ΔΙΕΘΝΗΣ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗ ΗΛΕΚΤΡΟΝΙΚΗ ΕΦΗΜΕΡΙΔΑ ΠΟΙΚΙΛΗΣ ΥΛΗΣ - ΕΔΡΑ: ΑΘΗΝΑ

Ει βούλει καλώς ακούειν, μάθε καλώς λέγειν, μαθών δε καλώς λέγειν, πειρώ καλώς πράττειν, και ούτω καρπώση το καλώς ακούειν. (Επίκτητος)

(Αν θέλεις να σε επαινούν, μάθε πρώτα να λες καλά λόγια, και αφού μάθεις να λες καλά λόγια, να κάνεις καλές πράξεις, και τότε θα ακούς καλά λόγια για εσένα).

Τετάρτη 18 Απριλίου 2018

Arabian Travel Market celebrates 25th year with largest ever hotel exhibition space












Middle East’s largest travel trade event will celebrate its 25th year, with over 2,500 exhibiting companies and an expected 40,000 visitors, showcasing the largest ever hotel exhibition space in the show’s history
Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2018, the region’s leading travel industry showcase, opens its doors on Sunday 22nd April for four days of business networking opportunities and insightful seminar sessions, where deals worth over US$2.5 billion will be agreed.
Now in its 25th year, the 2018 edition will welcome over 2,500 exhibiting companies and an expected 40,000 visitors, with over 150 countries represented, 65 national pavilions, and more than 100 new exhibitors set to make their ATM debut.
Building on the success of last year, ATM 2018, which takes place at the Dubai World Trade Centre from April 22-25, will showcase the largest exhibition of regional and global hotel brands in the history of ATM, with hotels comprising 20% of the total show area.

Simon Press, Senior Exhibition Director, ATM said: “Arabian Travel Market continues to be the preferred route to market for many international and regional hospitality brands and the increase in hotel exhibition space in 2018 reflects the hundreds of new property and brand launches we have seen during the last 12 months.

“Over the coming years, we will see these new properties prosper as millions more tourists visit the region for the first time. The last 12 months brought unprecedented developments in major markets and the region is poised for further great developments in 2018.”

Celebrating its 25th year, ATM 2018 will adopt Responsible Tourism – including sustainable travel trends – as its official show theme, integrating it across all show verticals and activities, including advice clinics and focused seminar sessions, featuring dedicated exhibitor participation.

Press added: “The tourism industry in the GCC has grown ten-fold and more since we first opened our show doors 25 years ago. With a host of top speakers lined up and panel sessions for ATM 2018, we will be looking back on the tourism revolution in the Middle East over the last quarter of a century and also forecasting what lies ahead for the industry, with continuing geopolitical tensions across the globe, economic uncertainties, huge technological advances and, of course, the increasing trend of responsible tourism.”

Hyperloop and future travel experiences will kick off proceedings on ATM’s Global Stage on Sunday 22nd April between 13.30 and 14.30. Moderating the session, Richard Dean, a UAE-based business broadcaster and presenter will be joined by a host of high-profile panellists including Christoph Mueller, Chief Digital and Innovation officer, Emirates Airline and Harj Dhaliwal, Managing Director Middle East and India Operations, Hyperloop One.

This year, ATM has partnered with International Hotel Investment Conference (IHIF) organisers to present the inaugural Destination Investment panel.  Taking place on the ATM Global Stage, the session will discuss what drives investment in travel destinations across the Middle East and neighbouring regions.

Also debuting this year will be the ATM Student Conference – ‘Career in Travel’ – a programme aimed at students and graduates who are looking to pursue a career in the travel and tourism industry. Taking place on the final day of ATM, this programme will allow ‘tomorrow’s’ travel professionals and hoteliers, to listen to guest speakers and travel industry leaders.

Perennial calendar favourites at ATM 2018 include the ultra-innovative Travel Tech Show, ILTM Arabia and the Travel Agent Academy as well as the Buyers’ Club and the Wellness and Spa Lounge, both of which offer excellent opportunities to meet and network with likeminded individuals and organisations.

Issam Kazim, CEO, Dubai’s Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM), said: “This year marks the 25th edition of Arabian Travel Market and we are extremely pleased to be able to extend our support once more. In 2017, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai, launched Dubai Government’s 10X Initiative and as a result our projects and initiatives reflect this vision, designed to leverage new technologies and build on our ‘digital, mobile and social first’ agenda. Along with our partners on the Dubai stand we look forward to presenting just some of these immersive experiences – from witnessing Dubai in virtual reality, to our partners from Expo providing insights into the masterplan and much more.”

Thierry Antinori, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, Emirates Airline said: “As we celebrate 25 years of partnership and commitment to ATM, it’s remarkable to think how far this event has come in the region, as well as on the global stage, and as an airline we are proud of the role we have played in its growth. International air connectivity is a key driver in tourism, and for the hosting of regional industry events like ATM. With 159 destinations across six continents in our growing network, we will continue to bring travellers to and through Dubai, by innovating and providing the best customer experiences to earn their loyalty to make Emirates their first choice whenever they think of travel.”

Olivier Harnisch, Chief Executive Officer of Emaar Hospitality Group, said: “Now in its 25th year, the Arabian Travel Market has played a transformational role in shaping the tourism and hospitality sector of the region. As one of the leading global platforms that present the newest trends in the industry, the event presents diverse opportunities for all stakeholders to strengthen their business. As the Official Hotel Partner of the event, Emaar Hospitality Group will present its three hotel brands - the premium lifestyle Address Hotels + Resorts, the upscale lifestyle Vida Hotels and Resorts and contemporary midscale Rove Hotels – and their growing footprint. In addition to presenting our digital transformation strategy, we will highlight our focus on innovation to enhancing customer service standards.”


Anwar A.Z Abu Monassar, Destination Director, Strategy & Operation, The Vision, said: “With ATM coming back again as a great show to connect and share, we at The Vision Destination Management are proud of another successful season where we witnessed growth in strong partnerships, both in leisure and events. The Vision’s commitment and recognition, not only as event planner in showcasing the destination, but also as reality that involves and promotes segments of the society is a never-ending focus that we pursue. During the present year we involved reputed and experienced figures that do not only guide travelers, but literally bring them into the local reality in all its different segments. We developed skills of Life Coaching within our team to allow our clients to deeply understand our context, from the past to the future.”


 celebrates 25 years
Arabian Travel Market first opened its doors in 1994 at the Dubai World Trade Centre with 52 nations, 300 exhibitors and 7,000 trade visitors. 25 years later, ATM now facilitates $2.5 billion in industry deals and attracts 2,500 exhibitors from 153 countries and over 28,000 influential visitors.


25 years of ATM – Industry & fun facts

1994

·         ATM launches with the Arabic name of ‘Multaqa’ – meaning ‘the meeting place’
·         The Channel Tunnel between England and France opened on May 6th
·         The World Wide Web was born, and with it, Hyatt Hotels and Hotel Corporation became the first hotel chains to launch websites on the internet
·         Travelweb creates the first online catalogue (and later booking system) of hotels

1995

·         ATM moves to Bahrain for one year only
·         Novus (later became SITA) provided first online booking to be made by credit card

1996

·         Fujairah Tourism Bureau is established
·         The first Dubai World Cup, the world's richest horse race is held
·         Larry Page and Sergy Brin discover a new way to catalogue everything on the web with a search engine called Google

1997

·         Dubai Tourism the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) is established in January and exhibits at ATM, replacing the Dubai Commerce and Tourism Promotion Board (DCTPB) that was set up in 1989
·         Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts Company is founded with the aim to become a hospitality industry leader through establishing a world class portfolio of luxury hotels and resorts. Its first development was the Jumeirah Beach Hotel.
·          

1998

·         Jordan Tourism Board is officially launched at ATM
·         Lastminute.com launched its playful online travel agency in Europe.
1999

·         Burj Al Arab, the world's tallest offshore hotel, opens in December 1999.


2000

·         Saudi Commission for Tourism & Antiquities (SCTA) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was founded in 2000
·         Construction of the Palm Jumeirah Island begins in June, 2000. The island has been created using 94 million cubic metres of sand and 7 million tonnes of rock.
·         TripAdvisor was launched.
·         Emirates is the first airline to sign-up to the A380

2001

·         The first Dubai Cruise Terminal opens in 2001

2002

·         Saudi Commission for tourism & national heritage launches at ATM, at Airport Expo Dubai
·         Launch of ‘Meridian Club’, now called the ATM Buyers’ Club’ and exclusive club of senior buyers visiting the show
·         The official opening of Al-Mamlaka Tower in Riyadh. It is the tallest tower in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
·         Dubai International is ranked the second fastest growing airport in the world according to Airports Council International (ACI) traffic statistics. The facility handled around 18 million passengers in 2003 and was established as the aviation hub of the Middle East.

2003

·         ATM celebrates 10 years
·         Air Arabia, the first and largest low-cost carrier (LCC) in the Middle East and North Africa, is launched.
·         Etihad Airways, launches as UAE flag carrier.

2004

·         Al Jazeera Airline starts operations in April. It is the first non-government owned airline in the Middle East and continues to be one of the few Middle-East based non-government owned airlines to this day.
·         Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg launches Facebook, the social network that inspired generations to live their lives (and travels) on the web.

2005

·         ATM crosses the 10,000 visitor threshold attracting almost 11,000 travel trade visitors
·         Ski Dubai in Mall of the Emirates, the first indoor ski resort in the Middle East, opens.

2006

·         Study from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory determines that Greenland's glaciers are melting twice as fast as previously estimated.

2007

·         Petra is declared as one of the seven wonders in that year by Swiss film producer, author and aviator Bernard Werber
·         Nakheel, developers of the Palm Jumeirah, completed the construction of the man-made island.

2008

·         Emaar Hospitality Group Launch The Address Hotels + Resorts brand at ATM
·         Emirates first airline to offer onboard mobile telephone services.
·         Atlantis welcomes its first guests on September 24, 2008. It is the first resort to be built on the man-made island Palm Jumeirah, Dubai.
·         flydubai officially launched operations in March by the Government of Dubai, forming the city's first low-cost airline.
·         Dubai Mall opens on 4 November, 2008 with around 635 retailers, marking the world's largest-ever mall opening in retail history.
·         AirBedAndBreakfast (later changed to Airbnb) bought short-term travel rentals into a web market.

2009

·         Dubai Metro starts its operations on 09-09-2009
·         Yas Island in Abu Dhabi opens, which hosts the Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix


2010

·         The inaugural United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and ATM industry forum takes place.
·         Dubai Airports opens the first phase of Dubai World Central (DWC) for cargo operations on June 27.
·         The Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building, opens in Dubai
·         Ferrari World opens on 4 November, 2010. It is the largest indoor amusement park in the world.


2013

·         ATM celebrates 20 years. 
·         Emirates Airline partner with Qantas Air
·         Dubai wins EXPO 2020, attracting 25 million tourists (70% being international travellers).


2014

·         ATM launches annual theme of Luxury Travel
·         Dubai International overtakes London Heathrow airport as the world's busiest airport.


2016

·         Marriott Hotel acquired Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide.
·         Accor Hotels completes acquisition of FRHI Hotels & Resorts
·         Dubai International Airport ranked No.1 as "World's busiest airport" in the world for international travel.


2017

·         Visitor numbers hit almost 39,000 an increase of over 32,000 since 1994
·         Saudi Arabia announces plans to to issue first tourist visas in 2018.


2018

·         Now 25 years old, ATM welcomes over 2,500 exhibiting companies, exhibition stand space over 26,000m2, more than 29,000 visitors and 900 international media. 

·         First time in the history: Saudi Arabia to issue tourist visas to unaccompanied women.