The 2023 Arabian Travel Market (ATM) was the best one yet.
The trade show is the leading international tourism event and the largest
travel exhibition in the Middle East.
ATM was held May 1-4 at the World Trade Centre in Dubai, one
of the most fascinating cities in the world. The event featured over 2,000
exhibitors from over 150 countries who showcased a plethora of leading hotels,
attractions, airlines and technology companies.
More than 40,000 people attended ATM, with 30,000 being
visitors. This year’s attendance broke records with an increase of over 29
percent compared to 2022 and a five percent increase over their best year of
2019.
From a first-hand perspective, it was easy to see that the
Middle East’s travel and tourism sector is flourishing.
“Working Towards Net Zero” was ATM 2023’s theme, focusing on
their ongoing journey to reach net zero in the travel and tourism sector. ATM’s
new Sustainability Hub featured sessions on the latest innovations in sustainable
travel.
Conference partner Plug & Play debuted a Sustainable
Travel “Start-up Competition,” where seven start-up companies competed for the
best ideas in tourism technology that will create greener travel in the future.
The first Pearl Award was introduced for the 30th edition of
ATM and went to Colm McLoughlin, the Executive Vice Chairman and CEO of Dubai
Duty Free, for his ongoing contribution to travel and tourism in the United
Arab Emirates (UAE).
ATM 2023 has been deemed a huge success, as it was amazing
to see the grandeur, glamor and uniqueness of each supplier’s booth at the
show.
The best part was the collaboration that occurred during the
event. Travel agents, destinations, tour operators, hotels and airlines worked
to unlock and explore future business potential. This show is truly a goldmine
for the travel sector and a trade show that every travel agent should attend
next year if they have the opportunity.
Recent data from the United Nations’ World
Tourism Organization found the Middle East is not only leading that global
rebound, but has also become the only region to exceed 2019 arrivals. The area
saw the most robust performance, with its arrivals up 15 percent from 2019
levels.
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