In direct response to industry feedback, returning after a successful debut last year, will be Arabian Travel Week. Running from April 16 to 23, 2020, this week-long festival of events for travel professionals invites the international travel community to Dubai to shape the next 12 months of tourism through exhibitions, conferences, breakfast briefings, awards, product launches, parties and more. 

The events taking place within and alongside ATM 2020 will include ILTM Arabia, the inaugural Travel Forward – a new travel tech and hospitality innovation event – as well as new in-destination event and conference Arival Dubai @ ATM, dedicated conference summits and buyer forums for key source markets India, Saudi Arabia, Russia and China and ATM Speed Networking Events. 

The success of ATM, ILTM Arabia and, indeed last year’s Arabian Travel Week, has provided us with the platform to introduce several new elements to the 2020 programme, creating a week which showcases the full potential of the Middle East’s travel and tourism industry to both inbound and outbound markets.

Enhancing our existing technology offering, Travel Forward will showcase the very latest innovations from some of the brightest minds in the travel and tourism industry, allowing delegates to test new technologies and applications that could help them boost efficiency and transform their operations.

And, with an array of high-profile keynote speakers and world-class technology experts lined up for the Travel Forward Conference Theatre, the event will connect buyers and suppliers from across the Middle East and beyond as well as facilitating face-to-face interviews and business opportunities.

Also new to the agenda is in-destination event and conference, Arival Dubai @ ATM. This event will provide creators and sellers of tours, activities and attractions to gain invaluable insights, share knowledge and build connections that could present growth opportunities in the in-destination industry.

Meanwhile, following the successful launch of the ‘Arabia China Tourism Forum’ last year, ATM’s new series of buyer forums and networking events have been designed to explore the untapped opportunities that India, Saudi Arabia, China and Russia’s expanding tourism markets present while advising travel, tourism and hospitality professionals on how to attract and cater to these key markets.

In addition to the Reed Exhibition-run events will be an exciting range of industry events happening in and around Dubai throughout the week. Not only does Arabian Travel Week provide a renewed focus for the region’s travel and tourism industry – under one roof over the course of one week – but it shines a spotlight on Dubai, the UAE, GCC and, of course, the wider Mena region’s burgeoning hospitality sector.

* The writer is exhibition director ME, Arabian Travel Market