Arabian Travel Market opens

Dubai / WAM

His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation, officially inaugurated Arabian Travel Market (ATM 2019) on Sunday, marking the start of the 26th edition of the Middle East’s largest travel and tourism exhibition.
Sheikh Ahmed was joined by Helal Saeed Al Marri, CEO of Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), and Director-General of Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), and other dignitaries who embarked on a tour of the show floor as the four-day event got underway at DWTC.
Taking place from April 28 to May 1, this year’s event has 400 main stand holders with representation from over 150 countries. With more than 40,000 visitors expected to attend, ATM 2019 will showcase over 2,500 exhibiting companies – of these 100 will be making their show debut.
The 26th edition of ATM will form part of the inaugural Arabian Travel Week, as well as ILTM Arabia, CONNECT Middle East, India and Africa – a new route development forum launching this year and new consumer-led event ATM Holiday Shopper which kicked off proceedings on Saturday.
Other highlights will include the debuts of the Arabia China Tourism Forum and the Hotel Industry Summit, as well as the return of the Global Halal Tourism Summit.
As this year’s main theme, cutting-edge technology and innovation will be integrated across all show verticals and planned activities.

Emirates receives royal visit at ATM 2019
Emirates, the Official Airline of the 2019 Arabian Travel Market, welcomed His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation and President of the UAE National Olympic Committee to its stand on the first day of the travel and tourism trade event.
His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, was officially welcomed by Sheikh Majid Al Mualla, Divisional Senior Vice President Commercial Operations, Centre for Emirates Airline, who gave a tour of Emirates’ game-changing, fully enclosed First Class Private Suites.

The suites feature floor-to-ceiling sliding doors, 40 square feet of personal space and ultra-modern design features inspired by Mercedes-Benz. His Highness also toured the Business Class seat on Emirates’ Boeing 777-300ER, which is inspired by the interior of a modern sports car, featuring an ergonomically designed headrest, touchscreen controls, lighting options, and other features.

Taiwan makes debut at ATM
Dubai / Emirates Business

Leading by Taiwan Tourism Bureau, Taiwan Tourism delegation, composed of suppliers from tourism industry and cultural performance groups, marched towards the ATM.
During ATM, aside from the one-on-one business meetings with the buyers from local tourism industries, the Taiwan Tourism Bureau made a prominent announcement of its strategic partnership with Emirates Airline to help promote tourism to Taiwan from the Middle East. The partnership focuses on a series of promotional activities highlighting Taiwan’s culture, scenic beauty, festivals and shopping markets making it a spectacular tourist destination. The campaign targets to reach 12 million people and will be incorporated in Arabic and English language.

With the aim of shaping Taiwan’s image into one of the “Focus Destinations,” creative marketing campaign through multiple media channels such as print, digital and radio will run till 6 May 2019.
Speaking on participating in ATM and partnering with Emirates Airline, Dr. Trust Lin, Director – Taiwan Tourism Bureau said, “Given that Dubai is the most populous city of the United Arab Emirates as well as the economic and financial center in the Middle East, besides the incredible spending power of its top-tier customers, the city is undoubtedly the best starting point to popularize Taiwan’s tourism in the Middle East. We are excited to partner with Emirates Airline. Through these campaigns we aim at building awareness about Taiwan as Asia’s best kept secret.”
Taiwan has built a strong reputation as a major tourism hub, recognized for its quality infrastructure, safety, stability and connectedness. Fast becoming a preferred halal-friendly destination, Taiwan has noticed a hike in tourism from the GGC countries, and United Arab Emirates in specific. The tourism industry in Taiwan and the government have committed to creating a friendly environment for Muslims for years. According to Mastercard-Crescent Rating Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI) 2019, Taiwan is ranked amongst the top 3 non-Islamic travel destinations.
Highlighted by picturesque sky lanterns, magnificent landscape, and spectacular city night scenes, Taiwan Pavilion aims to attract travelers who love nightlife, shopping and green ecology. The Pavilion will boost diverse cultural activities for visitors to experience Taiwan, such as oil-paper umbrella and Taiwan old tile badge painting, calligraphy writing, tea tasting, etc. Imbued with a rich ambience of “Taiwan” flavor, Taiwan Pavilion is expected to maximize its influence on attracting more buyers from local tourism industry and travelers to visit and experience the Heart of Asia, Taiwan. Taiwan Pavilion is located at Booth No. AS1860 at the Dubai International Exhibition and Convention Centre, Dubai World Trade Centre, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, UAE