Arabian Travel Market

In the three decades since Arabian Travel Market was first held in Dubai, the RX trade show and the city have transformed beyond all recognition. We reveal how, by putting innovation and entrepreneurship at the heart of this year’s event, ATM 2024 smashed all previous attendance records.

Dubai is no stranger to setting new records. It boasts the world’s tallest building, deepest swimming pool, fastest roller coaster, largest handwoven carpet and longest zipline, to name but a few! So Arabian Travel Market (ATM) was delighted to add another record to the list in May when it delivered the largest event in its 31 year history, by volume and attendance.

ATM first opened its doors at the Dubai World Trade Centre in 1994, with 52 nations, 300 exhibitors and 7,000 trade visitors. This year’s event, held from 6-9 May, brought together 47,489 industry professionals from more than 160 countries, including 2,600 exhibitors and 34,400 visitors. With a 21% increase in the number of participating hotel brands, exciting new destinations including China, Macoa, Kenya, Guatemala and Columbia delivering an incredible increase in participation of 27.1% year on year across all markets, and a dedicated India Summit highlighting a recent outbound travel boom from the market, the buzz on the opening day was extraordinary.

“I have been attending Arabian Travel Market for the past two decades, and from personal experience, I believe this is one of the busiest editions I have ever seen,” enthused Patrick Antaki, Chief Operating Officer, Hospitality Management Holding (HMH).

Charles Forissier, Head of Business Development at mTrip said: “We attend a variety of trade shows around the world but this is the first time we have exhibited at Arabian Travel Market. We have received many leads which we look forward to following up on after the event. We work mostly in the USA and UK, but we have been very encouraged by the opportunities in the Middle East.”

“It was amazing to see so many industry professionals from around the world come together in Dubai to explore how innovation and entrepreneurship are shaping a more efficient, profitable and sustainable tourism sector for future generations,” reflected Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director ATM. “We are thrilled to have set a new show record, underscoring our position as the travel and tourism exhibition of choice as we continue to drive global growth within the industry.”

Empowering travel innovation

Technology has transformed the travel in recent years, accelerating industry growth and sustainability. The evidence was clear to see in the sheer number of travel tech companies at this year’s event – 58% more than in 2023!

Reflecting this and other notable trends, the key themes of ATM 2024 were ‘empowering innovation’ and ‘driving growth through entrepreneurship’. From startups to established brands, the content focused on the pioneers who are enhancing customer experiences, driving efficiencies, and enabling progress towards a net-zero future for the industry.

On the new FUTURE Stage experts shared their insights on everything from the art of influencing Gen Z travellers, and the ethical implications of AI, to sustainable procurement and the innovations shaping the future of accessible and diverse travel. In the final sessions a 12-strong panel presentation on ‘The top trends to tap in 2024.’

At the new Entrepreneurship Summit, panellists discussed the opportunities and hurdles for travel and start-up companies seeking investment. Meanwhile, InterLnkd overcame stiff competition from 32 other travel start-ups to win the third ATM Start-up Pitch Battle, in association with Intelak. The UK-based company uses specific data points and an intelligent matching engine to link the travel and hospitality sectors with the fashion, beauty and retail industries.

Reflecting on the buzz around travel tech, Gaurav Kapur, VP Customer Success, QuadLabs Technologies said: “We have been very pleased with the footfall and the large number of enquiries and leads secured this year. Many travel agents are looking for technology products at the event, and this increased demand is, of course, excellent for us as technology providers!”

Supercharging business generation

Over the last three years, Arabian Travel Market has pioneered the use of digital and data analysis tools to supercharge the event experience. This year customers had access to a full suite of Business Building tools, and the take-up was phenomenal!

Everywhere you looked, attendees were using Colleqt QR to collect product and exhibitor information by simply scanning QR codes with their smart phones. Instead of brochure-laden bags and random business cards, they had immediate access to all their valuable content and contacts in digital form.

Meanwhile, exhibitors were using Lead Manager – another simple RX smart phone app ̶ to collect and qualify sales leads by scanning the badges of attendees on their stands. And they automatically received all the contact details of attendees who scanned their QR codes, securing additional new leads they might otherwise have missed!

“We believe our Business Builder tools are game changers and are delighted that all 2,600 exhibitors at ATM 2024 adopted Lead Manager and Colleqt QR to add value to their event,” said Danielle. “Exhibitors also took advantage of Exhibitor Dashboard to consolidate all their leads in one place and get real time data to help them measure and improve their event performance. So, we’re expecting even greater results for them next year!”

Accelerating greener travel

Environmental responsibility remains a big focus at ATM, in line with RX’s sustainability pledge and building on last year’s 30^th anniversary theme, ‘Working Towards Net Zero’.

ATM 2024 looked at how innovation can help achieve the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by creating a greener travel and tourism sector for the future. The event wrapped up with the Sustainability Summit, discussing the implications of COP 28 for the future of travel and how to incorporate sustainability in the luxury market and other areas.

The Sustainable Stand Award at ATM 2024 went to the ancient city of AlUla, which emphasized reusing materials. Their stand featured QR codes that attendees could scan to learn about their sustainable design choices. AlUla also pledged to offset emissions from their stand and plant a tree for everyone who engaged with them during the show.

ATM continues to cut its own carbon footprint by using recycled aisle carpets, sustainable badge holders and lanyards, eliminating printed floorplans, creating a paperless media centre, and using sustainable materials in new features amongst other actions. The event also partnered with the Dubai World Travel Centre to implement a zero single-use plastic policy and measure waste and energy, aiming for a 10% reduction from the benchmark set in 2023.

Arabian Travel Market 2025 runs from 28 April to 1 May in Dubai. For more information and to register visit www.wtm.com/atm