World News | forimmediaterelease.net

... press releases & Breaking World News

Events crucial for Middle East to realize tourism market value of US$133.6 billion by 2028, says Arabian Travel Market

by

Events for Tourism Growth will be adopted as the official show theme for Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2020, taking place at Dubai World Trade Centre from Sunday 19 – Wednesday 22 April 2020.

According to data from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), the direct contribution of travel and tourism to the Middle East’s GDP is predicted to rise by 4.2% per annum to US $133.6 billion by 2028 – driven in part by additional tourists to the region as a result of mega-events, major sporting and political events, cultural festivals, concerts and MICE events. 


eTN Chatroom for Readers (join us)

Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director ME, Arabian Travel Market, said: “Events of all kinds have become increasingly important drivers for international arrivals to the UAE, GCC and wider MENA region over recent years.

“With this in mind, ATM 2020’s spotlight theme will be launched as a platform to explore the impact events have on tourism growth in the region and to inspire the travel and hospitality industry about the next generation of events, while bringing together senior travel executives to meet and conduct business under one roof over four days.”

In the UAE alone, the major exhibition centres in Dubai and Abu Dhabi experienced a 14% growth in footfall between 2016 and 2018, with Dubai World Trade Centre welcoming 3.4 million visitors in 2018 and Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, combined with Al Ain Exhibition Centre – welcoming over two million during the same period.

Expo 2020 will be the largest event ever staged in the Arab World. Taking place from October 2020 to April 2021, 192 pavilions from countries around the world will be showcased, with over 25 million visitors – 145,000 visits for every one of the 173 days the site is open, expected.

Organisers of the event are predicting 11 million visits by people living in the UAE and 14 million from overseas visitors – most of whom are expected to be tourists. According to consultancy firm EY, this will provide a US$33.4 billion (AED122.6 billion) boost to the local economy – supporting the equivalent of 49,700 full-time jobs a year.

In Saudi Arabia, Vision 2030 has set aside $64 billion to invest in culture, leisure and entertainment projects over the next decade, according to a recent report from real estate firm Savills.

This investment combined with more relaxed access to visas are predicted to significantly add to the attractiveness of the country with entertainment activities in the kingdom predicted to attract 25 million visitors by 2021.

Curtis said: “Looking at 2018 alone, exhibitions across Saudi Arabia witnessed a 103% increase in visitation with a total of 61 major events taking place over 349 days.  Last year was also a milestone in terms of sporting events for the country, with events such as the King Salman Tennis Championship, WWE Crown Jewel and Formula E taking place in the Kingdom.”

ATM, considered by industry professionals as a barometer for the Middle East and North Africa tourism sector, welcomed almost 40,000 people to its 2019 event with representation from 150 countries. With over 100 exhibitors making their debut, ATM 2019 showcased the largest ever exhibition from Asia.

eTN is a media partner for ATM.

About Arabian Travel Market (ATM)

Arabian Travel Market is the leading, international travel and tourism event in the Middle East – introducing both inbound and outbound tourism professionals to over 2,500 of the most breathtaking destinations, attractions and brands as well as the very latest cutting-edge technologies. Attracting almost 40,000 industry professionals, with representation from 150 countries, ATM prides itself on being the hub of all travel and tourism ideas – providing a platform to discuss insights on the ever-changing industry, share innovations and unlock endless business opportunities over the four days. 

GOT NEWS? click here

possible to reach millions worldwide
Google News, Bing News, Yahoo News, 200+ publications

ATM 2020 will take place from Sunday 19th April – Wednesday 22nd April 2020 #IdeasArriveHere

About Reed Exhibitions

Reed Exhibitions is the world’s leading events business, enhancing the power of face to face through data and digital tools at over 500 events a year, in more than 30 countries, attracting more than seven million participants.

About Reed Travel Exhibitions

Reed Travel Exhibitions is the world’s leading travel and tourism event’s organiser with a growing portfolio of more than 22 international travel and tourism trade events in Europe, the Americas, Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Our events are market leaders in their sectors, whether it is global and regional leisure travel trade events, or specialist events for meetings, incentives, conference, events (MICE) industry, business travel, luxury travel, travel technology as well as golf, spa and ski travel. We have over 35 years’ experience in organising world-leading travel exhibitions.

About World Travel Market

World Travel Market (WTM) portfolio comprises four leading B2B events across four continents, generating more than $7 billion of industry deals. In addition to ATM, the events are:

WTM London, the leading global event for the travel industry, is the must-attend three-day exhibition for the worldwide travel and tourism industry. About 50,000 senior travel industry professionals, government ministers and international media visit ExCeL London every November, generating about £3.4 billion in travel industry contracts.

Next event: Monday 4 – Wednesday 6 November 2019 – London #IdeasArriveHere

WTM Latin America attracts about 9,000 senior executives and generates about US$374 million of new business. Taking place in Sao Paulo, Brazil, this show attracts a global audience to meet and shape the direction of the travel industry. More than 8,000 unique visitors attend the event to network, negotiate and discover the latest industry news.

Next event: Tuesday 31 March to Thursday 2 April 2020 – Sao Paulo.

WTM Africa launched in 2014 in Cape Town, South Africa. Nearly 5,000 travel industry professionals attend Africa’s leading inbound and outbound travel and tourism market. WTM Africa delivers a proven mix of hosted buyers, media, pre-scheduled appointments, on-site networking, evening functions and invited travel trade visitors.

Next event: Monday 6 to Wednesday 8 April 2020 – Cape Town.

Media Contact: Nathalie Visele, Directorm Arjaan Office Tower, Dubai Media City, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Tel: +971 4 365 2711, Mobile: +971 50 457 6525, E-mail: nathalie.visele@shamalcomms.com Website: www.shamalcomms.com

Seychelles intensifies its media presence in the GCC region

by

The latest media spree from the Seychelles did not go unnoticed as the head of delegation Minister for Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine, Didier Dogley and the Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) Chief Executive, Mrs. Sherin Francis, appeared on various media in the GCC region.

The press calls were conducted on the sideline—as the Seychelles delegation’s was recently present—at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) fair in Dubai tapped as the most popular travel trade event in the Middle East.

Minister Dogley and Mrs. Francis stepped under the spotlight from Sunday, April 28, 2019, to Tuesday, April 30, 2019, to provide an update and promote the destination to various media partners in the region including Dubai Eye FM, Al Hurra TV, Emirates News, Dubai Global News, TTN Middle East, and GT Media among others.

The STB participation strategy for the ATM this year revolved around the opportunity provided by the event to connect with business partners and create new communication channels to promote Seychelles as a multipurpose destination, and to use this opportunity as well to discuss the latest developments that are sure to enhance the travel experience of GCC visitors.

The tourism board presence at the event provided the occasion to connect with the regular and potential partners from this region, understand their needs, identify the travelling patterns and highlight the destination so the traveler can learn more about what to expect when visiting Seychelles.

It was also a good opportunity to update the STB’s knowledge of the market and understand what the local partner’s practices, exchange experiences and determine the long-term goals based on the gathered information.

Speaking of her visit to the ATM and the extensive press calls, STB Chief Executive Mrs. Sherin Francis reaffirmed the STB’s commitment to increasing visibility on all fronts.

“The Middle East, and in particular the UAE, remains a key market for the Seychelles. We are keeping a close eye on Saudi Arabia and Kuwait where we are seeing signs of growth , and for this reason we have been conducting roadshows to increase awareness of the Seychelles as a key holiday destination; ideal for privacy, for families and perfect for those seeking complete relaxation or those looking to explore,” said Mrs. Francis.

On his part, H.E. Didier Dogley said, “The Seychelles has always focused on a quality over quantity offering, and while our visitors numbers continue to grow, they are in line with the Seychelles Sustainable Development Policy, and form an integral and coherent part of the policy.”

With the STBS’s constant effort aimed at reaching out to travellers from the Arab world, data collected shows that the numbers are on a constant growth to date with fifth ranking in terms of visitor arrivals globally.

With more than 32,000 visitors from the GCC last year, the GCC market remains to be one of the main market feeders to the destination to date.

MEDIA CONTACT: STB News Bureau, Tel: +248 4 671 354 / +248 4 671 313, stbnews@seychelles.travel  www.seychelles.travel

German National Tourist Board wraps up successful participation at Arabian Travel Market

by

The German National Tourist Board (GNTB) together with a host of leading German tourism trade partners, has wrapped up another highly successful participation in this year’s Arabian Travel Market, the largest gathering of travel and tourism professionals in the wider Middle East region, which took place at the Dubai World Trade Centre from 28th April to 1st May 2019.

During the four-day event, trade professionals from across the region and beyond, met with representatives of the GNTB as well as its partners, covering local tourist boards, luxury hotels, hospitality, retail, spas and theme parks. Each partner had its own unique proposition, whether spring, summer, autumn or winter, emphasising that Germany is a diverse and unique all year-round travel destination.

The GNTB’s partners this year included; ‘Hotel Palace Berlin’; ‘Frankfurt Tourism and Congress Board’; ‘OUTLETCITY METZINGEN’; ‘Baden-Baden Tourism Board’; the State Tourist Board SouthWest-Germany (Baden-Württemberg Tourismus) and the Black Forest Highlands Tourism Board (Hochschwarzwald Tourismus).

VIP visitors to the GNTO stand at ATM included H.E. Mr. Günter Rauer, Consulate General of the German Consulate in Dubai and Mr. Felix Neugart, CEO of the German Emirati Joint Council for Industry and Commerce (AHK).

Sigrid de Mazieres, Director for the Gulf countries at the German National Tourist Office (GNTO), an affiliate of the German National Tourist Board, commented, “The GCC region is an important market for the German tourism sector and we are delighted with the outcome of our participation at ATM.

“Visitors to our stand remarked about Germany’s natural beauty, rich cultural heritage and impressive infrastructure, as key reasons for travelling to Germany. We are confident that many of them, will use the upcoming Eid Al Fitr holiday and of course the subsequent summer holiday season, as ideal opportunities to visit our beautiful country.”

H.E. Mr. Günter Rauer, Consulate General of the German Consulate in Dubai and Sigrid de Mazieres, Director for the Gulf countries at the German National Tourist Office (GNTO) with members of the German National Tourist Board and its partners during their participation at Arabian Travel Market (ATM 2019).

The GCC market is Germany’s third-largest non-European source market behind China and the US. Moreover, GCC travellers tend to stay an average of 11 nights and spend on average $5,300 per person per trip, significantly more than other international travellers.

According to the latest forecast from the GNTB, GCC nationals visiting Germany are expected to increase to 3.6 million overnight stays by 2030, compared with 1.8 million guest nights from Gulf nationals recorded in 2018, with key markets being UAE, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

In 2009 overnight stays in Germany by GCC nationals, amounted to 770,000. By 2018 the number of overnight stays had increased to 1.8 million, which demonstrates that the annual number of overnight stays has grown by 130% over the past decade.

MEDIA CONTACT: NATHALIE VISELE, Director, Shamal Communications, Arjaan Office Tower, Dubai Media City, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Tel: +971 4 365 2711 | Mobile: +971 50 457 6525, E-mail: nathalie.visele@shamalcomms.com , Website: www.shamalcomms.com

Seychelles Tourism Board records successful participation at 2019 Arabian Travel Market in Dubai

by

The Seychelles Islands was represented at the 26th edition of the Arabian Travel Market (ATM), in Middle East’s most popular travel trade event held from April 28 to May 1, 2019 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.

The 4-day event garnered the participation of some 2,500 companies, including the participation of the Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) featuring a representation from 150 countries, 65 national pavilions and more than 100 new exhibitors at the fair.

The Seychelles delegation was led by the Minister for Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine, Didier Dogley. The Seychelles Ambassador in the United Arab Emirates, Jean-Claude Adrienne, STB Chief Executive, Mrs. Sherin Francis.

They were escorted by a strong STB team including the Tourism Attaché at the Seychelles Abu Dhabi Embassy, Ms. Aliette Esther, the STB representative in Dubai, Ahmed Fathallah, and Ms. Stephanie Lablache STB Director for the Middle East and Ms. Vanessa Lucas, Public Relations Officer from the Headquarters.

The team was completed by few trade partners representing local Destination Management Companies and hotels including Berjaya Beau Vallon Bay Resort & Casino, Eden Bleu Hotel, Luxury Travel, Satguru Travels and Tours Ltd, Six Senses Zil Pasyon, and Vision Voyages.

The 2019 edition of the ATM travel trade show recorded over 40,000 attendees, highlighting Middle East’s thriving tourism sector and the major opportunity for Seychelles as a destination to increase its clients in the Middle East.  

STB’s participation has generated immense interest at the ATM as numerous partners and travel professionals visited the stand, conducting meetings with exhibiting partners attending the event alongside the STB team.

With the summer season fast approaching, coupled with other upcoming Middle Eastern holidays, the annual event was the ideal platform for the STB and its local partners to personally meet travel professionals to further the awareness of the destination as well as reinforcing its presence in the Middle East market.

The destination, with Six Senses Zil Pasyon as partner, was also one of the presenters at the TTN Travel Trade Competition on the 3rd day of the fair at the Inspiration Theatre on site. The STB Chief Executive Mrs. Sherin Francis showcased the destination through a Pecha Kucha presentation— a story telling format using 20 slides for 20 seconds per slide.

The presentation was followed by a quiz which was the highlight of the event as one lucky travel agent took home a prize sponsored by Six Senses Zil Pasyon by answering the questions correctly.

During the event, Minister Didier Dogley and STB Chief Executive had the opportunity to give several media interviews to share the latest news about the destination.

Aside from providing visibility to the destination and indulging in various promotional activities at the ATM, the STB team, headed by its Chief Executive also signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the renewal of a marketing agreement between the Tourism Board and Emirates Airline. 

Mrs. Francis mentioned her satisfaction following STB’s participation at the ATM, she also thanked the partners who supported the team by their presence on the stand during the event.

“STB’s participation at the ATM was definitely a great success. There was an increased interest from our media partners and our partners in the Middle East to hear about the latest news from our destination. It was vital for the destination to be present at the event, the upcoming holidays in the Middle East opens a window of opportunity to increase visitor’s arrival on the Middle East market. With the efforts contributed by the local trade present at the fair, I am confident that we have made a huge impact on the market,” said Mrs. Francis.

 “We are hopeful and anticipating to surpass last year’s visitor arrivals to the destination by participating in different travel and trade events in the GCC that will serve as a platform to personally meet with new and existing trade partners.” said Mr. Fathallah.

The UAE along with the GCC countries currently being the fourth market feeder to the destination continues to be one of the largest source markets to the destination finishing off the year 2018 with more than 32,000 visitors from the GCC.

MEDIA CONTACT: STB News Bureau, Tel: +248 4 671 354 / +248 4 671 313, stbnews@seychelles.travel  www.seychelles.travel

ATM: Machine learning and AI will revolutionize the way GCC tourism firms do business

by

Technologies such as machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) have the potential to transform the GCC’s hospitality and travel sectors, but regional operators must strike the right balance between high-tech and high-touch.

This was the message from industry experts participating in Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2019, who told attendees that – if implemented effectively – the latest innovations will help them to ‘sell travel’ more effectively in the future.

Technologies such as virtual reality (VR), robotic assistants and AI chatbots are already facilitating smoother customer experiences across the industry. Global sales of public relations robots are forecasted to hit 66,000 units by 2020, and beacon technology applications in the hospitality sector are projected to be worth USD 72 billion by 2026.

Charbel Sarkis, Regional Head of Travel and Hospitality, Retail and eCommerce – MENA, Google, said: “Machine learning is not something that’s going to happen in the future. It’s happening right now.

“The assistance this type of technology provides is very smart. By predicting our behaviour, it can personalise the entire travel experience. If I’m a first-time visitor to Rome, for example, I have different expectations than someone who has been five times before and is returning on business. Machine learning can help to customise the offerings we receive.”

Innovations such as the Internet of Things (IoT) could also lead to increased back-of-house efficiency for the sectors such as aviation. Implementing the technology to improve unplanned maintenance costs by just one per cent, for instance, could generate industry-wide savings of up to USD 250 million per annum, according to research conducted by Colliers on behalf of ATM.

Matt Raos, Senior Vice President Business to Business – Corporate and Leisure, Emirates, called for GCC travel operators to enhance the end-to-end customer journey by implementing technologies collaboratively.

“The challenge we have is that we’re part of a broader ecosystem,” Raos said. “There is no one player that can do everything for everyone on their own. We need to acknowledge that we’re participants in this ecosystem and find ways to collaborate so that we can deliver the things that customers want.

“It’s about making the whole industry work together and proceed at a pace that’s not set by the slowest participant in the chain.”

Machine learning and AI-driven innovations such as robot concierges and butlers, as well as facial recognition and room customisation technology, are becoming increasingly popular in the international hotel sector. However, some GCC brands have been reluctant to implement innovations due to high customer expectations that have been driven by the region’s highly trained hospitality professionals.

Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director ME, Arabian Travel Market, said: “Average IT investment by hotels currently stands at four per cent, yet almost three quarters of all manual activities in the hospitality industry have the potential to be automated. There is clearly huge potential for our industry to benefit from technology implementation.

“Nevertheless, the GCC’s hospitality and travel sectors have built up a global reputation based on high-quality, face-to-face service, so it is vital that the region strikes the right balance between high-tech and high-touch. In the longer term, companies operating in the Middle East’s tourism segment are likely to remain committed to human interaction, but with the assistance of technology.”

Running until Wednesday, 1 May, ATM 2019 will see more than 2,500 exhibitors showcase their products and services at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC). Viewed by industry professionals as a barometer for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) tourism sector, last year’s edition of ATM welcomed 39,000 people, representing the largest exhibition in the history of the show.

MEDIA CONTACT: NATHALIE VISELE, Director, Shamal Communications, Arjaan Office Tower, Dubai Media City, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Tel: +971 4 365 2711 | Mobile: +971 50 457 6525, E-mail: nathalie.visele@shamalcomms.com , Website: www.shamalcomms.com