Tag Archives: Danielle Curtis

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 …

For the first time in almost 18 months Arabian Travel Market was successfully concluded onsite with exhibitors from 62 countries and travel professionals from over 100 countries. “Putting sustainability at the heart of the future development of the tourism industry in the Middle East will be crucial to meet the expectations of local and international visitors, who are now more socially aware and informed, than ever before. The industry has undoubtedly made huge strides in this area, with a range of initiatives across the sector positively impacting the environment,” said Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director ME, Arabian Travel Market. Another popular seminar was a hotel summit session about the challenges to traditional hospitality, brought on by social distancing and the increased reliance on technology – impersonal by nature. A panel consisting of hospitality leaders, agreed that nothing would replace genuine hospitality, rather guests would decide what level of human interaction they were comfortable with – balancing safety with personal attention while maximising the efficiency of technology without compromising on service excellence. “This week has been a resounding success, we’ve welcomed exhibitors from 62 countries and travel professionals from over 100 countries during the four days of the event,” said Curtis. “Next week, ATM Virtual gives us the opportunity to interact with an even greater global audience. With travel restrictions still in place for many people, for those unable to attend the live and in-person event, the virtual element provides the perfect platform for travel professionals to connect, do business and hear from leading lights within the industry, from anywhere in the world,” added Curtis.

Local, regional and international travel and tourism professionals will converge on the Dubai World Trade Centre for the opening of the Arabian Travel Market 2021 (ATM) the first major in-person international travel event since the outbreak of the pandemic. One of the highlights of the first day will be the Tourism for a Brighter Future opening session taking place at 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm GST. Moderated by Becky Anderson, Managing Editor, CNN Abu Dhabi & Anchor, speakers include HE Helal Saeed Al Marri, Director General, Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM); Dr Taleb Rifai, Chairman ITIC & Former Secretary General United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO); Scott Livermore, Chief Economist of Oxford Economics Middle East, Dubai and Mr. Thoyyib Mohamed, Managing Director, Maldives Tourism Board. Later in the afternoon, the Tourism Beyond COVID Recovery session will take place, at 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm GST, and will include key speakers such as Dr. Ahmad bin Abdullah Belhoul Al Falasi, Minister of State for Entrepreneurship and Small and Medium Enterprises for the UAE; H.E. Mr. Zayed R. Alzayani, Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism to the Kingdom of Bahrain and Chairman of Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority and Haitham Mattar, Managing Director of India, Middle East & Africa, IHG Hotels and Resorts. Another key event taking place on the first day is the China Tourism Forum to be held from 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm GST and will highlight the latest trends of outbound travel from China as well as the best way of meeting such demand. It will feature respected panelists representing both DMOs and Chinese outbound travel trade including H.E. Mr. Zayed R. Alzayani, Minister of …

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.

The much-awaited Arabian Travel Market will kick off from 16th to 19th May 2021 at the World Trade Center after battling a pandemic over the past year. In-person on the show floor, 62 countries are being represented. They include the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Germany, Cyprus, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Italy, Greece, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea, Maldives, the Philippines, Thailand, Mexico and the USA to name but a few. Danielle Curtis, Exhibitor Director ME, Arabian Travel Market shared, “ ATM 2021 will be held at the Dubai World Trade Centre, spread across nine halls. Consistent with the existing social distancing guidelines and regulations, there will be 11,000 people in the halls at any given time. In a bid to provide a safe, touchless and seamless experience for everyone, ATM will strictly adhere to the health and safety guidelines laid out by relevant government authorities. In addition to Reed Exhibitions’ Global COVID-19 ‘Safety Shows’ Health & Safety strategy, ATM is working closely with the team at the Dubai World Trade Centre and with our Global Operations team.” A range of measures will be put into place to ensure physical distancing whenever possible, as well as a number of enhanced cleaning regimes, in collaboration with the venue. As part of our check and balance regulations, to manage any potential overcrowding, the number of people allowed on each stand will be prominently displayed to ensure density rules are met. All exhibitors will be using the Emperia application to scan visitor badges to capture valuable leads and in the venue, printed directional arrows will be displayed on the aisles to manage two-way and one-way traffic appropriately.

62 source and outbound markets represented in-person at Arabian Travel Market, including Jordan, KSA, Germany, Italy, Russia, Greece, Thailand, Malaysia, Maldives and Cyprus. A total of 62 countries will be represented on the exhibition floor this year at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2021, which takes place in person at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) on May 16-19. “This is an impressive response from travel and tourism organisations across all travel sectors, given the various travel restrictions in place around the world, and provides a major boost for the travel industry in the Middle East,” commented Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director Middle East, Arabian Travel Market. Many destinations participating in ATM this year, will be hoping to attract GCC visitors in the second half of this year. Countries such as the Maldives for example, will have a significant presence at ATM, as well as perennial favourites such as Malaysia and Thailand, Germany, Greece, Italy and Switzerland. “The Maldives has done exceptionally well in 2021 so far, welcoming over 200,000 visitors in the first two months of the year. It is one of the top destinations for UAE travellers and to cope with the increased demand, in March Emirates announced it was increasing its services over the Easter holidays, offering customers 28 weekly flights to Male, up from the scheduled 24 weekly flights,” added Curtis. “This is now an integral part of the ATM offering. Not every industry professional from around the world, can attend in-person every year, particularly this year with travel restrictions changing rapidly around the globe,” said Curtis.

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 …

Arabian Travel Market (ATM) has reconfirmed that the 2021 edition of its annual showcase, will go-ahead in-person at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) on Sunday 16 to Wednesday 19 May, as final preparations are being put in place, in particular health and safety. In addition to Reed Exhibitions’ Global COVID-19 ‘Safety Shows’ Health & Safety strategy, ATM is working closely with the team at the Dubai World Trade Centre and with Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) to provide a safe, touchless and seamless experience for all. The show will strictly adhere to the health and safety guidelines set by the Dubai Government and followed by venue. The team at DWTC are working hard to ensure that all events run safely and have implemented a range of measures including an enhanced cleaning regime, improved air circulation and multiple hand sanitiser stations. Commenting, Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director ME, Arabian Travel Market, said, “Dubai is one of the safest cities in the world to visit with a wide range of precautionary measures in place to ensure the safety of tourists at every stage and touchpoint of their travel journey, from arrival to departure. More than 9 million doses have already been administered in the UAE, which is also a major achievement. “Indeed, Dubai’s commitment to maintaining the highest standards of health and safety and its effective citywide management of the pandemic received a strong endorsement from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), which gave the city a ‘Safe Travels’ stamp,” she added. “It is imperative that we include a virtual element to Arabian Travel Week because many industry professionals from around the world, cannot attend the in-person event …

Island resorts around the world will lead the recovery in leisure travel, according to research carried out ahead of Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2021, which will be in a hybrid format, with the in-person event taking place on 16-19 May at the Dubai World Trade Centre and the virtual event to be held the following week, on 24-26 May. “Both islands tick all of the proverbial boxes for tourists,” said Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director ME, Arabian Travel Market. “Even though demand maybe pent-up, visitors will still want direct flights, easy access, reasonable restrictions, low COVID cases, good vaccination rates, open and in some cases isolated resorts, with a natural environment including quiet beaches,” added Curtis. “And after a standard temperature checks upon arrival at the hotel, guests in the Maldives can roam freely, they only need to wear a mask indoors, with similar restrictions applicable in Seychelles,” added Curtis. “With three weekly flights from Dubai, Cyprus is another interesting case and from April, it will welcome Israeli tourists who have had both vaccination doses,” said Curtis.

According to a recent YouGov survey, commissioned by Reed Exhibitions, the organiser of Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2021, the amount of money that Middle East travellers spend on international leisure travel, will begin to exceed 2019 pre-COVID levels, in as little as three years. This is supported by forecast analysis carried out by Tourism Economics (TE). “This is very encouraging,” said Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director ME, Arabian Travel Market, which will take place in-person at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) 16-19 May 2021. “In 2019, spending on international leisure travel in the Middle East was significant, representing 47% of the total overall travel spend, compared with 37% spent on domestic leisure travel and 8% each on international and domestic business travel. “In 2020, spending on international leisure travel was only 20% of the amount spent a year earlier. However, this year, spending compared with 2019, will recover to around 50%. It will increase to 75% in 2022 and 95% in 2023, until 2024, when spending in this segment will exceed pre-COVID levels by up to 10%,” added Curtis. “Leisure travel will lead the recovery, initially through domestic and short-haul travel, which peaked by as much as 85% of all overnight arrivals in the Middle East during 2020. This will gradually return to normal over the next four years at around 70%, as international travel becomes more popular and takes greater market share,” said Curtis.