Good Vibes For Travel And Tourism As The Arabian Travel Market Wraps Up In Dubai

With record-breaking numbers and strong vibes for the future of travel and tourism the 29^th staging of the Arabian Travel Market wrapped up at the World Trade Centre in Dubai overnight.  The show had more than 23,000 visitors and 1500 exhibitors and according to the Exhibition Director, Danielle Curtis, a former Queenslander the show was an outstanding success. “In addition to doubling our visitor numbers year on year, we hosted participants from 150 countries,” she said. “These figures are especially impressive given that lockdowns are still taking place in China and other destinations. What’s more, the development of the travel and tourism sector throughout the Middle East region shows no signs of abating, with GCC hotel construction contract awards set to rise by 16 percent this year alone.”
The future of international travel and tourism came under the spotlight on the Global Stage. During the session ‘Airlines evolving for the future, hosted by John Strickland, Director, JLS Consulting, Adel Abdullah Al Ali, Board Member and Group Chief Executive Officer, Air Arabia and Tony Douglas, Group Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Aviation Group, shared insights from the COVID pandemic and the strategies they are adopting as the world emerges from the unprecedented challenges of recent years.
MEANWHILE, The Saudi stand, is judged as the best stand. stood out for its futuristic and eye-catching design and was crowned the winner of Best Stand Design and the People’s Choice Award at the popular Best Stand Awards. Using vivid colours and futuristic design elements, the three-level stand featured a mesmerising and immersive staircase.
The coveted award for Best Stand for Doing Business was awarded to Jumeirah International for its inviting and aesthetically brilliant design that incorporated a busy and stimulating environment for networking and business. Runner ups in this category included Turkish Airlines, Ras Al Khaimah and Al Mousa for their creative use of technology and installations. 
Judges selected the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi stand for Best Stand Feature for its ability to pull in the crowds from the exhibition floor, while the Dubai Tourism, Saudi Tourism Authority and Emaar Hospitality Group stands were all highly commended in this category.
The Best New Stand category win was awarded to Ishraq Hospitality, which was making its debut at the show, for the wooden design reminiscent of the desert landscape.
The final award was the Best Stand within the ATM Travel Tech, which shines a light on the importance of technology to the industry and rewards exhibitors with a tech focus. TBS/Vbooking’s innovative design impressed the judges with its immersive metaverse experience.
ATM 2022 Stand Award Winners
People’s Choice Award – SAUDIA
Best Stand Design – SAUDIA
Best Stand Feature – Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi
Best Stand for Doing Business – Jumeirah International
Best New Stand – Ishraq Hospitality
For general information on this year’s show, please visit wtm.com/atm/en-gb.html– 
Written by John Savage at ATM