Israel has confirmed its first-time participation at next year’s Arabian Travel Market (ATM) as it looks to capitalise on tourism potential from the Middle East region and beyond.
“Following the signing of the Israel–United Arab Emirates normalisation agreement, the Israel Ministry of Tourism is planning significant steps to promote Israel as a tourism destination in the UAE. This will include participating for the first time in the Arabian Travel Market with a large booth and a delegation of Israel tourism industry representatives, as well as attending high-level conference sessions,” confirmed Ksenia Kobiakov, Director of New Markets Development Department, Israel Ministry of Tourism.
Dubai Government’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) is also looking to capitalise on opportunities to attract Israeli travellers. Its research reveals that in 2019, 8.6 million international trips were made by Israelis, representing a 9% CAGR over the past five years.
The prospective length of stay by 2022 is forecast to be 11.5 nights indicating a willingness to embark on longer trips, with business and leisure visitors comprising 53% of the outbound market.
ATM’s Exhibition Director for the Middle East, Danielle Curtis, said interest in attending the show from the Israeli Ministry of Tourism, as well as other travel professionals based in Israel and international operators specialising in tours to Israel, had been “extraordinary”.
“However, it is not just about direct travel between Israel and UAE and Bahrain,” she said. “Due to the burgeoning international flight network between El Al, Emirates, flydubai, Etihad and Gulf Air, there will be massive potential for two-centre holidays or stopovers.”
ATM 2021 will take place live at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) from May 16 to 19, with a virtual ATM running a week later to reach an even wider audience.
Now in its 27th year and working in collaboration with DWTC and the DTCM, the theme of the 2021 show is ‘A new dawn for travel and tourism’.
