for the six-month-long expo, it’s impossible not to be swept up in the momentum of tourism development, both right here in the UAE and across the region. Despite the ongoing challenges facing neighbouring economies, the Middle East continues to break new ground when it comes to infrastructure expansion, government and private sector initiatives, and visitor engagement,” said Nadege Noblet-Segers, Exhibition Manager, Arabian Travel Market.
“Sustainable development is the foundation for the successful long-term growth of the tourism economy and this year’s showcase will incorporate a number of major features that directly address current industry issues. These include the return of the UNWTO Ministerial Forum, at which MENA region portfolio ministers and industry leaders will discuss the advancement of intra-regional tourism. We have also launched the Travel Tech Show at ATM which is accompanied by our annual Technology Theatre seminar series, where global experts in their field will share the latest hi-tech developments impacting our industry. We also have our dedicated spotlight theme for 2015 – family travel, which represents a significant opportunity for the global tourism industry to capitalise on the trend towards multi-generational travel, the travelling future of Gen Y and, specifically in this part of the world, the increase in high-net worth families seeking luxury experiences,” she added.

In addition, ATM 2015 will welcome 80 senior industry leaders from commercial travel organisations to its invitation-only Captains of Industry Lunch, and introduce, for the very first time, the ATM Best Stand Awards.

Return features include ILTM@ATM, which matches luxury-focused exhibitors with international buyers looking to discover the best of the best experiences in the region; the Visa Seminar Theatre with a full schedule of over 18 insightful and wide-ranging sessions; the ATM Exhibitor Showcase Theatre; and the 11th annual ATM New Frontiers Recovery Award, for which Japan, Nepal and India have been shortlisted.

“Tourism is an integral part of Dubai’s economy, and the Arabian Travel Market is a key showcase of the emirate’s capabilities and infrastructure, as well as its thriving and diverse travel services on offer. With Dubai Expo 2020 on the horizon, travel and tourism operators will continue to capitalize on exhibitions like ATM, putting in place building blocks for future development,” said Sheikh Majid Al Mualla, Divisional Senior Vice President Commercial Operations Centre, Emirates Airline.

“Arabian Travel Market is one of the most important events on our calendar, and we look forward to building new relationships with travel and tourism partners, as well as strengthening existing ones. ATM provides the ideal platform for DTCM and Dubai stakeholders to showcase the many elements of the emirate’s destination offering from different perspectives – and the ongoing efforts to enhance these. With one of ATM’s main themes for this year being family tourism, we are also using the show as an opportunity to highlight Dubai’s strength within this segment, which plays a major role as we work towards realising our Tourism Vision for 2020 targets. Furthermore, DTCM is playing an integral role in the promotion of Emirati culture, and during this year’s ATM delegates are being invited to daily workshops hosted by the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding (SMCCU).” said Issam Kazim, CEO, Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing

“I have supported Arabian Travel Market since its inception and The Vision is glad to do so again this year. Besides networking at our stand during the exhibition, we are delighted to support our industry colleagues and business partners, by promoting our latest products, destinations, and technology. We look forward to yet another exciting show with great anticipation and confidence,” said Ali Abu Monassar – Chairman, The Vision Destination Management.

“ATM 2015 offers a significant platform for Emaar Hospitality Group to highlight the value propositions of our hospitality assets in Dubai, as well as underline our ambitious international expansion plans. Our hotel brands: The Address Hotels + Resorts, Vida Hotels and Resorts, and the upcoming Rove Hotels; unique leisure assets and dedicated lifestyle dining division have clearly established Emaar’s industry-defining credentials in providing the widest array of hospitality choices to support Dubai’s Tourism Vision 2020,” added Philippe Zuber, Chief Operating Officer of Emaar Hospitality Group.

Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, Ruler of Dubai, the show has grown to become the largest showcase of its kind in the region and one of the biggest in the world.
This year’s event will also build still further on the success of the 2014 edition with the addition of 2,000 square metres of floor space as Reed Travel Exhibitions looks to add to its record-breaking achievements last year – 33,000 participants an increase of 12%, from more than 130 countries, and business deals worth over US$ 2.1 billion signed over the four days.
For more information on Arabian Travel Market 2015, please log on to: www.arabiantravelmarket.com

About Arabian Travel Market
In its 21st edition, Arabian Travel Market 2014, boasted more than 2,700 exhibitors and stand-sharers from 85 countries and attracted over 23,000 visitors from around the world.
www.arabiantravelmarket.com

Arabian Travel Market is part of Reed Travel Exhibition’s WTM Portfolio of events, which also includes World Travel Market, World Travel Market Latin America and World Travel Market Africa.
www.wtmworld.com

WTM Portfolio
The World Travel Market Portfolio is comprised of the leading leisure travel events in the world; World Travel Market in London, WTM Latin America in Sao Paulo, WTM Africa in Cape Town and Arabian Travel Market in Dubai.

The WTM Portfolio’s events are attended by the global travel and tourism industry’s senior executives to conduct business deals and discover the latest research, insight and opinion.
In 2014, the WTM Portfolio facilitated around $7 billion in industry deals from negotiations between the more than 15,000 buyers, 9,500 exhibitors (1,500 main stand holders and 8,000 stand sharers) in attendance of its four events.

WTM is owned by the worldʼs leading events organiser Reed Exhibitions.

About Reed Exhibitions
Reed Exhibitions is the world’s leading events organiser, with over 500 events in 43 countries. In 2014 Reed brought together over seven million event participants from around the world generating billions of dollars in business. Today Reed events are held throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific and Africa and organised by 41 fully staffed offices. Reed Exhibitions serves 43 industry sectors with trade and consumer events. It is part of the RELX Group plc, a world-leading provider of information solutions for professional customers across industries.