ATM 2021 to Host over 60 Countries Despite Covid-19 Travel Restrictions

A total of 62 countries will be represented on the exhibition floor this year at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2021, which will take place as an in-person event at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) during May 16-19.

Now in its 28th Year, the region’s largest travel and tourism showcase has attracted key exhibitors from inbound and outbound markets such as the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, UK, China, Germany, Russia, Greece, Egypt, Cyprus, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the Maldives, the Philippines, Thailand and the US.

“This is an impressive response from travel and tourism organisations across all travel sectors, given the various travel restrictions in place around the world, and provides a major boost for the travel industry in the Middle East,” commented Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director Middle East, Arabian Travel Market.

According to the expo’s organizer, Reed Travel Exhibitions, many destinations participating in ATM this year will be hoping to attract GCC visitors in the second half of 2021. Countries such as the Maldives for example, will have a significant presence at ATM, as well as perennial favourites such as Malaysia and Thailand, Germany, Greece, Italy and Switzerland.

ATM 2021 will be spread across nine halls. Consistent with the existing density restrictions and social distancing guidelines and regulations, there will be 11,000 people in the halls at any given time.

The theme of this year’s show is ‘A new dawn for travel and tourism’ and the spotlight will be focused on the very latest ‘COVID’ news from around the world – vaccine rollouts, the current state of the industry and more importantly, what the future holds.

Staying with the international flavour, overall, ATM 2021 will feature 67 conference sessions with over 145 local, regional and international speakers. Onsite, there is a Global Stage which will include a hotel industry summit, dedicated buyer forums for Saudi Arabia and China, an International Tourism & Investment Conference (ITIC), as well as an aviation panel, and a special session on Gulf-Israeli ties.

Other features this year will include Travel Forward at ATM, which has world-class technology experts, providing industry-leading insights about the latest technologies and trends that will undoubtedly shape the future of travel and tourism.

ATM 2021 will once again play an integral role in Arabian Travel Week, which will feature exhibitions, conferences, breakfast briefings, awards, product launches and networking events.

This year the introduction of a new hybrid format will mean a virtual ATM running a week later to complement and reach a wider audience than ever before.

According to Reed Travel Exhibitions, ATM Virtual, which made its debut last year, proved to be a resounding success attracting 12,000 online attendees from 140 countries.

“This is now an integral part of the ATM offering. Not every industry professional from around the world, can attend in-person every year, particularly this year with travel restrictions changing rapidly around the globe,” said Curtis.