Tag Archives: ATM Dubai

Tourism Malaysia Returns to Woo the Middle Eastern Market at ATM 2022

DUBAI, 10 May 2022 – Tourism Malaysia, the promotion board under the Ministry of Tourism, Arts & Culture Malaysia, is participating once again in the Arabian Travel Market with the country’s tourism trade partners, to promote Malaysia to the Middle Eastern market. Showcasing the latest attractions and destinations for shopping, family fun, eco-adventure, honeymoons, luxury holidays, Malaysia will also underscore its reputation as a safe travel destination.

Malaysia received 397,726 tourists from MENA region in 2019

The prestigious annual event is once again being held at Dubai World Trade Centre, from 9th to 12th May. This year, the Malaysian delegation is led by The Honourable Minister Dato’ Sri Hajah Nancy Shukri, Minister of Tourism, Arts & Culture Malaysia. The Malaysia Pavilion consists of 64 delegates representing 32 organisations, eager to meet key industry buyers from the Middle East.

Malaysia reopened its borders to international tourists on 1st April 2022. Commenting, Dato’ Sri Nancy said, “It was indeed a significant milestone for our tourism industry as we welcome more international visitors, first time and returning visitors alike, to further boost our economy. Now that our borders are fully open again, we are confident that we will witness a strong rebound in tourism numbers, to bolster the recovery of our economy. We estimate two million international tourist arrivals this year generating more than RM8.6 billion (AED7.5 billion) in tourism receipts.”

Pre-pandemic, in 2019, Malaysia received 397,726 tourists from MENA region. Saudi Arabia was Malaysia’s top market, accounting for 121,444 tourists, more than 30% of arrivals, from the West Asia and North African regions, an 8.2% increase over the previous year.

Saudi Arabia top MENA regional market with 121,444 tourists in 2019

The Malaysian delegation is comprised of hotels and resorts, travel agents, tourism product owners, and representatives from state tourism boards. During the four-day event, they will be presenting their respective tourism products and services that cater specifically for the Middle Eastern market.

The mission aims to enhance the commitment to establishing good tourism cooperation, engaging in future collaborations, and cooperation with the travel & tourism industry in the region. “We will continue to place a strong emphasis and focus on attracting Middle Eastern tourists to Malaysia, so naturally we will be stepping up our promotional efforts here,” said Dato’ Sri Nancy during the launch.

Throughout the event, Dato’ Sri Nancy is scheduled to meet up with senior executives from key Middle Eastern airlines to discuss future collaboration. Later on, today (10th May), Dato’ Sri Nancy will be at the signing of the Memorandum of Collaboration (MOC) between Tourism Malaysia and Emirates, which will take place on the Emirates stand.

Two million international tourist arrivals expected this this year and RM8.6 billion (AED7.5 billion) in tourism receipts expected for 2022

This MOC will benefit the Malaysian economy and strengthen economic ties throughout the tourism industry between Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates. Following that, Dato’ Sri Nancy will be hosting a gala dinner on 11th May to thank the tourism fraternity gathered in Dubai for their support and assistance in promoting Malaysia.

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ameerul.hasan@thechangemakers.news

Russia climbs rankings to become Dubai’s second-largest source market in 2021, with UAE set to remain the country’s preferred GCC destination

Russia has grown to become the second-largest source market for Dubai’s travel and tourism sector in 2021, climbing from eighth place in last year’s rankings. This is according to data released ahead of the next edition of Arabian Travel Market (ATM), which will take place at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) from 9-12 May 2022.

Russian market on course to surpass US$1 billion for UAE within next four years

Commissioned by Reed Exhibitions (RX), the organisers of ATM 2022, the Colliers report concluded that the UAE is also likely to retain its status as the preferred GCC destination for Russian visitors over the longer term, accounting for more than 90% of inbound arrivals in 2026.

In addition to the volume of inbound visitors to the UAE, the average spend of Russian travellers is expected to grow significantly between 2021 and 2026, increasing by $85 to reach approximately $1,280 per person during this period. Consequently, the Russian market is on course to surpass $1 billion for the Emirates within the next four years.

Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director ME – Arabian Travel Market, said: “The latest figures from Colliers demonstrate that visitors from Russia are playing – and will continue to play – an important role for our region’s travel sector, especially when it comes to the UAE.

“The fact that Dubai was among the first destinations to open its borders to Russian travellers without the need to quarantine has no doubt been a significant factor in the sustained levels of visitation, with 296,000 inbound arrivals to the emirate in 2020.

Average length of stay for Russian visitors grew by 74.5% from 2019 to 2020

“Encouragingly, 2021 numbers look set to surpass that figure, with Dubai having welcomed 256,000 visitors from Russia as of the third quarter of the year.”

The Russian market’s average length of stay (ALoS) saw a year-on-year uptick of 74.5% in Q4 2020, growing to 8.2 nights from the 4.7 nights recorded during the corresponding period of the previous year.

Despite ALoS expected to decline gradually in the future as new regional destinations continue to emerge, Colliers researchers predict that drivers such as Expo 2020 Dubai and spillover demand from FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 will boost inbound arrivals from Russia by 170% in the short term.

“In light of this forecast, the Russian travel and tourism market will be of great interest to ATM 2022 attendees. As such, we will have a dedicated seminar on the Russian market, which will tackle key content on this lucrative market, as well as focusing on attracting leading buyers through our hosted buyer programme,” added Curtis.

With continued growth predicted, Russia will represent a key focus at ATM 2022 with a dedicated Forum

The session is organised by Destination of the World News and focuses on the luxury end of the market.

Now in its 29th year and working in collaboration with the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) and Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) – formerly the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) – ATM show highlights in 2022 will include, among others, destination summits focused on the key source markets of Saudi Arabia, Russia and India.

ameerul.hasan@thechangemakers.news