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 16 -19 May.

Now in its 28th year, the region’s largest travel and tourism showcase has attracted key exhibitors from inbound and outbound markets such as the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, UK, China, Germany, Russia, Greece, Egypt, Cyprus, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the Maldives, the Philippines, Thailand and the US.

“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 in Middle East at 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.

ATM 2021 is spread across nine halls. Consistent with the existing density restrictions and social distancing guidelines and regulations, there will be 11,000 people in the halls at any given time. 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.

Staying with the international flavour, overall, ATM 2021 features 67 conference sessions with over 145 local, regional and international speakers. Onsite, there is a Global Stage which will include a hotel industry summit, dedicated buyer forums for Saudi Arabia and China, an International Tourism & Investment Conference (ITIC), as well as an aviation panel, and a special session on Gulf-Israeli ties.

Other features this year will include Travel Forward at ATM, which has world-class technology experts, providing industry-leading insights about the latest technologies and trends that will undoubtedly shape the future of travel and tourism.

ATM 2021 will once again play an integral role in Arabian Travel Week, which will feature exhibitions, conferences, breakfast briefings, awards, product launches and networking events.