YouGov survey says…

46% of Middle East luxury travellers plan to

holiday abroad in 2021

The survey suggests that recipients were planning to take a domestic holiday or staycation during 2021 and more than half (52%) of the respondents confirmed that they would.

Furthermore, 25% of respondents were planning to make a business trip, either domestically or internationally and 4% of respondents had no plans to travel anywhere in 2021.

The latest data analysis produced by YouGov for Reed Exhibitions, the organiser of Arabian Travel Market (ATM), has revealed that 46% of luxury travellers in the Middle East, are planning to travel internationally at some stage during 2021.

YouGov, which defines luxury travellers as those who tend to fly business or first-class and stay in five-star accommodation, also asked luxury travellers in the Middle East about their frequency of travel – 31% of respondents said they planned to travel twice over the next 12 months and 25% confirmed they were planning on making at least one overseas trip.

Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director ME, Arabian Travel Market, which will take place live at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) 16-19 May 2021, said: “Luxury travellers from the Middle East are more likely to travel with their children, compared with those from other regions (40% versus 36%). And when you add that fact to their planned frequency of travel, it makes the Middle East’s outbound luxury travel sector, one of the most sought after globally.”

According to the survey, Middle East luxury travellers are keen on destinations with outstanding natural beauty (34%), beach holidays (34%), conducive climate (29%) and connectivity (28%). The survey also uncovered that luxury travellers in the Middle East are most concerned about health risks of travelling (43%) and safety (35%). However, one in three respondents also said that the actual price and that it represented good value for money was still very important.

“With vaccines being rolled out across the world, travel professionals operating in the luxury segment will welcome the insight this survey has provided, which affords them the opportunity to further develop their marketing strategies for the Middle East region and beyond,” added Curtis.

Luxury is an integral part of ATM and has its own dedicated show, ILTM Arabia, which is co-located with ATM and scheduled to take place between 17th-18th May 2021.

This two-day event provides each exhibitor with up to 40 fifteen-minute meetings with experienced luxury tour operators from across the Middle East.

Luxury exhibitors participating at ATM this year include:

Emaar Hospitality

Nobu Hospitality

Ritz-Carlton

Waldorf Astoria Hotels

Conrad Hotels & Resorts

Wilderness Safaris

One&Only

Dusit Hotels

Shangri-La

Now in its 28th year and working in collaboration with DWTC and Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), the theme of the show next year will be ‘A new dawn for travel and tourism’ and the spotlight will be thrown onto the current state of the industry and more importantly, what the future holds. It will also look at the emerging trends and how innovation can drive the industry forward. ATM 2021 will also play an integral role in Arabian Travel Week and for the first time, a new hybrid format will be in place. This means an additional virtual ATM will be organised to run the following week, which will complement the live event by accommodating visitors who may be unable to travel to Dubai. The inaugural ATM Virtual 2020, attracted 12,000 online attendees from 140 countries, over three days.

Dubai is hosting the first in-person travel & tourism event  ATM Dubai  2021

“Head of Emaar Hospitality Group – Mark Kirby says “ATM has always been an indispensable part of the travel & tourism family, this year even more with the challenges we’ve faced as an industry. I am certain I speak on behalf of my hospitality friends and colleagues, that we’ve managed to come out stronger after a difficult phase last year. We like to believe 2021, is our year as we look forward to stepping outside of our home, Dubai to newer opening locations such as Address Fujairah, Vida Bahrain, Address Istanbul and Rove Marjan Island in Q4 and others in 2022. We are the Official Hotel and Hospitality Partner for Expo 2020. This is definitely a great opportunity to showcase Emaar Hospitality Group’s world class service, amenities and much more. Rove Expo 2020 will be the only on-site hotel when the event commences in October this year.”  Mark Kirby

62 countries represented at the ATM Dubai – including

UAE

Saudi Arabia

Germany

Italy

Greece

Cyprus

Thailand

Indonesia

Egypt

South Korea

The Philippines

Malaysia

Maldives

Israel

Thailand

Mexico

67 conference sessions featuring 145 local, regional and international speakers

Hybrid format for the first time in ATM history

In-person at the DWTC from 16-19 May and virtually from 24-26 May

ATM 2021 will be held at the Dubai World Trade Centre, spread across nine halls. Consistent with the existing density restrictions and social distancing guidelines and regulations, there will be 11,000 people in the halls at any given time.

The event will once again play an integral role in Arabian Travel Week, a 10-day long festival of travel and tourism events taking place in Dubai and online.

In addition to the in-person Arabian Travel Market event, the travel events that are part of Arabian Travel Week are: travel technology exhibition Travel Forward, ARIVAL Dubai for the tours and attractions sector, GBTA’s half day virtual business travel conference, ITIC’s Middle East Tourism Investment Summit, speed networking events for digital influencers and regionally focused buyer groups including China, and of course ATM Virtual, the online edition of the ATM exhibition.

This year, for the first time in ATM history, 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 last year, proved to be a resounding success attracting 12,000 online attendees from 140 countries.

“It is imperative that we include a virtual element, many industry professionals from around the world, may not be able to attend in-person every year, particularly this year with travel restrictions changing rapidly around the globe,” said Curtis.

“Due to Dubai’s commitment to maintaining the highest standards of health and safety and its effective citywide management of the pandemic, it was awarded a ‘Safe Travels’ stamp from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC),” added Curtis.

Dubai is one of the safest cities in the world to visit with a wide range of precautionary measures in place to ensure the safety of tourists at every stage and touchpoint of their travel journey, from arrival to departure. Over 10.6 million doses have already been administered in the UAE, which is also a major achievement.

ATM 2021’s strategic partners include Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) as Destination Partner, Emaar Hospitality Group as Official Hotel Partner, Emirates as Official Airline Partner and The Vision as Official Destination Management Partner.