• Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2025 will highlight various industry trends, from the resurgence in travel to and from Asia to the rise in sports and music tourism
  • This year’s theme, ‘Global Travel: Developing Tomorrow’s Tourism Through Enhanced Connectivity’, will focus on innovation, personalisation and more
  • The international travel community will explore a broad range of industry-related opportunities at Dubai World Trade Centre from 28 April to 1 May 2025

Dubai, United Arab Emirates: Key industry trends – including innovation, connectivity and customisation – will be front and centre at the 32nd edition of Arabian Travel Market (ATM), which will take place at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) from 28 April to 1 May 2025.

Each year, ATM addresses issues reshaping the international travel landscape, and 2025 will be no exception. In line with its theme, ‘Global Travel: Developing Tomorrow’s Tourism Through Enhanced Connectivity’, ATM 2025’s extensive conference programme and exhibition will explore how contemporary shifts in technology and traveller behaviour can both contribute to and benefit from enhanced connectivity.

Commenting on the changing face of global travel, Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director ME, Arabian Travel Market, said: “Connectivity through technology is obviously a key growth area in travel and tourism, but it is also about the seamless flow and interaction of people, goods and ideas, which support businesses worldwide. So, if you are looking to engage with the global trends, cultural shifts and traveller behaviours shaping the future of the tourism sector, there is no better place than ATM.”

One of the trends expected to shape the market in 2025 and beyond is so-called nostalgia travel. From remakes of 1990s films to early 2000s music acts on tour, the pull of the past is strong for the Millennial generation. Many of today’s travellers, including those from the UAE, are seeking to reconnect with their youth by recreating special trips or childhood dreams. Some are also looking to connect with their own children by sharing nostalgic experiences in familiar places, providing myriad opportunities for enterprising travel companies.

Sports and music tourism is also experiencing significant growth, with the former expected to be worth $1.33 trillion and the latter forecast to reach $13.8 billion by 2032. Fans are not only travelling more to see their favourite teams and artists but are also increasing their budgets to do so. Regional markets are already capitalising on this trend, with Saudi Arabia welcoming 2.5 million overseas tourists across 80 international sports events in the last four years alone.

Travel to and from the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region is expected to see a resurgence from 2025, with numbers of arrivals there and in the Middle East on track to exceed pre-pandemic levels by the end of next year. This trend is thanks in part to visa-free travel initiatives, digital nomad visas and the influence of popular television shows set in Asian countries, such as The White Lotus and Squid Game. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) predicts that a growing middle class in APAC will be responsible for 50% of global air passenger growth up to 2043. These trends are reflected by 18% year-on-year growth in the size of ATM Asia segment on the show floor.

Cutting-edge technology is always in sharp focus at ATM’s Travel Tech exhibition, which will welcome returning exhibitors such as Amadeus, WEGO and WebBeds in 2025. This year, delegates will explore how advances in artificial intelligence (AI), high-speed Wi-Fi and virtual reality (VR) are converging to create highly personalised, immersive in-flight viewing, entertainment and shopping experiences, enabling airlines and service providers to anticipate customer preferences and needs like never before.

Of course, connectivity is about more than just technology, as demonstrated by the number of travellers choosing to go solo in an effort to shake digital fatigue and foster face-to-face connections. Those travelling alone are not doing so only for leisure purposes, with digital nomadism a rising trend since the COVID-19 pandemic. Data from Squaremouth revealed that 42% of travel insurance customers plan to take a solo trip this year – a trend that will be placed under the microscope at ATM 2025.

Travellers will also continue to focus on sustainable practices and responsible tourism in 2025, areas that were highlighted at ATM 2024 and which will form a key component of the content program. Deloitte’s 2024 Gen Z and Millennial Survey found that 81% of Millennials and 79% of Gen Zs think businesses should do more to enable consumers to make more sustainable purchasing decisions, and interest in sustainable travel is only growing. Indeed, the ecotourism market is expected to increase to $429 billion by 2028.

ATM 2025 will bring together professionals and industry leaders from the leisure, luxury, corporate, and business events (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) travel sectors, providing a platform for networking, knowledge sharing and business opportunities. In addition to the exhibition, international and regional experts will take to ATM’s Global and Future stages throughout the event to deliver an extensive conference programme.

Held in conjunction with Dubai World Trade Centre, ATM 2025’s strategic partners include Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), Destination Partner; Emirates, Official Airline Partner; IHG Hotels & Resorts, Official Hotel Partner; and Al Rais Travel, Official DMC Partner.

The latest ATM news stories are available at https://hub.wtm.com/category/press/atm-press-releases/.

For more information, log on to wtm.com/atm/en-gb.html.

Now in its 32nd year, Arabian Travel Market (ATM) is the leading international travel and tourism event in the Middle East for inbound and outbound tourism professionals. Held annually at the Dubai World Trade Centre, ATM 2024 spanned 12 halls, making it the largest edition to date. The event attracted over 47,000 attendees, more than 35,000 visitors (including 6,000+ high-value buyers) and over 2,550 exhibitors and representatives from over 161 countries. In 2025, ATM will expand to 13 halls, growing across all sectors, and will continue to be a crucial gathering for the global travel and tourism industry. Arabian Travel Market is part of Arabian Travel Week. #ATMDubai

ATM takes place from 28 April to 1 May 2025, at the Dubai World Trade Centre, Dubai.
https://www.wtm.com/atm/en-gb.html

Arabian Travel Week is a week-long festival of events from 28 April to 4 May, alongside Arabian Travel Market 2025. Providing a renewed focus for the Middle East’s travel and tourism sector, it includes Start-Up Competition, Influencers' Event, GBTA Business Travel Forums, and ATM Travel Tech. The event also features ATM Buyer Networking and a series of country forums.

https://www.wtm.com/arabian-travel-week/en-gb.html  

About RX

RX is a global leader in events and exhibitions, leveraging industry expertise, data, and technology to build businesses for individuals, communities, and organisations. With a presence in 25 countries across 42 industry sectors, RX hosts approximately 350 events annually. RX is committed to creating an inclusive work environment for all our people. RX empowers businesses to thrive by leveraging data-driven insights and digital solutions. RX is part of RELX, a global provider of information-based analytics and decision tools for professional and business customers. For more information, visit www.rxglobal.com.

About RELX

RELX is a global provider of information-based analytics and decision tools for professional and business customers. RELX serves customers in more than 180 countries and has offices in about 40 countries. It employs more than 36,000 people over 40% of whom are in North America. The shares of RELX PLC, the parent company, are traded on the London, Amsterdam and New York stock exchanges using the following ticker symbols: London: REL; Amsterdam: REN; New York: RELX. *Note: Current market capitalisation can be found at http://www.relx.com/investors

World Travel Market (WTM) Portfolio comprises leading travel events and online portals across four continents. The events are Arabian Travel Market, WTM London, WTM Latin America and WTM Africa.
WTM London is the world’s most influential travel & tourism event for the global travel community. The show is the ultimate destination for those seeking a macro view of the travel industry and a deeper understanding of the forces shaping it. WTM London is where influential travel leaders, buyers and high-profile travel companies gather to exchange ideas, drive innovation, and accelerate business outcomes.

Next event: 5 to 7 November 2024 at ExCel London

http://london.wtm.com/

WTM Latin America is held annually in São Paulo and attracts more than 29,000 tourism professionals during the three-day event. The event offers a qualified content combined with networking and business opportunities. In its most recent edition, in 2024, WTM Latin America maintained its focus on the effective generation of business and managed to secure the early scheduling of more than six thousand meetings that were held between buyers, travel agents, and exhibitors.  WTM Latin America contents are available in English, Spanish and Portuguese.

Next event: 14 – 16 April 2025, Expo Center Norte, São Paulo, Brasil
latinamerica.wtm.com
WTM Africa launched in 2014 in Cape Town, South Africa. In 2022, WTM Africa facilitated more than 7 thousand unique pre-scheduled appointments, an increase of more than 7% compared to 2019 and welcomed more than 6 thousand visitors (unaudited), the same number as in 2019.

Next event: 9 to 11 April 2025 – Cape Town International Convention Centre, Cape Town http://africa.wtm.com/

About ATW Connect:  Africa Travel Week’s digital arm, is a virtual hub packed to the seams with interesting content, industry news and insights, and the opportunity to hear from experts on a variety of topics in our new monthly webinar series. All with the aim to keep all of us in the travel and tourism industry connected. ATW Connect focuses on inbound and outbound markets for general leisure tourism, luxury travel and the MICE/business travel sector as well as travel technology.

https://atwconnect.com/

WTM Global Hub, is the WTM Portfolio online portal created to connect and support travel industry professionals around the world. The resource hub offers the latest guidance and knowledge to help exhibitors, buyers and others in the travel industry face the challenges of the global coronavirus pandemic. WTM Portfolio is tapping into its global network of experts to create content for the hub. https://hub.wtm.com/