Arabian Travel Market (ATM), the region’s leading travel industry showcase, opens its doors on (April 25) for four days of business networking opportunities, insightful seminar sessions, leadership forums, and recognition of 12 months of industry achievement.
Now in its 23rd year, the 2016 edition, which takes place at the Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Centre from April 25-28, will welcome 423 main stand holders representing 86 countries, with more than 26,000 visitors expected to attend the Middle East’s longest running and largest trade event.
The show has added an extra hall for 2016 to cater to the over 2,800 exhibiting companies and 64 national pavilions. Over 100 new exhibitors are set to make their ATM debut this year.
“The region faces a triple challenge in attracting leisure and business travelers with the triumvirate of service, experience and value all key to developing sustainable tourism economies in an increasingly diversified sector. This has been the catalyst in focusing our attention on mid-market tourism this year, as Middle East destinations look to diversify their source markets and attract a larger volume of visitors as well as look to increase the loyalty quotient in an extremely competitive market environment,” said Nadege Noblet-Segers, exhibition manager, ATM, told a press conference in Dubai.
The event was attended by Chris Newman, corporate director of operations, Emaar Hospitality Group; Thierry Antinori, executive vice president and chief commercial officer, Emirates Airline; Simon Press, senior exhibition director, ATM and World Travel Market; Issam Abdul Rahim Kazim, CEO, Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing; and Ali Abu Monassar, chairman, The Vision Destination Management.
“This has been identified as both an underdeveloped and potential growth area for the region, driven by demand from the growing middle class markets such as China, India and Africa combined with budget Generation Y travellers and young families,” she added.
Mid-market topic-led seminars include the opening session, ‘The Future of the UAE as a Global Tourism Hub’, taking place on April 25 from 13:00 – 14:30 on the ATM Global Stage located in Hall 8 with an impressive line-up of speakers. Panelists Issam Kazim, CEO, Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM); Haitham Mattar, CEO, Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority; Marwan bin Jassim Al Sarkal, CEO Shurooq; Sultan Al Mutawa Al Dhaheri, acting executive director, Tourism, Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi); Gerald Lawless, head of tourism, Dubai Holding and honourary president, Jumeirah Group; Thierry Antinori, Emirates executive vice president and chief commercial officer, Emirates Airline; and Aligi Gardenghi – vice president marketing EMEA and commercial director MEA, Hilton Worldwide will discuss the grand vision for the UAE as one of the world’s leading tourism hubs and how will it evolve over the next decade and beyond.
The Mid-market Strategies session, which will run from 13:15-14:15 hrs on April 26, also on the ATM Global Stage, is designed specifically to identify who the midmarket traveller is, where they come from and what they want. Panelists include Mark Nogal, regional head, Focused Service Brand Management, EMEA, Hilton Worldwide; Dr Amine Moukarzel, president, Louvre Hotels Group MENA; Karim ElGuanaini, senior vice president of product marketing, Miral Asset Management; and Ali Abu Monassar, president, The Vision Destination Management.
