Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA), Chairman of Dubai Airports, and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group, inaugurated Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2024, the leading global travel and tourism event held at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) from May 6th to 9th. The record-breaking edition featured 2,300 exhibitors from 165 countries, with around 41,000 visitors attending the event.
This year’s edition of ATM was the largest to date. Having launched in 1994 with 300 exhibitors and 7,000 trade visitors, ATM has now established itself as a globally renowned event integrating all travel sectors and verticals, from MICE and corporate travel to leisure and luxury hospitality. Exhibitor participation increased by 26% this year, with growth recorded across all event verticals.
During the opening, Sheikh Ahmed said that the massive interest generated amongst ATM 2024 attendees reaffirms Dubai’s standing as a major destination for tourism and travel in the region, highlighting its role in shaping the future of the industry by bringing together leaders of allied sectors from around the world.
Sheikh Ahmed later toured various pavilions at the exhibition. He was accompanied by Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy; Hilal Saeed Al Marri, Director General of the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism; Danielle Curtis, Director of the Arabian Travel Market in the Middle East; and several top officials and leaders representing the travel and tourism industry at the regional and global levels.
ATM 2024 focused on the theme ‘Empowering Innovation: Transforming Travel Through Entrepreneurship’, spotlighting visionary entrepreneurs in aviation, hotels, hospitality, and public attractions, and underscoring their transformative role in the future of the sector.
The four-day conference agenda featured 200 speakers across more than 50 sessions on two main stages: the Global Stage and the new Future Stage. The Global Stage hosted daily summits exploring entrepreneurship, developing markets, sustainability, and luxury, while the Future Stage was home to all innovation-related content, covering topics such as AI, NextGen destinations, travel technology, and future trend forecasts.
The opening day of ATM 2024 featured 12 sessions across the Global and Future stages. Highlights of the day included the Global Stage Welcome: The Gateway to Global Insights keynote speech from Issam Abdulrahim Kazim, Chief Executive Officer, Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing; and the Ministerial Debate: Streamlining Tourism within the GCC. The Market Insights Summit also marked four days of focused deliberations at ATM, with entrepreneurship, luxury, and sustainability rounding out ATM’s summit programme.
On Day Two, the most impactful trends in travel technology were discussed at the Beyond the Hype: Demystifying 2024 Travel Tech Trends session on the Future Stage. The Global Stage, in the meantime, gathered aviation experts from IATA, Riyadh Air, AviationXLab, and Cirium and explored How Technology is Disrupting Aviation, followed by a session on Navigating the Future of Air Travel with Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports.
Travel Tech, the travel technology exhibition at ATM, continued until May 7, showcasing the innovative technologies driving the travel and hospitality sector. The Entrepreneurship Summit on May 7 delved into the topic of Nurturing Travel and Tourism Entrepreneurship to Drive Economic Growth and explored how Global Disruptions are Catalysts for Innovation.
ATM 2024 was part of Arabian Travel Week, a ten-day-long festival of travel and tourism events that took place in Dubai. In addition to ATM, other events that were part of Arabian Travel Week were the ATM Start-up Competition, ATM Travel Tech, GBTA Business Travel Forums, and Buyer Networking.
ATM 2024 was held in conjunction with Dubai World Trade Centre, and its strategic partners include Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) as the Destination Partner, Emirates as the Official Airline Partner, IHG Hotels & Resorts as the Official Hotel Partner, and Al Rais Travel as the Official DMC Partner.
