Arabian Travel Market opens today

Hospitality professionals from every corner of the world are in the UAE for the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2019, the largest travel industry exhibition in the Middle East, which opened this afternoon.

Identifying the top tourism trends showing the greatest growth potential is one of the most valuable insights Arabian Travel Market has to offer, and this year’s event – which takes place at Dubai World Trade Centre - will be no different as it launches Arabian Travel Week – an umbrella brand comprising four co-located shows.

The 26th edition of ATM will form part of the inaugural Arabian Travel Week, as well as ILTM Arabia, CONNECT Middle East, India and Africa – a new route development forum launching this year and new consumer-led event ATM Holiday Shopper.
ATM 2019 will welcome over 2,500 exhibiting companies and an expected 40,000 attendees, with over 150 countries represented, 65 national pavilions, and more than 100 new exhibitors set to make their ATM debut including Expo 2020 Dubai, flynas, Belarus National Tourism Agency, Moscow Committee for Tourism and Montenegro National Tourism Organisation, South Africa Tourism Bureau and Zimbabwe Tourism Authority.

ATM 2019 has adopted cutting-edge technology and innovation as its main theme, and this will be integrated across all show verticals and activities.

“Technology and innovation will also represent key focuses during this year’s show. Bots, artificial intelligence, virtual reality and the Internet of Things are expected to result in billion-dollar savings for our industry, so it is vital that we empower exhibitors and attendees to explore how these tools can be leveraged to benefit their customers and businesses,” said Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director ME, Arabian Travel Market,

Conference highlights include a focused seminar session on Saudi Arabia’s tourism potential and a keynote from Sir Tim Clark, president, Emirates Airline,

• His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum inaugurated ATM 2019 earlier today