Tourism and hospitality professionals from around the world can now register to attend Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2023, which will take place at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) from 1-4 May. In line with its theme of ‘Working Towards Net Zero’, the 30th edition of ATM will offer a forum for industry leaders and policymakers from across the Middle East and beyond to explore challenges and opportunities related to the future of sustainable travel. Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director ME, Arabian Travel Market, said: “We are excited to officially open registration for the 30th edition of ATM, which will shine a spotlight on sustainability within our sector and how regional decision-makers are driving decarbonisation while maximising profitability and enhancing customer experiences. “This year’s conference programme will feature a huge range of sessions that will explore innovation and best practice related to environmental, social and governance (ESG),” Curtis added. “We expect to welcome more than 34,000 public and private sector travel, tourism and hospitality experts from around the world to ATM 2023 – including over 1,500 exhibitors and representatives from over 150 destinations – making it the perfect platform for relationship-building and knowledge-sharing that will drive tangible, sustainable change.” The ATM 2023 conference programme is being specifically developed to address sustainability issues across the travel and tourism industry, with commentary from leadership figures representing a variety of sectors such as Destinations, Travel Technology, Aviation, Cruise, Investment, Recruitment, Hotels and Hospitality. There will also be a number of sessions dedicated to key source markets, including India and Saudi Arabia. In addition, ATM will see the return of the ATM Start-up competition where this year, seven innovative travel start-ups will pitch battle on stage …
Read More »Active GCC hotel development pipeline now equal to 40% of existing room supply, compared with 11% globally
According to new research commissioned by Arabian Travel Market (ATM), and conducted at the end of September 2022 by hotel market intelligence and global benchmarking company STR, the GCC region now has over 170,000 hotel rooms under active development (planning, final planning & under construction). This is equivalent to 40% of the GCC’s existing hotel room inventory, a figure almost four times greater than the rest of the world which currently lags behind at an average of 11% under active development compared with existing supply. Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director, Arabian Travel Market, said: “Between EXPO 2020, the 2022 FIFA World Cup, and Saudi Arabia’s ambitious Vision2030 strategy, the GCC’s hospitality sector development pipeline remains robust in contrast to global hotel development, which is slowing, due to weak economic growth forecasts. “While the hospitality sector’s growth does highlight the region’s increasing popularity on the global stage, it is also indicative of regional government strategy, to diversify GDP growth away from hydrocarbons into tourism, that will help to drive demand still further, over the coming years. The STR report estimates 135,560 existing rooms in Saudi Arabia with an active pipeline of 82,639 rooms, with total room inventory projected for 2030, at over 218,000 rooms. Similarly for the UAE, STR currently tracks more than 202,000 existing rooms with an active pipeline of 48,910 rooms, a combined total of almost 251,000 rooms by 2030. “Interestingly, Ras Al Khaimah, is second only to Dubai, with 5.076 rooms in its pipeline, almost the same amount as Sharjah, Abu Dhabi and Fujairah combined,” said Curtis. The UAE’s historic occupancy performance provides a blueprint of what the region can expect as new rooms enter the market. Rooms supply …
Read More »Five sustainable trends to look out for in the Middle East’s travel sector
The sustainable trends of green airlines, eco hospitality, sustainable attractions, locally sourced produce and forward-thinking government initiatives will represent key focuses at Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2023, which will take place at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) from 1-4 May next year. In line with its theme of ‘Working Towards Net Zero’, the 30th edition of ATM will see public and private sector experts from around the world gather in the UAE to explore the decarbonised future of global travel. The upcoming edition of the event will capitalise on the Middle East’s status as a world leader in green innovation, providing a forum in which travel, tourism and hospitality professionals can showcase sustainable advancements while sharing knowledge and examples of best practice from across the sector. Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director ME, Arabian Travel Market, said: “The 30th edition of ATM will not only drive home the importance of working towards net zero within the Middle East’s tourism sector, but also showcase the practical steps that are being taken across our industry to achieve regional and global sustainability goals. “ATM has officially commenced its journey to net zero and its upcoming edition will shine a spotlight on challenges and opportunities connected with responsible tourism across our region and beyond,” Curtis added. “From aviation and attractions to resorts and dining, we look forward to exploring the role that the Middle East is playing – and will continue to play – in shaping a decarbonised global travel sector.” According to Sustainable Travel International, tourism-related activities account for approximately 8% of worldwide carbon emissions. In preparation for ATM 2023, the event’s organisers have highlighted five sustainable trends that have already gained significant momentum in …
Read More »Arvind Singh leads Indian delegation at WTM, Rakesh Verma also attends the event
Arvind Singh, Secretary, Tourism, is leading this year’s Indian delegation at WTM, which is being held in London till 9 November. The delegation also includes Rakesh Verma, Additional Secretary, Tourism, and other senior officials from the Ministry, besides representatives from the Indian travel and tourism stakeholders.
Read More »15% agents expect boom greater than pre-Covid within next 12 months: Sabre
Sabre survey of travel agents and TMCs in APAC reveals the changing face of corporate travel. As per the survey, there’s strong optimism in the market, with 82% saying they expect a return to pre-pandemic corporate travel levels, and 15% expecting a boom greater than pre-Covid-19, within the next 12 months.
Read More »BESydney launches Ignite Sydney Business Event Fund Available for Corporate and Incentive for events held in Sydney in 2023
As part of BESydney’s business events financial support, a new program the Ignite Sydney Business Event Fund has been launched in India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam for corporate meetings, incentives and conferences held in Greater Sydney in 2023. Applications officially open 6 October. The BESydney funding will offset costs for events with 200-400 delegates, whereby the client will receive support to the value of AU$40 per person and for events with a group size over 401 delegates, it will be deferred to a customised funding offer. Applications will be assessed on a first-come first-served basis. “BESydney’s Ignite Sydney Business Event Fund is an exciting initiative, to stimulate a return to hosting incredible corporate events and incentives in our harbour city,” said BESydney CEO, Lyn Lewis-Smith. “We want to support our important meeting planners and encourage the return of our Asian incentive and corporate market to Sydney to experience the vibrancy and energy of the city, as well as our new products, attractions and venues,” she said. Information on the Ignite Sydney Business Event Fund program can be found at besydney.com.au/incentives/ignite-sydney-2022/ and applications open 6 October. Financial support is limited, so events which qualify, need to act quickly in order to be successful. Applications close on 18 November 2022 (or earlier if funds have been allocated). Sydney has seen the opening of a number of new and exciting event venues and attractions over the last two years including: the Wildlife Retreat at Taronga Zoo where you can wake up with a koala; the $57M renovation of the Australian Museum where you can host events in the shadow of a dinosaur; the multi-million dollar restoration of Watersedge at Campbell’s Stores …
Read More »Wedding Travel Show’22 sees confluence of wedding planners, hotels & destinations
With strong focus on strengthening ‘Wedding Tourism’ in India, the bespoke two-day Wedding Travel Show’22 witnessed participation of over 35 top wedding planners in the country and more than 30 hotels, interacting & sealing deals right at the onset of wedding season this year. An exquisite table-top event, the show was held at Hyatt Residency Dehradun and saw the biggest names of the wedding and hospitality industries like Rajeev Jain, Chetan Vohra and Arif Patel, etc discussing revenge buying by the wedding clients and post covid challenges.
Read More »InfoComm India 2022, premier audio-visual tech event, from 5 -7 Sept
After two years of virtual presentations, InfoComm India 2022, India’s Premier Professional AudioVisual and Integrated Experience Technology Event, is welcoming all visitors in person to fully immerse in the InfoComm India experience again. The Show is slated for 5 – 7 September at the Bombay Exhibition Centre in Mumbai. Having facilitated business continuity albeit virtual events in 2020 and 2021, Show Organizer InfoCommAsia is thrilled to be bringing the in-person Show back this year – this time, thanks to its tried-and-tested online facilities, with added stakeholder confidence in being disruption-ready as well as in further industry engagement beyond borders. Said Richard Tan, Executive Director of InfoCommAsia, “Ready to claim back the past two years, the industry is all geared up to reconnect in person, and share learning points and innovative advancements towards the disruption-ready demands of the new business landscape. And where better to meet than in India, the fastest-growing economy in 2022. Projected by the IMF to be the 5th largest economy by 2025, opportunities to deepen existing and build new business relations abound.” Visitors can expect a deeply engaging Show experience with an even wider array of innovative business capabilities to tap into. The Exhibition InfoComm India 2022 will host a gathering of the best and brightest luminaries in the Professional AudioVisual (Pro-AV) and Integrated Experience Technology sectors. 160 exhibiting companies, hailing from over 15 countries, will be presenting their innovations in Mumbai’s biggest exhibition space, spurring visitors to concretize their vision and elevate their projects and endeavors. Solution-seekers across India, in industries ranging from education to government, hospitality to healthcare, broadcast to enterprise, will find the answers they need at InfoComm India 2022. They can expect to …
Read More »NIMA’s 3-day MICE Forum in Pink City to offer members networking opportunities
The NIMA MICE Forum 2022 is scheduled to be held from July 29-31 at Crown Plaza in Jaipur. Speaking about the event, Jagdeep Bhagat, National Coordinator, Network of Indian MICE Agents (NIMA) said that the 3-day event will provide a good networking opportunity to its members. The idea behind this forum is to update members about opportunities in the industry. It will also have panel discussions, product showcases, and networking opportunities among the Indian MICE fraternity.
Read More »Film Tourism Policy unveiled at Rajasthan Domestic Tourism Mart
The second edition of Rajasthan Domestic Travel Mart (RDTM) 2022 was held from 22-24 July, where the Rajasthan Film Tourism Promotion Policy 2022 was also unveiled. Speaking at the inauguration, Usha Sharma, Chief Secretary, Rajasthan, said, “Rajasthan has maximum number of UNESCO sites, but we’re not doing justice to this. Hence, we need to ensure people get to explore these sites and make Rajasthan a world heritage state.” Gaj Singh, President Emeritus, Indian Heritage Hotels Association (IHHA) said, “Domestic tourism has a lot of potential. It is a very strong segment that needs to be promoted. If domestic is strong we don’t need to be dependent on international travellers.”
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