More than 46,000 industry professionals
from over 160 countries – including 33,500 visitors – attended the 31 st edition of Arabian
Travel Market (ATM), which concluded today (9 May) in Dubai, UAE.
This represents a 15% year-on-year increase in attendees compared to ATM’s
landmark 30 th edition, setting a new record for the show and demonstrating the strength,
resilience and momentum of the global travel and tourism sector.
In line with ATM 2024’s theme, ‘Empowering Innovation: Transforming Travel Through
Entrepreneurship’, over 2,600 exhibitors gathered at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC)
to explore the drivers behind industry growth and identify future opportunities within the
global tourism sector.
Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director ME, Arabian Travel Market, said: “My colleagues and
I are delighted that so many industry professionals from around the world were able to
join us in Dubai to explore how innovation and entrepreneurship are shaping a more
efficient, profitable and sustainable tourism sector for future generations. We are thrilled
to have set a new show record, underscoring our position as the travel and tourism
exhibition of choice as we continue to drive global growth within the industry.”
ATM 2024 welcomed His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al
Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, who
chaired a meeting of The Executive Council during the show. H.H. Sheikh Hamdan
approved a series of major transport and tourism-related projects in line with the vision
of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime
Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
This year’s opening session saw policymakers from across the region explain how Gulf
nations are working together to streamline the GCC’s tourism offering. The panel
discussion, which took place following opening remarks from H.E. Abdullah bin Touq Al
Marri, UAE Minister of Economy, featured insights from H.E. Khalid Jasim Al Midfa,
Chairman of the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority; H.E. Fahd
Hamidaddin, CEO of the Saudi Tourism Authority; H.E. Azzan Al Busaidi,
Undersecretary of Tourism at the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism in Oman; and H.E.
Sarah Buhijji, CEO of the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority.
Experts on the Indian outbound market shared key insights during the session
‘Unlocking the True Potential of Indian Travellers’. Virendra Jain, CEO and Co-Founder
of VIDEC, a travel, tourism and hospitality boutique advisory and analytics firm,
provided details surrounding market opportunity assessments, channel and distribution
analysis, characteristics and behaviours of Indian travellers, and projections of the
market’s outbound travel trends over the next decade.
Panellists outlined predictions for the future of air travel and the importance of
innovation in enabling the industry to accommodate the significant growth in air traffic
during the session ‘Looking Skyward for Innovation: How Technology is Disrupting
Aviation’. Moderated by travel expert Mark Frary, the session featured insights from
Cirium, IATA, AviationXLab and Riyadh Air.
InterLnkd overcame stiff competition to win the third ATM Start-up Pitch Battle, which
was held in association with Intelak. The UK-headquartered company uses specific data
points and an intelligent matching engine to link the travel and hospitality sectors with
the fashion, beauty and retail industries.
Experience Abu Dhabi secured the Best Stand Design Award (over 150m 2 ) at ATM 2024
An independent panel of judges praised the tourism authority’s exhibition space
for its flowing design, innovative use of greenery and excellent visibility from the show
floor. Other Best Stand Winners included AlUla, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration,
ExploreTECH, flydubai, Qiddiya Investment Company and Saudi Tourism Authority.
Held in conjunction with Dubai World Trade Centre, ATM 2024’s strategic partners
included Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) as Destination Partner,
Emirates as Official Airline Partner, IHG Hotels & Resorts as Official Hotel Partner, and
Al Rais Travel as Official DMC Partner.
