Tag Archives: Arabian Travel Market

In keeping with its strategy to receive 1 million cruise tourists by 2020-21, Dubai Cruise Tourism has signed an MoU at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) to launch the Dubai Cruise Committee, which confirms the implementation of a collaborative framework designed to consolidate the city’s position as ‘cruise hub of the region’. The Dubai Cruise Committee is a strategic network of leading industry partners; Dubai Tourism, DP World UAE Region FZE, Emirates Airline, The General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs – Dubai, and Dubai Customs. This newly-signed MoU demonstrates each organisation’s commitment to work together to increase the number of cruise tourists to Dubai. As well as agreeing to work together to sustain the emirate’s position as a leading winter cruise destination, the Dubai Cruise Committee discussed and approved business development strategies to secure long term contracts with existing clients and attract new cruise lines to use the emirate as their winter home port in the region. The committee also agreed to work to extend Dubai’s cruise season further into the summer months, to appeal to additional market segments around the world. Commenting on the newly-signed MoU, Hamad Bin Mejren, Senior Vice President, Dubai Tourism, said, “Dubai has been instrumental in pioneering cruise tourism in the region, and our success could not have been achieved without our close working relationships with both the public and private sectors. This landmark agreement signed by the Dubai Cruise Committee will ensure that international cruise lines will receive an end-to-end support for their plans in Dubai.”

Rotana has announced a new management agreement in the capital of Egypt at Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2018 in Dubai. The agreement for a new 200-room five-star in New Cairo City will bring the company’s total inventory in the country to 726 keys. Marking the company’s strong presence at the annual industry event, Rotana is sharing key updates about its robust pipeline of 48 properties that are scheduled for opening before 2020. The company currently operates 16,161 keys across its 60 hotels in 23 cities and with the launch of the hotels under construction, Rotana will have a presence in 40 cities globally. Among key Rotana hotels on display at the exhibition, include the company’s three latest openings in the UAE. Saadiyat Rotana Resort & Villas, a luxurious five-star hotel in Abu Dhabi, took centrestage at the exhibition. With a soft opening in March 2018, the luxury resort is situated on Saadiyat Beach, a nine-kilometre stretch of white sand on the sprawling Saadiyat Island and features 354 luxurious rooms and suites in addition to 13 private beach villas. To make it appealing to discerning leisure, business and MiCE guests seeking a new resort and destination experience, the one-of-a-kind five-star property features seven modern dining options, three fully-equipped banquet and event rooms, a ballroom and an outdoor event venue.

Etihad Airways has introduced Humanoid Robot Sophia backed by AI technology at the Arabian Travel Market 2018. Sophia is the AI-powered robot famous for speaking at the UN and interviewing celebrities and world leaders alike. She was named the United Nations Development Programme’s first ever Innovation Champion for Asia and the Pacific, and is also the first robot in the world to have a nationality, after being granted citizenship by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Sophia took part in a one-on-one interview with host Damian Watson, Head of Station at Abu Dhabi Media Company, discussed the future of innovation and technology in aviation, as well as about her experiences and impressions of the Capital, at the Etihad Theatre. The Etihad Theatre also featured presentations and Question and Answer sessions with the airline’s executives and guests including Special Olympics and Manchester City Football Club, covering the areas of guest experience, marketing partnerships, environment and sustainability. Peter Baumgartner, CEO, Etihad Airways took part in a one-on-one CEO interview as part of the main ATM programming on the ATM Global Stage.

His Highness Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, has inaugurated Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2018 today, marking the start of the 25th edition of the show. He was joined by Nick Pilbream, Divisional Director, Reed Travel Exhibitions, and other VIPs who embarked on a tour of the exhibition as the four-day industry showcase got underway. This year’s show, held at Dubai World Trade Centre from April 22-25, 2018, has more than 400 main stand holders with representation from over 150 countries. With more than 40,000 visitors expected to attend, ATM 2018 will showcase over 2,500 exhibiting companies and 65 national pavilions. ATM 2018 has adopted Responsible Tourism – including sustainable travel trends – as its main theme and this will be integrated across all show verticals and activities. Arabian Travel Market celebrated its silver jubilee with over 2,500 exhibitors and 40,000 industry professionals from 150 countries. Travel trade professionals from across the world’s hospitality industry will showcase the largest exhibition of regional and global hotel brands, with hotels comprising 20% of the total show area. ATM 2018 will welcome over 2,500 confirmed exhibitors including 65 national pavilions. More than 100 new exhibitors are set to make their ATM debut this year, including Visit Finland, Guizhou Province of China, Hungarian Tourism Agency, Polish Tourist Organisation, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Dubai Municipality Leisure Facilities Department, Yas Experiences, Indigo Airlines, Kurdistan Tourism, Jakarta City Government Tourism and Culture Office and Shanghai Municipal Tourism Administration, to name a few.

At the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai, Wego revealed the ‘MENA Traveller Destination Leaderboards’ that showcases the relative popularity of global destinations amongst travellers based in the MENA region. As the largest online travel marketplace across the MENA region, Wego users shop for tens of millions of trips each quarter and it’s this flight and hotel search data that has been analysed to determine the destination rankings. The leaderboard announced today is for Q1 2018 and subsequent updates will be released shortly after the close of each quarter. Egypt retains its top ranking in Q1 2018 as the most popular destination for travellers, from across the MENA region. “MENA travellers are lured by the culture, scenic attractions, and incredible food that can be experienced in Egypt”, said Mamoun Hmedan, Managing Director – MENA and India, Wego. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia retains its second ranking and received a steady mix of business, expatriate and religious travel. India at the third position and Turkey at the fourth slot stepped up one rung each in the destination leaderboard for Q1 2018 vs Q1 2017, while UAE fell from the third to the fifth position. Despite the overall drop, Dubai remains a popular destination for MENA travellers. The biggest gainer in Q1 2018 was Oman which jumped a massive 9 places to #15, an improvement likely related to the opening of a new airport in Muscat and a host of new hotels and other facilities opening in the Sultanate.

Celebrating its 25th year, the Arabian Travel Market press conference has kicked off amidst a crowd of local and international media at the Address Boulevard Dubai . Simon Press, Director Reed Exhibitions for ATM and WTM stated that this year they expect over 40,000 visitors and 2,500 exhibitors from over 100 countries at the event. Issam Kaim, CEO, DTCM reiterated their efforts to attract more travellers to the destination by various programmes implemented with their partners and stakeholders to enable 20 million visitors by 2020 and beyond. The latest news shared from DTCM and Emirates was the plan to introduce a transit visa package to those who travel to different destinations via Dubai. Olivier Harnisch, CEO, Emaar Hospitality Group shared the latest trends seen in the region and the introduction of a unique brand aimed at the millennials who would spend less time in the hotel room but more time on other activities of entertainment and leisure. This supports the overall vision of Dubai tourism to further go ahead with their 2020 strategy to attract the type of clientele they seek.

The UAE will continue to lead the GCC’s luxury hospitality segment to 2022, with 73 per cent of existing luxury hotel stock and 61 per cent of the region’s current luxury pipeline located in the country, according to data released ahead of Arabian Travel Market 2018, set to be held at Dubai World Trade Centre from April 22-25. The research demonstrates that luxury properties have increased three-fold in the GCC in just 10 years, with 95 per cent of these properties operated by international management brands. Despite taking the lead position, the UAE will face strong competition from Saudi Arabia, which is expected to witness the most significant increase in luxury hotel supply to 2022, with a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 18 per cent from 2018 onwards. Historically, Saudi Arabia dominates CAGR trends, with luxury property development from 2013-2017 accounting for 11 per cent of the Kingdom’s growth in supply, compared to 8 per cent in the UAE, 7 per cent in Kuwait, 6 per cent in Oman and 5 per cent in Bahrain. In 2017, the UAE topped the table, with 35 per cent of the year’s pipeline made up of luxury projects most concentrated in Dubai.

Chinese arrivals to the GCC is set to increase 21 per cent by 2021, rising to 2.5 million visitors annually, according to data released ahead of Arabian Travel Market 2018, to be held at Dubai World Trade Centre from April 22-25. The data predicts Saudi Arabia will experience the highest proportionate increase in arrivals from China, up 35 per cent on 2016 figures. The UAE will follow at 20 per cent, with Oman at 12 per cent and Bahrain and Kuwait at 7 per cent. GCC countries currently attract 1.9 per cent of China’s total outbound market, up from 1.3 per cent in 2012, however positive trends are expected to continue as 154 million Chinese tourists prepare to go abroad in 2018. Figures from ATM 2017 show the number of delegates, exhibitors and attendees interested in doing business with China had increased 63 per cent on the previous year. Simon Press, Senior Exhibition Director, ATM, said, “The outbound Chinese market represents a vast, untapped pool of affluent and adventurous travellers and the GCC has been a destination of choice for years. Owing to its many business opportunities and a new generation of leisure attractions, figures show the GCC is poised to further capitalise on these trends over the coming years as millions of Chinese make their first international trip.”

The number of Russian tourists travelling to the GCC in 2020 is expected to be 38 per cent higher than the arrival figures recorded for 2016, according to data published recently by Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2018, set to take place at Dubai World Trade Centre from April 22-25, 2018. As the UAE has started granting visa on arrival earlier last year, there has been quite a rapid growth of Russian tourists to Dubai. Looking at the economic drivers, the value of the Russian rouble is stable and firming gradually, helped by Russia’s decision to join OPEC and cut oil production. Over the last 25 years, Russia has been well represented at ATM, with exhibitors including Moscow City Government, National Tourist Union and the city of St Petersburg. Russian visitors to the exhibition increased 17 per cent YOY between 2016 and 2017 and 9.4 per cent of total visitors last year were interested in doing business with Russia. Russia’s links with the GCC strengthened in 2017 with the introduction of additional airline routes, visas on arrival in the UAE for Russians, new generation of leisure attractions, retail destinations and a broad range of hotels and resorts across the GCC region.

Major tourism destinations in the GCC will increase efforts to target Indian and Chinese inbound tourists, as regional and international guests from Europe continue to feel the acute financial pressures of the challenging global economy. The findings were published on April 24 by Colliers International at Arabian Travel Market, at Dubai World Trade Centre, during a seminar session entitled ‘Capitalising on Experiential Travel: China & India Mega Source Markets’. Already key markets for the region, China counts an average of 122 million outbound tourists annually and India contributes 22 million, with overseas spending calculated to be $252 billion and $15.4 billion respectively in 2015. China’s outbound tourism market is currently growing, on average, 6.7% year-on-year, while India’s market posts average annual growth of 7 per cent. The trend is largely proliferated by increasing levels of personal wealth and a demand for experiential travel.  China is home to 1.4 million high net worth individuals (HNWI), with 146 million working class nationals, representing 19% of the working population, and 90 million urban blue collar workers. Counted together, they represent almost 29% of the population and are the most likely to travel. India, meanwhile, is home to 433,000 HNWI, with 59 million considered urban middle and educated urban and 97 million counted as urban blue collar workers. Together, they represent almost 31% of the population that is eligible and likely to travel. Making a total of 12 recommendations concerning visas, accommodation, cultural sensitivities and marketing, the report advises GCC-wide multi-entry visas with similar principles to the Schengen Area; hotel welcome kits and signage in guests’ native languages; promotion of cultural celebrations and festivals from each country; and targeted loyalty programmes. According to the …