All eyes will be on Dubai this month as the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2003 kicks-off on the 6th. ATM 2003 is undoubtedly going to be the biggest show to date, says an official from Reed Travel Exhibitions (RTE), which organises the biggest event of the year for the Middle East and Gulf travel and tourism industry. With the travel and tourism industry being plunged into one crisis after another the ATM will look to highlight the silver lining to the dark clouds that hover.
The SARS virus outbreak is the latest crisis, but at the 2003 travel market all eyes will be on the positive things. In fact, among a host of debutantes at the ATM this year, will be Pakistan, South Africa, Malaysia, Kenya, Vietnam and Yemen, epitomizing the diversity which personifies the global spirit of the ATM.
"These include tour operators and hotel and resort operators," explained Matt Thompson, group exhibition director, overseas events, RTE.
He added: "we are delighted to welcome a number of new countries to the show as well as a number of destinations, which are returning after missing previous events, the Maldives and Uganda in particular. There are more than 50 countries represented at ATM and stand bookings are still coming in, particularly from the region and Asia."
Last year 5,643 trade visitors, from 69 countries attended ATM 2002. And 66.7 per cent of trade visitors in 2002 were of manager status and above. Dubai, the venue for this year's ATM, has grown at an amazing rate and its burgeoning tourism industry is testament to that fact, and with the Palm Islands and hotels springing up all the time the future is indeed bright for this Middle East metropolis.
The World Trade Organization's Tourism 2020 Vision stated that the Middle East region would receive 68.5 million tourists by 2020, an annual growth rate of 7.1 per cent considerably higher than the world average of 4.1 per cent, outlining the importance of an event like ATM.
ATM allows one to meet up to 70 top indsutry hosted buyers from the GCC and the MICE industry, and also generate new leads and capitalise on business opportunities
Opening Hours
Tuesday 6th May: 11.00 - 18.00 Meridian Club & Trade Visitors
Wednesday 7th May: 10.00 - 18.00 Meridian Club & Trade Visitors
Thursday 8th May: 10.00 - 20.00 Meridian Club & Trade Visitors, 17.00 - 20.00 Public
Friday 9th May: 16.00 - 21.00 Meridian Club/Trade & Public
TTN is the most established trade publication in the Middle East distributed on a controlled circulation basis to members of the travel and tourism industry.
Published monthly by Al Hilal Publishing and Marketing Group, the region’s foremost trade publisher, TTN is aimed at professionals in the industry, from travel agents to airline and hotel personnel.
TTN provides in-depth and extensive coverage of relevant issues in the Middle East and North Africa as well as in other parts of the world. Travel related news, analysis, and new appointments together with information on up-coming exhibitions, marketing and promotional campaigns are presented in an innovative and striking colour tabloid.
Every issue also contains a collation of international and regional news and topical features of interest to readers.
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