DUBAI, 27 May 2020: Arabian Travel Market for the first time in its long history will go virtual 1 to 3 June after the organisers moved the real-time event to 2021 due to the Covid-19 outbreak.
As the world comes to terms with the Covid-19 threat, Middle East travel professionals are looking to China to reboot international tourism in the region.
The Virtual ATM will highlight its China Tourism Forum that will focus on the potential recovery of outbound travel and how Chinese travellers have been changing the way they access information about foreign destinations and making contacts with local hotels, tour operators and ground handlers.
The forum’s debate will offer an in-depth look at the potential of the Chinese outbound leisure market now that China seems to have a viral outbreak under control, and domestic tourism is growing once again.
Arabian Travel MarketExhibition Director the Middle East, Danielle Curtis said: “Travel and tourism professionals around the globe will not need reminding that the global industry has been hit badly by the effects of Covid-19 – but in China, we are witnessing the green shoots of recovery.
“The relatively swift rebound of domestic travel during the May Golden Week Holiday in China, for example, underscores the bullish view of certain analysts regarding China’s integral role in leading the global tourism industry post-Covid-19’s closed borders.
“Some hoteliers in China were reporting occupancy levels for the recent national holiday in excess of 45% with resort markets close to 70%, a significant improvement from the overall average of 30% occupancy, confirming leisure demand is robust.”
Specifically, The Virtual ATM China Tourism Forum will focus on the potential recovery of outbound travel and how Chinese travellers have been changing the way that they access information about foreign destinations and making contacts with local hotels, tour operators and ground handlers.
The forum will be moderated by Dr Adam Wu and panellists include Dr Taleb Rifai, chairman, International Institute of Peace for Tourism (IIPT) and former secretary-general of the UNWTO; H.E. Khalid Jasim al-Midfa, Chairman, Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority; Helen Shapovalova, Founder & Director, Pan Ukraine; Lisa Dinh, Tourism Director, VIA Outlets and Tony Ong, Chief Business Officer and Vice President of HCG International Travel Group, which has over 7000 local travel agents across China focusing on outbound travel.
Over three days, ATM Virtual will also feature comprehensive webinars, live conference sessions, roundtables, speed networking events, one-to-one meetings, as well as facilitating new connections and offering a wide range of online business opportunities.
With up to four live high-level sessions each day, industry experts will address a range of topics including tourism strategies for the future, the hotel landscape in a post-COVID-19 world, and the resilience of the travel industry, as well as exploring emerging travel technology and sustainability trends, amongst other key topics.
Sessions on the first day of the virtual event include, amongst others, ‘Communicating and Building Confidence Now’ and ‘The Hotel landscape in a post-Covid-19 world’.
Day two will also include the sessions entitled, ‘Bouncing Back: Tourism Strategies for the Future’ and ‘Catapulting Resilience Through Technology and Analytics’.
On day three, the event will conclude with the International Travel Investment Conference summit, ‘Restructuring to attract sustainable investment and customers in the new world order’.
Arabian Travel Market would like to thank the Ministry of Tourism Saudi Arabia and the Italian Tourist Board for their support of ATM Virtual as Gold Sponsors.
ATM Virtual takes place from Monday 1st to Wednesday 3 June 2020. To register for the event please visit: atmvirtual.eventnetworking.com/register/
About Arabian Travel Market (ATM)
Arabian Travel Market (ATM), now on its 27th year, continues to be the focal point for the Middle East’s ever-changing travel and tourism landscape. While the live show has been postponed to 16 to 19 May 2021, ATM will keep the industry connected by running ATM Virtual from 1 to 3 June 2020 featuring webinars, live conference sessions, speed networking events, one-on-one meetings, plus so much more – keeping the conversations going and delivering new connections and business opportunities online. www.arabiantravelmarket.wtm.com.
