Category Archives: Exhibitions

Future for tourism attractions in 2021 and beyond discussed at ATM Virtual

During the virtual element of the 28th edition of Arabian Travel Market (ATM), Co-Founder and CEO Douglas Quinby, Co-Founder and CEO, Arival shared exclusive Arival research carried out with 1500 respondents on the outlook for tours, activities, attractions, and key trends shaping the sector’s revival post-COVID-19 pandemic. According to the research, although Global Gross Bookings in tours, activities, and attractions in 2020 were down by 80%, which is hardly a surprise, the impact of the downturn was uneven with mixed experiences across regions and variations from market to market. Arival’s research identified that almost all operators (99%) implemented health and safety measures and that in a sector that previously lagged 10-15 years behind the travel and tourism industry in digitisation, there has been rapid adoption of technologies for online booking. Virtual tours were also a popular way for platforms to try and stay connected to their customers and generate some revenue. However, only 16% of operators tried to launch virtually, with mixed results. The research also found that as travel resumes, self-guided tours and experiences will become a viable alternative to large group experiences. Addressing delegates online during ATM Virtual 2021, Quinby said: “This sector of travel will come back, as will the rest of the travel and tourism industry. However, as much as the impact of the downturn has been uneven for the sector, so will the recovery. What we expect to see is that recovery is hyper-local and very specific to destination and segment.” Meanwhile, Emaar Entertainment’s CEO Zeina Dagher, who is responsible for the strategy of some of Dubai’s top attractions, including the Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo, KidZania, and Burj Khalifa, shared how attractions have adapted …

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Airport Show’s 20th edition opens in Dubai on a high optimism note

His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman of Dubai Airports and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group, opened the 20th edition of the Airport Show, the world’s largest B2B airport industry exhibition, that had generated an overwhelming response in its new physical and digital format due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The three-day exhibition at the Dubai World Trade Centre’s (DWTC) Halls 7 and 8 has the participation of more than 95 exhibitors from 21 countries, 100-plus Hosted Buyers from over 20 countries and 36 exhibitors at five country pavilions by Switzerland, Germany, Italy, France and the UK. These numbers are overwhelming given the prevailing travel restrictions across the globe following the 21st century’s second pandemic and the massive impact it has on the airports and airlines businesses on the planet. The response to the Airport Show is a clear indication of a possible journey of the aviation industry on the road to recovery and its unfaltering confidence and tremendous efforts to revive and restore the lost business levels and the growth momentum. After formally opening and visiting the stands and pavilions at Dubai’s MICE landmark facility’s and interacting with the exhibitors about challenges and opportunities, His Highness Sheikh Ahmed said, “The aviation industry has a history of successfully bouncing back from crises and the Covid-19 pandemic is no different. The setback is temporary and we will again be on the tracks of transformation. The overwhelming response to the Airport Show is an indication of the aviation world’s strong confidence in Dubai and its global efforts.”  “I am happy to see all the industry players working together for a remarkable …

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Experience Hub highlights readiness during ATM 2021 as international borders reopen

Experience Hub is drawing on this year’s Arabian Travel Market (ATM) to highlight the destination’s readiness as it looks forward to welcoming back regional and international travellers to the award-winning island. With excellent safety measures, new attractions, and enhanced summer packages, Yas Island Abu Dhabi is guaranteed to be the preferred destination for global visitors of all ages. Liam Findley, General Manager, Experience Hub said, “Arabian Travel Market is the perfect opportunity for us to reconnect with the travel trade in a long-awaited physical setting and highlight the extensive work we have done behind the scenes to prepare for the opening of international markets. “Despite the challenges of the pandemic, our teams across the island have responded vigilantly to ensure the wellbeing of our guests and staff, and we are proud to say that we are one of the safest destinations in the world for travel. Building on this foundation, we have pushed ahead with our new developments and demonstrated a world-leading framework for the staging of major sports and entertainment events. The only way is up for Yas Island as the world makes headway in global inoculation and we strive to rebuild the travel and tourism sector. We are delighted to be able to support the trade with an enhanced product offering that will undoubtedly be a huge draw for global customers”.

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New interactive travel safe tool launched by TURESPAÑA

Turespaña has launched a new tool within its Travel Safe microsite, available on the official tourism portal (www.spain.info), for international tourists wishing to travel to Spain. The new tool allows holidaymakers to consult COVID-19 travel restrictions to Spain as well as entry and exit requirements from their respective countries. Travel Safe features a continually updated information system on COVID-19 travel restrictions, meaning all the necessary information for planning a trip from 50 countries is readily available. The objective of this initiative is to help travellers organise their trip to Spain in a safe manner with all the information available in relation to COVID-19 restrictions, such as PCR tests and quarantines, as well as other preventive measures and regulations before, during and after the trip. The system is available in Spanish, English, French and German. Tourists planning a trip to Spain will be able to find out the exit requirements from their country of origin, the entry requirements to Spain, the general measures that exist in Spain, and the requirements to return to their country of origin. Detailed information on the specific measures in force in each region is also available. The information is available to travellers from fifty countries including the UAE and Saudi Arabia. The Travel Safe microsite is the cornerstone of Turespaña’s ‘Travel Safe. Travel Again.’ communication strategy. The strategy has been designed to reinforce the perception of Spain as a safe destination, highlighting Turespaña as a leader in safe travel and restoring confidence in travelling to Spain. This strategy began in December 2020 and will remain in place until the international travel situation returns to normality.

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Travel tech giants stage a conference comeback at ATM in Dubai

Travel Forward has revealed an impressive line-up of big name brands to present live on stage as a part of sister event Arabian Travel Market (ATM). This year’s ATM is a hybrid event. Travel Forward is part of the in-person event taking place at Dubai World Trade Centre from 16-19 May 2021, co-located with ATM Dubai. ATM Virtual will take place from 24-26 May and all sessions from the in-person event will be available to view during the virtual event. In collaboration with the travel tech powerhouse Amadeus, Travel Forward Theatre will welcome Amadeus’s senior vice president of retail for Middle East and Africa, Jamel Chandoul, who will discuss how collaboration can help to rebuild the travel industry using technology to offer travelers a smoother and safer travel experience. The session looks at travellers’ top concerns including health apps. It takes place on Monday 17 May from 13:30 – 14:30. The four-day event kicks-off on Sunday 16 May with a two-part session featuring Gavin Harris from travel marketplace Skyscanner and Kathryn Wallington from next-generation global distribution platform Travelport.

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Dubai to host first in person travel & tourism in the world since the pandemic

Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2021 has reconfirmed that Dubai will host the largest in-person travel & tourism event in the world, since the onset of the pandemic last year. Now in its 28th year, ATM 2021 will go-ahead at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) on Sunday 16 to Wednesday 19 May, as final preparations are being put in place. “The theme of this year’s show is ‘A new dawn for travel and tourism’ and the spotlight will be focused on the very latest ‘COVID’ news from around the world – vaccine rollouts, the current state of the industry and more importantly, what the future holds,” said Claude Blanc, Portfolio Director, WTM& IBTM Portfolios. “This underscores the importance of ATM, connecting destinations with their source markets,” said Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director Middle East, Arabian Travel Market. “It is imperative that we include a virtual element, many industry professionals from around the world, may not be able to attend in-person every year, particularly this year with travel restrictions changing rapidly around the globe,” said Curtis. “Due to Dubai’s commitment to maintaining the highest standards of health and safety and its effective citywide management of the pandemic, it was awarded a ‘Safe Travels’ stamp from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC),” added Curtis.

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Global Village makes history by breaking 25th Guinness World Records

Global Village concluded its Silver Jubilee Season in spectacular fashion, having set out in October with the aim of breaking 25 Guinness World Records to honour the milestone anniversary, this vision became a reality as the 25th title was claimed in style. Global Village’s attempt to break the “Highest altitude skydiving fireworks display” was successful, adding the finishing touch to a memorable Season. Jaki Ellenby, Executive Director marketing, Global Village said: “It seems like just yesterday that we took the decision to attempt 25 records in just 6 months as part of our 25th anniversary celebrations. It has been an incredible journey… not always easy, but always exciting and our team rose to the challenge with passion and resilience. We have worked with some truly amazing organisations and individuals to accomplish this feat including the largest rock band on earth, Rockin’1000, Emirates, Jumeirah, ARN, SkyDive Dubai, Miraj Entertainment and we are especially grateful for the support of all our commercial partners, exhibitors and their teams.” Shaddy Gaad, Senior Marketing Manager – Guinness World Records MENA said, “Driven by the passion to create newsworthy and shareable content, Global Village created one of the biggest marketing campaigns this season to celebrate its Silver Jubilee. It is an incredible milestone to be the first brand in the MENA region to break 25 world records, many of which were dedicated to good causes including donation campaigns, online pledges, and distributing food packages to charities. Congratulations to Global Village on reaching this remarkable achievement, you are Officially Amazing.”

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Hotelbeds confirms Dubai among its top three destinations during pandemic

Ahead of the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) taking place in Dubai next month, Hotelbeds, the world’s leading bedbank, has revealed that the prestigious city has consistently been within its top three destinations by room nights sold throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, Hotelbeds, despite the crisis, has recovered to pre-COVID volumes, year to date, for the wider UAE as destination. Both early bird bookings and last-minute reservations characterize the majority of the room nights sold. Ali Taheri, Regional Sourcing Director commented, “While the whole of the travel industry has been severely impacted by the COVID-19 crisis, it is fantastic news that we can name Dubai as one of our leading destinations during this time, highlighting its enduring magnetism for travellers. “As a region, and as a team, we have been able to maintain high levels of resilience during these unprecedented times and this is due to a number of factors. Firstly, having exposure to a diversified domestic and international client base protected us against the risk of lost volumes in closed corridors and secondly, we benefitted from uninterrupted cash flow while many players were facing systemic cash restrictions. And last but not least, the destructive nature of the pandemic brought out the streetfighter spirit in the team!”  

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Meet key industry leaders at ATM 2021

Prominent tourism figures will be participating in-person at the opening session of the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) Global Stage 2021 – ‘Tourism for a brighter future’ which is being held on Sunday 16 May 2021, at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC). The line-up includes foremost speakers, such as His Excellency Helal Saeed Al Marri, Director General of Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), Dr. Taleb Rifai, former Secretary-General of the United Nations’ World Tourism Organization, Scott Livermore, Chief Economist at Oxford Economics Middle East and Thoyyib Mohamed, Managing Director of Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation. The four-day conference will address a broad range of topics, from travel and health, as well as dedicated forums on China, Saudi Arabia and India, plus a dedicated hotel summit, looking at the changing roles of hotels and the changing hospitality landscape. The Saudi Arabia Tourism Summit will discuss the Vision 2030 strategy’s positive repercussions, the ambitious megaprojects and how the country is setting new global industry benchmarks. It will feature high-level experts including Captain Ibrahim Koshy, CEO, Saudi Arabian Airlines (SAUDIA), Dr. Afnan Alshuaiby, Founder & CEO of FNN International and Chairperson of Arab international Women’s Forum, Jerry Inzerillo, CEO, Diriyah Gate Development Authority and John Pagano, CEO, Red Sea Development Company. Commenting, Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director ME, Arabian Travel Market, said: “The general theme of this year’s show is ‘A new dawn for travel and tourism’ and the opening session will get the show, off to a positive, practical and optimistic start. “Undoubtedly, discussion on the show floor will be focused on the very latest ‘COVID’ news from around the world – vaccine rollouts, social and travel restrictions and …

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Abu Dhabi Winter Shopping Season shows 17% Year-on-Year growth

Retail Abu Dhabi indicates record sales figures of AED 2.4 billion were achieved on Visa cards in participating stores alone during the recent Abu Dhabi Winter Shopping Season. Alongside global partner, Visa, it is reported that total transactions using Visa cards during the campaign grew by 17% compared to last year, engaging 21 malls and over 3,500 participating stores in the emirate. “Following on from Retail Abu Dhabi’s successful 2020 Unbox Amazing summer campaign, which demonstrated the sector’s strong COVID-19 resilience, the emirate’s retail sector has once again shown its maturity and agility with Abu Dhabi Winter Shopping Season,” said HE Ali Hassan Al Shaiba, Executive Director of Tourism and Marketing at DCT Abu Dhabi. “As our most effective winter season campaign to date, the winter campaign has consolidated Abu Dhabi’s standing as a leading regional shopping destination, amplified with robust strategic alliances delivering first-in-region consumer experiences. This includes the introduction of the inaugural Abu Dhabi Beauty Week, which underlines Retail Abu Dhabi’s position as a platform for innovation across multiple retail segments. “The legacy of both Abu Dhabi Winter Shopping Season and Abu Dhabi Beauty Week presents a slew of opportunities to expand the emirate’s retail and beauty sectors for future editions and leaves us very optimistic as we continue to navigate this ‘new normal’ together.” Rabih Al Hajri, Acting Executive Director of Abu Dhabi Business Center, Department of Economic Development – Abu Dhabi, praised the strong collaboration: “The Department of Economic Development aims to support the rebound of Abu Dhabi’s business and tourism sectors. In partnership with DCT-Abu Dhabi, the seasonal retail campaigns, including the Abu Dhabi Winter Shopping Season, played an active role in supporting the recovery …

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