ARABIAN TRAVEL MARKET PROVES TRAVEL IS BACK

WORDS GEMMA GREENWOOD

ATM proves travel is back

The 29th edition of the Middle East’s leading travel and tourism event was a resounding success – a sure sign the industry’s resurgence is accelerating and the region is leading the way

ABOVE: ATM attracted 23,000 visitors and 30,000 participants

RIGHT:

SAUDIA won ‘Best Stand Desgin’ and the ‘People’s Choice Award’ W ith 2022 ushering a new era for travel and tourism in the Gulf – one defined by recovery, resilience and renewed growth, bolstered by the Expo 2020 effect – the industry was expecting the 29th edition of Arabian Travel Market (ATM) to be busy.

But no one could have anticipated that post-pandemic, more than 23,000 travel sector professionals would head to the show to do business, network, debate and reconnect, up 100 per cent year on year.

The latest data from show organiser RX Global reveals the event, staged at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) from May 9-12 under the theme ‘ The Future of International Travel and Tourism’, also attracted 30,000 participants.

“In addition to doubling our visitor numbers year on year, ATM 2022 hosted 1,500 exhibitors and attendees from 150 countries,” said Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director ME for Arabian Travel Market.

“These figures are especially impressive given that lockdowns are still taking place in China and other destinations. What’s more, the development of the travel and tourism sector throughout the Middle East region shows no signs of abating, with GCC hotel construction contract awards set to rise by 16 per cent this year alone.”

The four-day live event was inaugurated by His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman of Dubai Airports, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group Chairman of Dubai World and, following the success of the hybrid approach adopted for last year’s edition, the third instalment of ATM Virtual took place on May 17 and 18.

“ATM 2022 has provided a timely opportunity for the global travel and tourism sector to gather in Dubai and explore the future of our industry,” said Curtis. “Innovation, sustainability, technology and talent acquisition and retention will be crucial to its long-term success.”

These were some of the key themes explored across ATM’s four-day conference programme.

DAY 1 The show’s opening session, moderated by CNN’s Eleni Giokos, featured Issam Kazim, CEO, Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing; Scott Livermore, Chief Economist at Oxford Economics; Jochem-Jan Sleiffer, President – Middle East, Africa and Turkey at Hilton; Bilal Kabbani, Industry Head – Travel and Tourism at Google; and Andrew Brown, Regional Director – Europe, Middle East and Oceania at the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC). Livermore noted how events, including Expo 2020 Dubai and the upcoming World Cup in Qatar, were

boosting international arrivals to the Middle East. Domestic business and leisure travel were recovering quickly, he said, with leisure already exceeding 2019 levels. International business travel would be the last to bounce back, he added. e show’s opening day also featured the rst session of the ARIVALDubai@ATM forum, during which industry experts explored the role that in-destination experiences are playing in shaping the future of global travel and tourism. Later in the a ernoon, ministers from the UAE, Jordan, Jamaica and Botswana took to the ATM Global Stage to discuss the importance of investment, technology and inclusivity in driving Middle East tourism forward, as part of the International Tourism & Investment Conference (ITIC).

DAY 2 e second day saw senior representatives from Air Arabia and Etihad Aviation Group join JLS Consulting’s John Strickland on the global stage for a discussion about e ciency and sustainability within the aviation sector. Later in the a ernoon, consumer intelligence company D/A o ered a perspective on how to connect with the Arabic travel audience more e ectively (see page 30). At the end of day two, video-sharing platform ‘Welcome to the World’ secured up to $500,000 of investment a er winning the inaugural ATM Draper-Aladdin Startup Competition on the ATM Travel Tech Stage.

Day two also saw ATM play host to the event’s rst Oman Tourism Forum 2022, which attracted more than 200 delegates and brought together industry leaders to explore tourism and partnership opportunities in Oman. e event, organised by Oman’s Ministry of Heritage and Tourism, coorganised by the International China Investment Forum and coordinated by China Travel Online, attracted 30 Chinese travel agents interested in promoting Oman as a destination for leisure and MICE travel.

DAY 3 Day three of ATM featured sessions focused on the future of hospitality, sports tourism, metaverse-based travel services, the role of in uencers and more. e Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) also hosted two panel discussions, shining a spotlight on sustainability and long-term trends in the business travel segment (see pages 28-31). From experiential and eco-conscious stays with a local edge and wellness experiences that go way beyond spas to encompass the entire guest experience, to loyalty programmes and apps that meet new lifestyle demands, the ‘what guests really want’ session considered what motivates travellers in 2022 – and how hotels are responding. Folker Heim, Chief Operating O cer, Global Hotel Alliance (GHA) explained how the GHA DISCOVERY “ATM 2022 loyalty programme was revamped and relaunched has provided last year to meet the lifestyle needs of its 11 million plus members, including the roll out of a new a timely digital currency, DISCOVERY D$. Similarly, James opportunity Britchford, Vice President Commercial IMEA, for the global InterContinental Hotels Group, outlined how IHG One Rewards had evolved to not only meet travel and customer needs but anticipate them. tourism sector Chris Nader, co-founder of new eco-lodge brand ENVI Lodges, said today, accountability is key. “Guests want to see how they and the hotel are to gather in Dubai and leaving a positive impact on the environment and explore the the communities,” he added. Federico Toresi, Global Vice President for Design, Ultra Luxe, Luxury & future of our Premium Brands, at Accor, outlined new guest-centric industry.” concepts at the upcoming Ra es in Doha, including Danielle Curtis, personalised in-room scents to intuitive technology, as Exhibition Director well as a new concept for the Mövenpick brand where ME for Arabian the hotel lobby is transformed into a marketplace. Travel Market Meanwhile, Walter Knight, Director of Hospitality at Farnek Services, outlined the bene ts of the company’s ‘Flexi-Guest’ app, which digitalises the guest journey from pre-arrival to check out and also calculates carbon emissions.

DAY 4 As part of the conference agenda for the fourth and nal day, representatives from Atlas, Wego Middle East and Alibaba Cloud MEA explored how data is changing airline retailing. Panellists shared insights into how to build data-led organisations, and why companies that successfully harness travel data today will be succeed in the longer term.

A session hosted by WTM Responsible Tourism focused on how the latest innovations can be used to promote responsible technology for travel and tourism. Concluding this year’s edition of ATM, a ernoon sessions included a discussion about the return and rise of city tourism. e nal day of the live event also included the announcement of ATM 2022’s ‘Best Stand Design’ and ‘People’s Choice Award’, which were presented to SAUDIA for its futuristic and striking concept.

For more information on Arabian Travel Market 2022 and to view video recordings of the conference sessions mentioned, visit wtm/atm