Tag Archives: ATM Virtual

Ajman Tourism Development Department (ATDD) highlighted the unique features of the Emirate of Ajman during the first-ever ATM Virtual, that took place from June 1-3 and provided a combination of networking, one-to-one meetings with buyers and extensive current insights from leading industry professionals. HE Saleh Mohamed Al Geziry, Director General, ATDD participated in a panel discussion on the initiatives to be taken to revive the travel and tourism industry to secure sustainable investment in the region. He emphasised on Ajman’s unique features as an attractive investment destination including its location in the UAE with quick access to all of the Emirates of Sharjah and Dubai, cost-effectiveness and comparatively low set-up costs, faster decision-making process and less bureaucracy. He pointed out that the global travel and tourism sector is able to recover relatively fast as it did before in past crises and highlighted the importance of the industry quick adaptation to immediate changes, adopting latest technologies and less interactive operations. Al Geziry also stressed the importance of maintaining high precautionary measures to ensure a safe and comfortable trips for all travellers and hospitality workers, the importance of adopting standardised digital travel credentials and electronic id cards for fast adaptation to the post COVID-19 phase.

The ‘Bouncing back: tourism strategies for the future’ session at ATM Virtual, which took place on June 2, discussed the long-term tourism development strategies put in place by the region’s governments to provide a catalyst to recovery when travel patterns return to relative normality. Keith Tan, CEO, Singapore Tourism Board said, “We are trying to do things at a bilateral level with countries that we feel we can move forward with. We have announced initiatives such as ‘green lanes’ and introduced the idea of ‘travel bubbles’. For example, in our negotiations with China, we have agreed common standards to permit travel and we hope to replicate this with other countries, not dissimilar to the idea of free trade agreements.” “We look at the tourism sector from a strategic perspective in Saudi Arabia, but we also realise that this sector contributed 20% of all jobs in the last five years, across the world, underscoring the importance that must be placed on the sector by governments,” said Fahd Hamidaddin, Chief of Investment, Strategy and Tourism Marketing, Ministry of Tourism Saudi Arabia. “Our job is to help the private sector survive and weather as much as we can during this pandemic. As such, Saudi Arabia launched a US$61 billion stimulus package that went into multiple tracks, including waiving licensing and tourism fees as well as deferring VAT and government fees for all SMEs, helping those most in need,” he added. “As early as February, we had announced the formation of the Tourism Recovery Action taskforce, comprising private sector individuals and key players from within the government. This was designed to layout plans, not only for recovery, but crisis communications, how we engage with …

A joint survey conducted by the Ivy Alliance Tourism Consulting, China Comfort Travel Group (CCT), and Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), was discussed by a panel of experts during the three-day ATM Virtual event. The Virtual ATM China Tourism Forum, took an in-depth look at the potential of the Chinese outbound leisure market post COVID-19’s closed borders and what overseas destinations and attractions can do to reassure and convince Chinese tourists, that their destination is safe to visit. Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director Middle East, Arabian Travel Market, said, “In China we are already witnessing the green-shoots of recovery and many industry experts are looking to China to kickstart international tourism.” Dr. Taleb Rifai, Chairman, International Institute of Peace for Tourism (IIPT) and former Secretary General of the UNWTO said, “After 9/11, people had to get used to security restrictions such as removing their shoes and belts, no liquids, now that is a way of life. People are now afraid to travel, but things will change, new protocols will be introduced and the quicker that happens the more trust and confidence will be communicated, bringing travellers back.” Helen Shapovalova, Founder & Director, Pan Ukraine commented Shopping has always been a top attraction for Chinese tourists especially “luxury goods and Lisa Dinh, expected changes here as well, balancing risk management with the customer experience. “Trust is the new currency. The demand is still there, but health and safety and relationship building will be key. Training will be essential to changing mindset.” Returning to the survey, nearly half of those questioned said they preferred group tours but given the coronavirus outbreak, many Chinese would now travel, in smaller groups catering for better social …

A panel of industry experts explained during the opening day of ATM Virtual as to how developing a global set of transparent hospitality standards relating to health, safety and hygiene will be key to regain the trust of travellers in a post COVID-19 landscape. The panel which was moderated by industry consultant Gemma Greenwood, also included Tim Cordon, Senior Area Vice President for Middle East & Africa, Radisson Hotel Group, Christopher Lund, Head of Hotels, Colliers International, Middle East & North Africa, Simon Casson, President of Hotel Operations, EMEA, Four Seasons and Raki Phillips, CEO, Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority. “Building confidence will be key as we look ahead to the post-COVID-19 hospitality recovery. Not only is it important that our workers have confidence that their health and wellbeing is of prime importance, but for consumers too. They will need full reassurance that our properties are safe, secure and following the highest standards when it comes to hygiene and cleanliness,” said Cordon. Phillips said, “It’s important that hotels don’t drop their room rates. Hotels need to adapt to a new normal with increased sanitisation at the forefront, while being creative with their offerings and embracing innovative technologies which can help differentiate them from their competitors.” “One way of achieving this consumer trust, and I believe the hospitality industry in the UAE is leading the way in this respect, is by partnering with accreditation agencies such as the Bureau Veritas to ensure your property is following disinfectant and sanitisation protocols implemented by government bodies and abiding by the highest levels of hygiene,” said Lund. Casson added, “While we are doing everything we can to ensure the wellbeing and safety of …

The first ever ATM virtual began its three day sessions with 11,232 pre-scheduled appointments, 16,383 registrations from 152 countries at the close of day one. The event will be on going for the next two days with very interesting and engaging sessions conducted by experts in various fields. Starting off the day was Danielle Curtis Director Exhibition Director who shared some insights about the sessions from 1st to 3rd June 2020 which included a series of webinars, roundtables and one on one networking sessions. There are 13 webinars and live conferences for the whole duration of ATM Virtual with 10 roundtable, 5 speed networking events which translates to 600 meetings, 800 one-to-one meetings each day, 4 high level sessions with range of topics. Some of the sessions that are available for watching over the next 3 days will be the webinars by Travtalk Middle East moderated by Sanjeet – Managing Director DDP Publications. The first session will focus on Middle East: The New Asian Source Market with 3 key speakers from Asian tourism boards Beverly Au Yong – Area Director (Middle East) International Group – Singapore Tourism board, Daks Gonzales is the Philippine Department of Tourism (DOT), Head, for the Middle East Market and Nandini Lahe-Thapa, Senior Director at the Nepal Tourism Board is Head of the International Marketing and Promotion Dept. Their focus will be to understand 2020 and 2021 strategy to explore UAE and Middle East as a source market. When they will expect the first wave of tourism to come from the Middle East? Would the focus on Europe change for this year? How they will change their marketing strategy for the GCC market? What makes this …

On the sidelines of ATM Virtual, Travtalk launched ‘CovidSMART’, an online training programme designed by individuals trained by WHO to help our industry rebound safely from COVID-19. The programme includes the practical guidelines for a safer office you can implement today; travel safety tips you can share with your clients; and marketing and product development you should undertake now. All participants that complete the training will receive a completion ‘Certificate’ that they can share with clients instantly.

During the opening session of ATM Virtual, aviation industry veteran Sir Tim Clark, President of Emirates Airline, outlined the impact of COVID-19 on the aviation industry and how it will return to normalcy in 2021. He also highlighted the measures implemented by the company in response to the pandemic. Sir Tim said, “We have seen a US$15 trillion torpedo hit the global economy and its crippled many, many sectors, with transportation and leisure just a few of the casualties. My own belief is there is sufficient resilience in the global economy to take this trauma as long as it doesn’t go on for too long. If we can accept there is a finite point where we will see the back of this, with adjustments to the way we go about our lives, the way we go about our business, and our travel aspirations, we will see things moving back to some kind of normality during the course of 2021.” “Planning for resumption is quite complicated, needless to say, we have a 24/7 watch on it as countries start to relax their access requirements but I see some difficulties as I don’t believe they will open at the pace we would like. I think there will be a degree of what they started to call the bubble effect, i.e. countries selecting other countries that are relatively COVID free and therefore allowing services between those countries,” he adds. Sir Tim concluded by saying, “The aviation business is in a critical and very fragile state at the moment and needs all the help it can get. Access, getting passengers and freight moving again, not necessarily to the levels pre-COVID, but at least getting …

Travel trade professionals from across the world will gather online today for the first day of Arabian Travel Market (ATM) Virtual, a newly-launched three-day event for the region’s tourism community. The debut event, which will run from today till June 3, 2020 will place a focus on emerging trends, opportunities, and the challenges which are directly impacting the travel and tourism industry amid the COVID-19 global health pandemic. Over the course of three days, ATM Virtual will feature comprehensive webinars, live conference sessions, roundtables, speed networking events, and one-to-one meetings, as well as facilitating new connections and offering a wide range of online business opportunities. Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director ME, Arabian Travel Market (ATM), said: “Our debut event not only underscores ATM’s mission to support and guide the region’s vast travel and tourism industry during and beyond COVID-19, but it also demonstrates our commitment to delivering positive business and networking opportunities to the entire community, during even the most challenging times. With up to four live high-level sessions each day, industry experts will address a range of topics including a road map to recovery, tourism strategies for the future, the hotel landscape in a post-COVID-19 world, and the resilience of the travel industry, as well as exploring the ‘new normal’ that lies ahead, emerging travel technology and sustainability trends.” Fahd Hamidaddin, Chief of Investment, Strategy and Tourism Marketing, Ministry of Tourism Saudi Arabia, said, “As global travel restrictions ease, our focus is on ensuring that Saudi Arabia is ready to welcome visitors as soon as they are ready to travel. We are collaborating across the public and private sectors, to safeguard the wellbeing of visitors, while continuing to invest in …

Arabian Travel Market (ATM) has confirmed that Dr. Taleb Rifai, Chairman of the International Tourism & Investment Conference (ITIC) and former UNWTO Secretary-General will host a virtual summit as part of ATM Virtual. The summit, which is titled ‘Restructuring to Attract Sustainable Development and Customers in the New World Order’ will take place on Wednesday June 3 between 12.15pm – 1.45pm GST (9.15am – 10.45am BST). The session will examine sustainable investment measures for the Middle East travel and tourism sector and the strategies to restore travellers’ confidence post-pandemic. “We are living in unprecedented times for the tourism industry, which is facing its toughest challenge ever. Stay home means no travel, and no travel means no tourism. This ITIC summit is vital at this critical time and I am therefore pleased to be part of ATM Virtual, who I commend for facing the challenges and ensuring the industry is in direct contact during these difficult times,” said Dr. Rifai. The panel discussions will also focus on the part governments must play in helping sector recovery, the expectations of the industry going forward, and how travel and tourism businesses can plan for their financial future. Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director ME, Arabian Travel Market, said, “We are delighted to be working with ITIC to reflect on the financial impact COVID-19 has had on the tourism sector and to garner their insights and advice on strategies to restore visitor confidence and how the industry can begin to recover during these difficult times.” “We must all think together, out of the box, and imaginatively. This is our real historic test. The Middle East has proven in the past that it is robust and can …

Virtual ATM China Tourism Forum is undoubtedly the highlight of ATM Virtual event that will take place from June 1-3, 2020. With the spread of COVID-19 under control and domestic leisure travel growing, ME travel professionals are looking to China to initiate international tourism. The debate will take an in-depth look at the potential of the Chinese outbound leisure market now that China seems to have the viral outbreak under control and domestic tourism is growing once again. Many Middle East travel professionals will be looking for insight into the current state of the market and more importantly, how and when to start planning for inbound Chinese visitors. Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director Middle East, Arabian Travel Market, said, “The relatively swift rebound of domestic travel during the May Golden Week Holiday in China for example, underscores the bullish view of certain analysts regarding China’s integral role in leading the global tourism industry post COVID-19’s closed borders. Some hoteliers in China were reporting occupancy levels for the recent national holiday in excess of 45 per cent with resort markets close to 70 per cent, a significant improvement from the overall average of 30 per cent occupancy, confirming leisure demand is robust.” Specifically, The Virtual ATM China Tourism Forum will focus on the potential recovery of outbound travel and how Chinese travellers have been changing the way that they access information about foreign destinations and making contacts with local hotels, tour operators and ground handlers. The experts will share their opinion and experience on how to overcome the current crisis by identifying new buying patterns, new demand streams and innovative ways of reaching customers as well as of course enhancing existing partnerships. …