The Arabian Travel Market (ATM) exhibition and fair of 2011, the Middle East’s largest travel industry event, will start on Monday, 2nd of May. More than 2,200 exhibitors from 69 countries will attend the event and taking over 20,000 square meter of exhibiting area. Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, Ruler of Dubai, ATM 2011 is hosted at the Dubai International Exhibition and Conference Centre and will close doors on May 5th.
The travel industry event features seminars, workshops, specialist industry days such as travel agents day, careers day and consumer day and expert presentation from leading tourism company representatives. Among the countries attending the ATM for the first time are Iraq, Poland, Hungary, Mexico, Slovenia, Aqaba, Ukraine and Chad.
The massive attendance stands as proof for the region’s tremendous touristic potential. The Middle East is currently visited by over 36 million tourists per year, according to United Nations World Tourism Organisation data, and the number is expected to grow by 6.7% percent each year, reaching 69 million visitors by 2020. This projected growth does not factor in the possibility of Qatar winning the bid for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Countries like the UAE, Qatar, Oman and Saudi Arabia are leading the leisure and business tourists growth, but this year’s ATM is expected to show most countries in the region are putting the effects of the global economic distress behind and leveraging the area’s potential.
“Countries of the Middle East displayed amazing resilience during the economic downturn, as hotel rates, occupancy levels and other indicators continued to reflect a robust regional travel and tourism industry,” explained Mark Walsh, Group Exhibition Director, Reed Travel Exhibitions. “With the exception of Libya and Syria, life in other parts of the region is now gradually returning to normal, while destinations such as Abu Dhabi and Dubai actually recorded increased visitor numbers especially in February.”
The ATM industry event holds a powerful role in promoting Middle East’s travel and tourism, which are key to the region’s economic results.
By Olivia GrilHey Folks! I'm Olivia from California, United States. I'm a blogger, travel lover, I can travel anywhere, whether it's a new place or already visited. I love meeting new people, clicking photos of every movement, and documenting my adventure. I also, write about travel, travel movies, the best places to visit, etc. Read my stories.
