Sharing Our Travel and Business Experiences at the First in-Person Conference Since Covid Outbreak – Arabian Travel Market 2021 | Dubai 

Representing the end of the tunnel of everything that the world’s travel industry is hoping for at the moment. 

The Middle East’s Greatest Travel and Tourism showcase, Arab Travel Market 2021, hosted the World’s First In-person International Travel Market since the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, with the highly expected ATM Virtual Event. 

Once again, one of the world’s major tourism hotspots disappointed no one by hosting the outstanding representation from 62 countries. 

Held under the flag motto – “A new dawn for travel and tourism”, the ATM 2021 extravagant exhibition focused on the current state of the shaken industry. With a special focus on the progress of vaccinations, and future trends of travel. 

Government officials, company executives, and travel industry-leading voices debated how the pandemic has changed the industry and the way people fly. As well as how major shake-up looms affect every aspect of travel after some of the international movement restrictions are removed. 

Until every restriction is lifted, one question arises before all others – how capable are we to endure COVID-19 flight regulations?

COVID Takes Its Toll, Even in the Skies

Covid insurance, digital health passports, fewer routes, cabin reconfigurations, higher fares, and pre-departure PCR tests are among some of the pandemic-induced changes ushering in a new era of travel.

Air travel is recovering only sporadically. Vaccine campaigns progress at an uneven pace around the world and governments tighten border rules to curb virus flare-ups.

Despite the diversity of international flight regulations and restrictions, the country hosted 14.8 million guests who flew to the UAE from all around the world. A great number of visitors had to endure very distant flight distances, without a chance to remove the mask during the entire flight. 

And that was far from the only inconvenience created by the flight restrictions that most of the visitors had to experience for the first time. 

The safety regulations and the way organizers coordinated COVID-19 prevention during the event were simply at the prime level, however, despite the world’s travel industry finally feeling once again at one place, no one left without a small bit of bitter covid regulations in their mouth.

But it was all worth it. All for the opportunity to once again experience the “real thing”, to attend the international gathering where once again it’s easy to establish connections in person, and foresee the way the travel industry will develop and create unprecedented opportunities. 

With a great hope that no one returning from another ATM will ever have to feel the nasty irritation that masks leave behind ears after long flights to Dubai, the notion that flew through of all days of the event is that the ATM 21′ represented the true values of conducting international markets with a special mark on the fact that once again business is conducted face to face. The way it’s supposed to be done. 

Despite the Pandemic and Many Safety Regulations, Most Were More Than Satisfied With the Visit

ATM featured 67 conference sessions with over 145 local, regional and international speakers. The event included a hotel industry summit, dedicated buyer forums for Saudi Arabia and China, and International Tourism & Investment Conference (ITIC), as well as an aviation panel, and a special session on Gulf-Israeli ties.

Walking among the leading voices of tourism and hearing everything that they had to present, was once of a lifetime opportunity for many upcoming travel business enthusiasts that didn’t hesitate from grabbing a chance to better aim at their goals and views after the pandemic settles down.

Dubai’s most significant travel gathering for this year was held at the Dubai World Trade Centre across nine halls. Consistent with the existing density restrictions and social distancing guidelines and regulations, there were whooping 11,000 people in the halls at any time.

During the three-day showcase, those unable to attend the in-person event this year will have the opportunity to view the sessions recorded from the in-person event, as well as take part in a series of webinars, live conference sessions, roundtables, and speed networking events, target meetings as well as establishing new connections in one-on-one conversations. 

Farewell Online Conferences | In-Person Way of Doing Business Is a Way-to-Go

Nothing can surpass the way ATM 21 hosted this grand international event. The virtual event was long-anticipated and perfectly organized, but no online conference call can beat the opportunity and the feeling of discussing and managing the business in person. 

That is precisely what this market once again presented to the world, creating an enormous wave of optimism about the future of travel and the way we travel the skies. For the first time, a new hybrid format meant that a virtual ATM running a week later will complement and reach a wider audience than ever before who sadly couldn’t attend for one reason or the other. 

Also, for the first time since the global pandemic, the world’s leading international travel market hosted the first in-person event, and no one left the magnificent Dubai without needing to shout out this one in the air – Goodbye. Zoom. Conferences.