Arabian Travel Market - Fastest Growing Show in RTE Portfolio

The Arabian Travel Market - the Middle East’s premier travel and tourism exhibition - is now the fastest-growing show in the extensive portfolio of its organizer, Reed Travel Exhibitions (RTE) and the company’s second largest event after the annual World Travel Market.

The news comes as RTE reports that Arabian Travel Market 2004, which will be held at the Dubai World Trade Centre from May 4-7, will be 25% bigger in occupied exhibition space than last year’s event.

“There really has been a spurt of interest in Arabian Travel Market both from within the region and internationally,” said Matt Thompson, Group Exhibitions Director, RTE.

“Growth has come from national pavilions which were absent from the show last year now returning, such as Bulgaria, France, Singapore, Hong Kong, Korea and Greece, from Asian pavilions which are expanding in size, notably Malaysia and India, and from the entry of new-to-market exhibitors such as Dubai’s real estate developer Emaar and the mega tourism project Dubailand.”

Thompson said the high demand for space at Arabian Travel Market 2004 is a key indicator that the travel and tourism sector, badly hit last year by the conflict in Iraq and the outbreak of SARS, is now successfully rebounding.

“Confidence is definitely back. We are still taking bookings with just five weeks to go before the show,” said Thompson.

ATM 2004 is now set for a record showing with visitor predictions also bullish.

“Visitor pre-registrations are up 31.8% on the same period last year. It is particularly heartening that these pre-registrations come from over 87 countries and that at least half are new visitors to RTE events,” explained Thompson.

Meanwhile, RTE says the ATM’s hosted buyer programme will this year include some of the world’s top MICE buyers representing major multi-nationals and meeting planners.

“The programme will see us host 50 international MICE buyers and 20 regional buyers,” said Thompson.

To date, exhibitors from 55 countries have signed on for ATM 2004. The show is expected to benefit from the staging just prior to the event of the 4th Global Travel & Tourism Summit in Doha from May 1 to 3 organized by the World Travel & Tourism Council.