Buyers and senior travel industry decision makers with direct purchasing responsibility, have always been an integral element of Arabian Travel Market. They have always been a fundamental part of the industry and this year, they will be more important than ever.
In previous years, 85% of buyers found new suppliers, while over a third placed orders during the event spending between $10,000 and $1million and a further 8 in 10 expected to confirm business deals after the event of the same value.
ATM 2021, the first in-person travel event since the pandemic started, provides a unique opportunity and platform for direct personal contact which has proven critical for building confidence and closing a sale in the travel trade industry. This is the opportunity that the industry has been waiting for to build connections and reunite on a more personal level. The first steps towards recovery are always the most crucial and this is where the buyer comes in.
“Buyers are key to the travel and tourism recovery. They can really shape the choice of their customers, their expectations and influence trends among destinations, especially at present. They are very well positioned to really influence the first stage of travel as the world starts to reopen and they are eager to get back to business,” said Danielle Curtis, ATM Exhibitions Director.
The people of the travel trade industry and travellers alike rely on the buyers to have the most up to date market trends and latest advice of a list of safe destinations and what they can do there. With so many of the industry and the consumers keen just to get back to normality, anywhere they can travel to is becoming a newfound focus even if it is destination that was never really on their list. So in short the recovery of travel is reliant on the trends that are driven by buyers and new initiatives implemented.
Perspective seems to be changing and because Dubai is associated with luxury, there is a newfound curiosity of what suppliers will be doing in terms of new technology and how to use it to keep travellers safe for the foreseeable future. There is also a lot of interest around Expo Dubai including interest from corporate and MICE buyers.
The travel and tourism industry is ready to get moving again and which better way to begin than attending Arabian Travel Market which will be taking place from Sunday 16th May-Wednesday 19th May 2021. This is a time for senior travel industry decision makers to come together and use their expertise as we all take that first step towards recovery in our beloved industry.
Have you registered yet? ATM is only a few days away so make sure you register now to secure your place at the show.