Tourism for a brighter future! Key industry figures to address in-person ATM event

Prominent tourism figures will be participating in-person at the opening session of the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) Global Stage 2021 – ‘Tourism for a brighter future’ which is being held on Sunday 16 May 2021, at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC).

The line-up includes foremost speakers, such as Helal Saeed Al Marri, director general of Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), Dr. Taleb Rifai, former secretary-general of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Scott Livermore, chief economist at Oxford Economics Middle East and Thoyyib Mohamed, managing director of Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC).

Moderated by CNN, the session will examine the critical factors that will deliver a strong, fast-paced and sustainable recovery in travel and tourism and the pivotal role that the sector will play in the UAE’s overall economic growth. Other topics that will be discussed include, knowledge and cultural exchange, technological innovation and international collaboration.

Also high on the agenda is the Gulf-Israeli ties session which will discuss the vast travel and tourism opportunities presented by bilateral agreements between the Gulf and Israel.

The four-day conference will address a broad range of topics, from travel and health, as well as dedicated forums on China, Saudi Arabia and India, plus a dedicated hotel summit, looking at the changing roles of hotels and the changing hospitality landscape.

The Saudi Arabia Tourism Summit will discuss the Vision 2030 strategy’s positive repercussions, the ambitious megaprojects and how the country is setting new global industry benchmarks.

Danielle Curtis, exhibition director in ME at ATM said: “The general theme of this year’s show is ‘A new dawn for travel and tourism’ and the opening session will get the show, off to a positive, practical and optimistic start. Running in parallel with the Global Stage is the four-day Travel Forward Theatre at ATM, which through world-class technology experts and renowned industry figures, will provide industry-leading insights about the latest technologies and trends that will undoubtedly shape the future of travel and tourism.”

Also, for the first time, a new hybrid format will mean a virtual ATM running a week later to complement and reach a wider audience than ever before. ATM Virtual, which made its debut earlier this year after ATM 2020 was postponed, proved to be a resounding success attracting 12,000 online attendees from 140 countries.