ME’s biggest-ever travel, tourism show opens
DUBAI — Considered the biggest travel and tourism show organised in the region so far, the 14th edition of the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) officially opened yesterday at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre (DICEC).

Organisers said 2,600 exhibitors from 64 countries were participating in the event this year, which was a 24 per cent increase as compared to 2006.

The event, which will run until May 4, has also attracted 116 new exhibitors from 34 countries.

At an earlier meeting with the local Press, Reed Travel Exhibitions (RTE), organisers of ATM, noted that the outlook for the Middle East region’s travel and tourism industry was upbeat. The region was expected to post further growth, with annual revenues expected to jump by 89 per cent over the next 10 years. This was revealed in a study sponsored by RTE, which covered countries like Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, the UAE, and Yemen.

‘The cycle of recovery is short because we have a strong will power. We emerge stronger after any crisis we face. Investors also see that strength, which gives them the confidence to continue investing in the region,’ Al Ghaith stressed.

Khaleej Times, United Arab Emirates