Global travel and tourism sector professionals head to ATM 2017 opening today

WAM -- Travel professionals from across the world’s hospitality industry will descend upon Dubai on Monday for the opening of Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2017, the region’s leading travel industry exhibition.

Simon Press, Senior Exhibition Director, ATM, said, "We have visitors registered from all corners of the globe and all facets of the hospitality industry. The growth and scale of ATM 2017 is testament to the buoyant travel and tourism industry here in the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region."

"The growth we observe in the regional industry is spurred by visionary national agendas, and a favourable and thriving business environment. With a series of mega-events scheduled for the coming years, including Expo 2020, this growth will undoubtedly continue. Following the success of the 2016 exhibition, where agreements worth US$2.5 billion were signed, it is expected that ATM 2017 will welcome over 2,600 exhibitors across 65 national pavilions," he added.

Running until Thursday, 27th April, ATM 2017 will explore the latest industry trend of experiential travel as its main theme, and feature four days of business networking opportunities, seminars and ministerial meetings at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

On the Global Stage, the opening session, 'The legacy of Expo 2020', will take place from 12.30pm on Monday 24th April. The session will assess the role of Expo 2020 Dubai in delivering the UAE government’s long-term vision for economic diversification.

Also, at 3.30pm on Monday, more than 20 ministers will meet with industry leaders from across the MENA region at the UNWTO and ATM Ministerial Forum.

On the first and second day of the show, ILTM Arabia will debut with an invitation-only series of one-to-one pre-scheduled appointments between suppliers of luxury products and representatives of destinations from around the world.

At the ATM Travel Tech Theatre, the seminar programme will focus on the show’s 2017 theme. Sessions will focus on Marketing to Experiential Travellers, Blogging, Social Media, Mobile, Tech and Hospitality Technology.

Exploring the trillion-dollar Muslim lifestyle and food industry, the Global Stage will also host the inaugural ATM Global Halal Tourism Summit 2017 from 12.20pm on Wednesday, 26th April.

The global Muslim travel market was valued at $151 billion in 2015, representing around 10 percent of the global international tourism market, and by 2021 that value is expected to reach $243 billion.