The Arabian Travel Market (ATM) exhibition, themed "Driving Innovation: Transforming Travel through Entrepreneurship", opened at the Dubai World Trade Centre from May 6-9, providing a platform for start-ups and innovators to showcase and network, and promoting innovation in the travel industry.
This year's exhibitions was organized by the Bureau of International Exchange and Cooperation of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China and the UAE China Cultural Center, with nearly 100 representatives of cultural and tourism authorities, airlines, and tourism enterprises from nine provinces and municipalities, including Shanghai, Hubei, Zhejiang, etc. This is the first time that Chinese pavilions have made a collective appearance at the Arabian Tourism Exhibition after 2019, and it is expected that the number of Chinese exhibitors and tourism professionals will be Twice as many. According to a study by Oxford Economics, the number of Chinese outbound tourists is expected to double this year compared to 2023, only 22% less than the peak of 155 million in 2019, and outbound spending is expected to exceed $250 billion. The full recovery is expected to be realized by 2025, when the Middle East will be the first region in the world to realize and benefit from the recovery of the Chinese inbound market.
Issam Kazim, CEO of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM), said the recovery of major Middle Eastern destinations is fast, with the number of Chinese tourists hosted in the region expected to double year-on-year, especially in the luxury travel segment. According to Alipay data, Chinese tourists have increased their spending transactions overseas by 7% over 2019, with popular Middle East destinations including Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan, with Dubai receiving more than one million Chinese tourists in 2019 alone.
Led by this year's theme, "Driven by Innovation: Transforming Tourism through Entrepreneurship", the event featured a number of sessions centered on entrepreneurship, as well as specialized discussions on key source markets such as India and the Americas. In addition, a session on "Capitalizing on China's Tourism Boom" was organized in partnership with Huawei to discuss the changing trends in the Chinese tourism market, cultural preferences, and the importance of mobile marketing and travel forecasting. As the number of Chinese outbound travellers continues to grow and their spending levels rise, the Middle East will become a highly sought-after destination, presenting more win-win opportunities for both parties.