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ATM 2006 closes with record visitor turnout

Trade professionals from 99 countries attended, with industry delegates signing in from countries not represented last year including Andorra, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Croatia, Macau, Mexico, Reunion, Turkmenistan and the Turks and Caicos Islands and Zimbabwe. Most noticeable was a sizeable increase in turnout from the Americas.

"Almost 200 trade visitors from the Americas attended. This is still a relatively conservative number but is almost double from last year," said Chris Chackal, Group Exhibition Director, Overseas Events, Reed Travel Exhibitions (RTE), which organises the show.

"The Americas has been one region we have found hard to penetrate in both exhibitor and visitor terms but with the opening up of new routes from the Middle East to various parts of the USA in particular, we can see this market now developing."

Exhibitors at the show reported a huge upturn in business activity after the show and claim it consolidates the industry's rebound ability after several major blows including 9/11 and the Tsunami.

Radwan Alwan, Director of Zahhar Travel and Tourism in Damascus, Syria, said this year's event was the best of the past six in which he participated. "This year within the first two days we had 150 meetings with inbound and outbound tour operators and wholesalers and struck a number of business deals from the GCC. About three years ago business was fantastic here but then it dropped off a little and this year it has definitely come back to a peak."

Japan was quick to pledge a return participation at ATM following its debut this year.

"We received a large number of high level management and key decision makers and the response was phenomenal there was excellent interest in the Japanese product. Due to this response we will definitely return next year and will in fact increase our space from a stand, to a pavilion to accommodate Japanese tour operators and hotel that are now interested."

As the curtain came down on ATM 2006, which ran at the Dubai World Trade Centre from May 2-5 with 1,750 exhibitors from 59 countries and first time participation from Ireland, Japan and Poland, RTE sounded an upbeat prognosis for the show in the decade to come.

"All the industry surveys and forecasts are predicting great things for the industry within the Middle East and with the region's populations soaring, the outbound market should fare equally well," said Chackal.

"RTE exclusively owns and fully manages ATM and our experience leads us to anticipate 10 years of continued growth for this award-winning event."

Arabian Travel Market 2007 will be held at the Dubai World Trade Centre from May 1-4, 2007.