Organisers of the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) show have increased the floor space by 5.8 per cent for the 2014 edition, following increased exhibitor demand.

The show will be held from May 5 to 8 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre, said a statement.

The demand from Middle East exhibitors has increased by 11 per cent, Europe by 7 per cent and travel technology and hotels by 8 per cent and 7 per cent respectively, according to recent statistics said the organiser, Reed Travel Exhibitions.

“That the highest growth in floor space is coming from the Middle East is reflected in the growth being experienced in tourism in the region,” said Mark Walsh, portfolio director, Reed Travel Exhibitions.  

The Gulf is also climbing the ranks of the 2013 World Economic Forum Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index, with the UAE now making the top 30. Qatar and Oman are also improving their ‘appeal’ rating on the 14-strong country list, said the statement.

This is supported by figures from Dubai’s Department of Tourism & Commerce Marketing (DTCM), which forecasts the economic value of the GCC hospitality industry will be $28.3 billion by 2016, through a healthy annual growth rate of 8.1 per cent.

“The UAE is the undoubted tourism leader in the Gulf region, but multi-billion dollar high profile developments and ambitious long term economic diversification plans are also putting neighbouring Qatar, Oman and Saudi Arabia in the spotlight,” said Walsh.

Qatar’s 2022 vision and infrastructure investment agenda, and Saudi Arabia’s focus on domestic tourism are creating new tourism hubs across the kingdom as the region’s hotel pipeline reaches 485 hotels (118,535 rooms), according to the latest STR Global Middle East update.

The UAE currently has 114 hotels under construction and STR Global reports that Oman will see the highest growth, with 4,577 rooms in development, followed by Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Kuwait and Jordan.

A successful Dubai World Expo 2020 bid would also be a major contributor towards tourism growth with up to 25 million visitors (70 per cent from outside the UAE) estimated over a six-month period. This would positively impact GDP by up $23 billion between 2015 and 2020, according to Bank of America Merrill Lynch research.

The show is also set to add a third seminar theatre to the line-up this year, with a new ‘Showcase Theatre’ for short workshops and country destination briefings. - TradeArabia News Service