The spread of the novel cornavirus across the world has taken a toll on several big events including the Olympics, Wimbledon, Cannes Films Festival and the like. Even the much-awaited Expo 2020, the largest show on earth that was supposed to take place from October 2020, has been pushed to 2021.
Amidst all of this, the Arabian Travel Market (ATM), the massive trade show featuring countries from around the world and bringing the travel industry together had announced that it would postpone the event to June 2020. This had been announced in March. However, in the light of the changing situation, the ATM has now decided to cancel the June meet and push it to 2021.
A statement released by the ATM said, ” 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.”
The new dates have already been announced. Next year’s edition of the ATM will be held at Dubai World Trade Centre from May 16-19, 2021, following Ramadan and Eid Al Fitr celebrations.
The note further added, “Decisions like this are never taken lightly. Discussions took place at the highest level both internally and externally with local and federal government, partners, sponsors, exhibitors, and attendees who all endorsed our evaluation of the current situation and our decision to act once again, without delay. We appreciate that this is disappointing news, however everyone’s health and safety is our top priority. We are fully aware of the important role that ATM plays for industry professionals right across the Middle East region and beyond, and we believe it is our responsibility to deliver a safe and successful event when we are able to do so.”
Interestingly, while the main event has been postponed, ATM announced that to focus on positive business and networking opportunites (despite the pandemic), they would be running an ATM Virtual Event from 1-3 June 2020. This would include webinars, live conference sessions, speed networking events, 1-2-1 meetings, plus a lot more to keep the conversations going and exploring business opportunities online.
In the meantime, we will try to do our utmost to support you all in preparation for the show in 2021.
Once again, we would like to thank each and every one of you for your continued patience and ongoing support and we look forward to welcoming you to Arabian Travel Market in 2021, which we believe will coincide with our industry, well on its way towards full recovery.
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