A recent ‘Global Holiday Intent’ survey was conducted by YouGov on behalf of Reed Travel Exhibitions, the organizer of Arabian Travel Market (ATM), which revealed that residents of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia (KSA) will make an international trip in 2021.
The poll was conducted during October and November 2020, where recipients were asked if they were planning to make an international trip in the next twelve months, to which 48% of respondents from the UAE, and 46% of recipients from KSA confirmed their plans to travel.
Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director ME, Arabian Travel Market, which will take place live at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) 16-19 May 2021, said: “This survey was conducted before the most recent announcements about COVID-19 vaccines, so in many respects, this is even better news for the Middle East’s aviation sector. Nearly half of those polled confirmed that they intended to travel in 2021 and once vaccines have been rolled out around the world, those numbers can only increase. In terms of outbound travel, many expatriates will be looking for a relaxing holiday or hoping to travel home to see family and friends. In terms of inbound travel, it was welcome news that almost a third of Germans polled said that they intended to travel internationally – Germany is one of the largest European feeder markets to the GCC, with 1.8 million overnight stays in 2018. Indeed, over 316,000 Germans visited Dubai between January and June 2019.”
Now in its 28th year and working in collaboration with DWTC and Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), the theme of ATM next year will be ‘A new dawn for travel and tourism’ and the spotlight will be thrown onto the current state of the industry and more importantly, what the future holds. It will also look at emerging trends and how innovation can drive the industry forward. ATM 2021 will also play an integral role in Arabian Travel Week and for the first time, a new hybrid format will be in place. This means an additional virtual ATM will be organized to run the following week, which will complement the live event by accommodating visitors who may be unable to travel to Dubai. The inaugural ATM Virtual 2020, attracted 12,000 online attendees from 140 countries, over three days.
“The team at DWTC is working hard to ensure that all events run safely and have implemented a range of measures including an enhanced cleaning regime, improved air circulation, multiple hand sanitizer stations, and temperature checks,” added Curtis.
ATM generally welcomes thousands of travel trade professionals from more than 150 countries and is considered a barometer for the Middle East and North Africa tourism sector. As such DWTC has set out to provide a touchless and seamless experience.
Photo Credit: ArabNews
