ATM 2021: the first in-person travel and tourism event in the world since the onset of Covid-19 The Hotel Show Dubai returns for its 21st edition Calendar

from Hospitality News ME - June / July 2021 (Issue 134)

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ATM 2021: THE FIRST IN-PERSON TRAVEL AND TOURISM EVENT IN THE WORLD SINCE THE ONSET OF COVID-19

THE HOTEL SHOW DUBAI RETURNS FOR ITS 21ST EDITION

Now in its 28th year, ATM 2021 took place at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) from May 16 to 19. “The theme of this year’s show was ‘a new dawn for travel and tourism,’ and the spotlight was on the latest Covid-19 news from around the world – vaccine rollouts, the current state of the industry and more importantly, what the future holds,” said Claude Blanc, portfolio director, WTM& IBTM Portfolios. ATM 2021 featured 67 conference sessions with over 145 local, regional and international speakers. On site, there was a global stage, which included a hotel industry summit, dedicated buyer forums for Saudi Arabia and China, the International Tourism & Investment Conference (ITIC), as well as an aviation panel. Other features this year included 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. A total of 62 countries were represented on the exhibition floor this year, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Germany, Cyprus, Egypt, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea, the Maldives, the Philippines, Thailand, Mexico and the U.S. “This underscores the importance of ATM, connecting destinations with their source markets,” said Danielle Curtis, exhibition director Middle East, ATM.

Consistent with the existing density restrictions and social distancing guidelines and regulations, numbers were restricted to 11,000 people in the halls at any given time. The event played an integral role in Arabian Travel Week, a 10day festival of travel and tourism events taking place in Dubai and online.

In addition to the in-person Arabian Travel Market event, other travel events formed part of Arabian Travel Week, namely: travel technology exhibition Travel Forward, ARIVAL Dubai for the tours and attractions sector, GBTA’s half-day virtual business travel conference, ITIC’s Middle East Tourism Investment Summit, speed networking events for digital influencers and regionally focused buyer groups including China, and of course ATM Virtual, the online edition of the ATM exhibition.

This year, for the first time in ATM history, a new hybrid format meant a virtual ATM running a week later to complement and reach a wider audience than ever before. ATM Virtual, which made its debut last year, proved to be a resounding success attracting 12,000 online attendees from 140 countries. wtm.com

The Hotel Show Dubai, the largest event of its kind in the region, returned live and in-person to the Dubai World Trade Centre from May 31. The show welcomed thousands of enthusiastic visitors and exhibitors from over 20 countries for three days of conferences, competitions and workshops. Underlining the importance of live events as an integral part of the region’s hospitality industry, HRH Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum inaugurated the 21st edition of the popular trade event.

Boasting twice the number of seminars and three times as many speakers as previous editions, The Hotel Show Dubai 2021 encouraged the revival of the hospitality and tourism sectors, indicating a bright and prosperous future for all stakeholders. Among the show’s highlights was the Hospitality Leadership Forum, which offered attendees a rare opportunity to network with the industry's most outstanding leaders. Issam Kazim, CEO of Dubai Corporation for Tourism & Commerce Marketing, was welcomed with a standing ovation in recognition of DTCM’s decisive handling of the pandemic over the past 15 months. thehotelshow.com