(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) More than 27000 exhibitors and over 21000 industry professionals are expected to attend the four-day event which opens today.
record-breaker seen
the 21st edition of arabian travel market or atm 2014 opens today and is set to break all previous records with more than 2700 exhibitors and over 21000 industry professionals expected to attend it was announced at a news conference on sunday.
karim bizid; majid al mualla divisional senior vice-president of the commercial operations centre at the emirates group; mark walsh; issam kazim; and ali abu monassar chairman of the vision addressing the media ahead of the 21st edition of the arabian travel market in dubai on sunday. — kt photo by rahul gajjar
taking place at the dubai international convention and exhibition centre until may 8 the event this year is the largest-ever travel trade show in the middle east according to its organiser reed travel exhibitions.
“it’s been a year of growth not only for the tourism and hospitality industry in the region but for the atm and this year’s showcase will see more than 120 new exhibitors make their atm debut plus the launch of several exciting new initiatives created especially to expand on key industry trends impacting business in the region today” said mark walsh portfolio director at reed travel exhibitions.
“we are trying to make it more business-focused in terms of return on investment” walsh told reporters at the news conference. the region’s leading travel industry showcase will have a full schedule of educational seminar sessions business networking opportunities high level discussions and recognition of 12 months of industry achievement.
the 2014 edition is a complete sell-out with 25000sqm including one extra hall. the show has grown by eight per cent since 2013. it is hosting 420 main stand holders and exhibitors from 83 countries as well as 68 national pavilions. tourism professionals including exhibitors and visitors from 157 countries will be in attendance.
the atm’s perennially popular 2014 seminar and tech theatre series which will offer wide-ranging topics covering aviation mobile trends and the rising demand for wellness tourism will kick off with a high-profile panel session on an equally high-profile topic — “delivering the tourism vision for 2020 and how dubai is marketed to the world”.
the expert line-up includes helal almarri director-general of dubai’s department of tourism and commerce marketing; ghaith al ghaith chief executive officer of flydubai; thierry antinori executive vice-president and chief commercial officer of emirates airline; and neal jones chief sales and marketing officer for the middle east and africa at marriott international.
issam kazim chief executive officer of the dubai corporation for tourism and commerce marketing said: “at last year’s atm the tourism vision for 2020 was announced with the headline target of 20 million visitors per year. one year on significant steps have been taken towards achieving the target. atm 2014 provides the opportunity to communicate with the industry to share the successes and outline future plans which will ensure both the continual development of the destination offering and dubai’s position around the world as a must-visit destination”.
new features and services for atm 2014 include the launch of the first-ever specialised annual theme with a “spotlight on luxury” focus encompassing several luxury-specific seminars hosted buyers representing this valuable market segment and high-end exhibitors including well-known hospitality brands and premium destinations.
karim bizid general manager of the oberoi dubai said: “when the oberoi dubai opened in june 2013 we promised that it would herald a new era of luxury in the uae by delivering the exceptionally attentive consistent and warm personalised service for which the oberoi group is known worldwide. nearly one year after opening and already ranked in the top 10 hotels on tripadvisor the oberoi dubai is proud to be one of the official partners of atm 2014 particularly with the focus on luxury this year. we are looking forward to participating in the show with oberoi hotels & resorts recognised as one of the world’s leading luxury hotel brands and to welcoming luxury buyers and valued business partners to the hotel.”
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