Organizers of the annual Arabian Travel Market (ATM) have announced that the planned 2020 exhibition and conference will now become a virtual event to be held online June 1-3, 2020 while the next live in-person event will take place May 16-19, 2021 at the Dubai World Trade Center.
Founded 1995 and originally hosted at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Center, ATM provides a forum for professionals, developers, marketers, and others in the tourism industry throughout the Middle East to showcase brands, destinations, and new projects as well as to network and discuss trends in the region’s travel and hospitality sectors.
ATM is managed and produced by Reed Exhibitions, which issued a statement about the decision saying, “it became apparent that the best course of action, and with everyone’s best interests in mind, is to postpone the event to 2021.”
Conference organizers said they had tried to work out a postponement for 2020, but decided against it. A statement issued by ATM itself read, “In light of the changing global situation relating to the COVID-19 virus, we have continued to monitor the impact it is having not just on our industry, but on society in general. Many meetings took place with the Dubai World Trade Centre and we reviewed other options to organize an event in the last quarter. However, after consultation with our key stakeholders and after listening to our Industry, ultimately it became apparent that the best course of action, and with everyone’s best interests in mind, is to postpone the event to 2021.”
ATM has also created a detailed FAQ page with extensive information about the change and follow-on logistics for visitors, exhibitors, and buyers. That special Coronavirus Updates FAQ page can be found here.