ME’s biggest-ever travel, tourism show opens

DUBAI — Considered the biggest travel and tourism show organised in the region so far, the 14th edition of the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) officially opened yesterday at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre (DICEC).

By Criselda E. Diala

Published: Wed 2 May 2007, 9:07 AM

Last updated: Sun 5 Apr 2015, 4:19 AM

Organisers said 2,600 exhibitors from 64 countries were participating in the event this year, which was a 24 per cent increase as compared to 2006.

The event, which will run until May 4, has also attracted 116 new exhibitors from 34 countries.

Leading the ATMs’ inauguration ceremony was Shaikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of the Dubai Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) and Chairman of the Emirates Group.

At an earlier meeting with the local Press, Reed Travel Exhibitions (RTE), organisers of ATM, noted that the outlook for the Middle East region’s travel and tourism industry was upbeat. The region was expected to post further growth, with annual revenues expected to jump by 89 per cent over the next 10 years. This was revealed in a study sponsored by RTE, which covered countries like Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, the UAE, and Yemen.

Industrial growth will be backed by a capital investment of nearly $3 trillion (Dh11 trillion), which will finance massive infrastructure growth. ‘Travel and tourism in the Middle East touched $148 billion (Dh540 billion) in 2006 and is expected to cross $279 billion (Dh1 trillion) by 2016,’ the report says.

Tom Nutley, Chairman of RTE, expressed confidence that the region would continue to expand in both in-bound and out-bound tourism despite the occasional challenges.

‘Man-made and natural disasters are inevitable, but if we look at the current global pattern, the recovery period for countries and industries has shortened. What previously took years, now takes just a few months to overcome,’ he said.

Nutley added that the growth in the region’s population, particularly of the expatriate community, had led to an increase in outbound travel.

Ghaith Al Ghaith, Executive Vice President-Commercial Operations of Emirates, said the region’s ability to immediately bounce back from challenges could be attributed to its determination to boost its travel and tourism industry.

‘The cycle of recovery is short because we have a strong will power. We emerge stronger after any crisis we face. Investors also see that strength, which gives them the confidence to continue investing in the region,’ Al Ghaith stressed.