This year’s Arabian Travel Market (ATM) will be the biggest in the event’s history with hotels comprising 20% of the total show area at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC).
Taking place at Dubai World Trade Centre from April 22-25, ATM 2018 will feature 68 main hotel stand exhibitors, including eight new brands, over an area of more than 5,000 sqm, in addition to over 100 Middle East hotels featured alongside their respective national tourism organisations.
Simon Press, senior exhibition director, ATM said: “Arabian Travel Market continues to be the preferred route to market for many international and regional hospitality brands and the increase in hotel exhibition space in 2018 reflects the hundreds of new property and brand launches we have seen during the last 12 months.
“Over the coming years we will see these new properties prosper as millions more tourists visit the region for the first time. The last 12 months brought unprecedented developments in major markets and the region is poised for further great developments in 2018.”
The largest stands will feature A.A.Al Moosa Enterprises UAE, owners of hotels operated by Hilton, Starwood, Marriott, Taj and Wyndham; Intercontinental Hotel Group; and the Middle East’s newest hotel group, Roda Hotels. They will operate stands covering 185sqm, 120sqm and 100sqm, respectively.
Celebrating its 25th edition in 2018, ATM will also welcome some of the brands that were present at the first show, back in 1994. This includes Abjar Hotels International, Abu Dhabi National Hotels Forte Group, Holiday Inn Hotels & Resorts, Marriott International, Sheraton Hotels & Resorts and Taj Hotels.
As stakeholders in the regional hospitality industry, each brand has contributed to the GCC’s phenomenal rate of growth, which is driven currently by the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Oman.
Data from STR confirms the total pipeline of rooms in the GCC currently stands at 152,551 across 518 properties. The leading contributors are the UAE with 73,981 rooms in the pipeline; Saudi Arabia with 64,015; and Oman with 8,823. In percentage terms the largest increase on existing stock will be seen in Saudi Arabia, which is on track to witness 123.7% growth.
In terms of market growth, research published by Colliers International ahead of ATM indicates the hospitality market in Saudi Arabia will grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 13.5% to 2022, ahead of that of the UAE (10.1%) and Oman (11.8%).
