DUBAI, 19 February 2021: Reed Exhibitions, organiser of the annual Arabian Travel Market in Dubai, has announced the return of Arabian Travel Week (ATW) from 16 to 26 May 2021.
An in-person Arabian Travel Market event will take place from 16 May to 19 May followed by a virtual version to reach a global audience.
ATM Virtual, which made its debut last year at the height of the Covid-19 first wave attracted 12,000 online attendees from 140 countries.
“The week-long festival of events is dedicated to travel professionals worldwide, to collaborate and shape the recovery of the Middle East travel industry, through exhibitions, conferences, breakfast briefings, awards, product launches and networking events,” Arabian Travel Market exhibition director ME, Danielle Curtis.
“Essentially, Arabian Travel Week will provide a pivotal platform for the region’s travel and tourism industry, whether participating in-person at the events or virtually, over the course of 10 days. It will put a spotlight on Dubai, the UAE, GCC and of course the wider MENA region’s tourism sector,” she added.
Now in its 28th year and working in collaboration with Dubai World Trade Centre and Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, the in-person ATM 2021 will play an integral role in the Arabian Travel Week.
“There will be a host of in-person seminars on the ATM’s show floor specifically designed to support, inspire and innovate all travel and tourism professionals, looking at the latest trends in technology, sustainability and profiling the next generation of global travellers,” said Curtis.
High-profile keynote speakers and world-class technology experts are lined up for the Travel Forward Theatre, providing industry-leading insights and discussing the latest technologies and trends that will shape the future of travel.
Other notable features of Arabian Travel Week and the in-person ATM include ILTM Arabia 2021, buyer forums with networking dedicated to key source markets including Saudi Arabia, India and China, a hotel summit, the responsible tourism programme and the International Tourism & Investment Conference (ITIC) summit.
Virtual role in ATW
“It is imperative that we include a virtual element to Arabian Travel Week because many industry professionals from around the world may not be able to attend the in-person event for 2021.
“Indeed, it would also be impossible for us, at this moment in time, to even begin to speculate on how effective the vaccine rollout will be and subsequently when governments around the world will start to withdraw their travel restrictions,” said Curtis.
