• Findings of the VIDEC 2023 Indian Traveller Behaviour & Insights Report were presented on the ATM 2024 Global Stage
  • The potential of other developing markets, such as China and Latin America, were also explored on the Future Stage as they emerge as key players in global tourism

Dubai, United Arab Emirates: India is rapidly emerging as a crucial source market for global tourism, driven by significant economic growth, demographic shifts, and infrastructural improvements, as highlighted on the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2024 Future Stage, as the Middle East's leading travel and tourism event returned to the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) for its 31st year.

During the session Unlocking the True Potential of Indian Travellers, Virendra Jain, CEO and Co-Founder of VIDEC, a travel, tourism and hospitality boutique advisory and analytics firm, shared key insights, including market opportunity assessments, channel and distribution analysis, characteristics and behaviours of Indian travellers and projections of Indian outbound travel trends over the next decade.

According to VIDEC's 2023 Indian Traveller Behaviour & Insights Report, over three-quarters of surveyed respondents prioritise travel and tourism for discretionary spending. The report also shows that 59% of Indian travellers prefer short weekend trips, and 79% choose domestic over international destinations. Of the international travellers, 84% were first-time travellers, with Thailand, the UAE and Singapore as the top destinations, chosen for their proximity, climate and cultural appeal.

Showcasing the findings of the report, which Jain co-authored with Deepak Jain, he said: “The primary motivator for these trips is the need for a break from daily life, with 33% of travellers seeking leisure escapes. Furthermore, 69% book flights well in advance, contrasting with last-minute intercity bus bookings. Coupled with India's rising digital proficiency and infrastructural enhancements like the UDAN scheme, these trends are shaping India into a dynamic source market for global tourism, necessitating targeted engagement strategies to capitalise on this growth.”

Following the presentation, an India Market Insights Summit panel session took place on the ATM 2024 Global Stage featuring prominent speakers, including Ross Veitch, CEO & Co-Founder of Wego; Raj Rishi Singh, Chief Marketing Officer & Chief Business Officer - Corporate at MakeMyTrip; and Ankur Garg, Chief Commercial Officer at Air India Express. The speakers emphasised the strategic importance of understanding and targeting the Indian travel market with innovative and tailored marketing strategies, focusing on sectors such as air travel, hotels, rail, and intercity buses.

Commenting on the session’s impact, Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director ME, Arabian Travel Market, said: “Today’s discussion on the Indian travel market highlighted the wealth of opportunities and the strategic importance of nuanced marketing approaches that cater to the unique needs of Indian travellers. This session is a cornerstone for fostering deeper understanding and cooperation between Middle East travel professionals and Indian travel enterprises.”

Elsewhere at the ATM 2024 Market Insight Summit, panellists from leading hospitality brands, including LOTUS, Arabian Adventures, NexusCube and Trojena – NEOM, explored new sustainable developments, attractions and entertainment offerings that may open up new opportunities for the Americas.

Held in conjunction with Dubai World Trade Centre, ATM 2024’s strategic partners include the Dubai 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.

ATM 2024 concludes on Thursday, 9 May, at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC).

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

To register your interest in attending ATM 2024, visit https://www.wtm.com/atm/en-gb/enquire.html.

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

Arabian Travel Market (ATM), now in its 31st year, is the leading international travel and tourism event in the Middle East for inbound and outbound tourism professionals. ATM 2023 welcomed over 40,000 attendees and hosted over 30,000 visitors, including more than 2,100 exhibitors and representatives from over 150 countries, across 10 halls at Dubai World Trade Centre. Arabian Travel Market is part of Arabian Travel Week. #ATMDubai

Next in-person event: 6 to 9 May 2024, Dubai World Trade Centre, Dubai.

https://www.wtm.com/atm/en-gb.html

Arabian Travel Week is a festival of events taking place from 6 to 12 May, within and alongside Arabian Travel Market 2024. Providing a renewed focus for the Middle East’s travel and tourism sector, it includes Influencers’ events, GBTA Business Travel Forums, as well as ATM Travel Tech. It also features the ATM Buyer Forums, as well as 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:

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 live event: 6 to 8 November 2023 at ExCel London.

http://london.wtm.com/

WTM Latin America takes place annually in the city of São Paulo and attracts around 20,000 tourism professionals during the three-day event. The event offers qualified content together with networking and business opportunities. In this its ninth edition – there have been eight face-to-face events along with a 100% virtual one, which was held in 2021 – WTM Latin America continued to focus on effective business generation, and achieved the advance booking of six thousand meetings that were held between buyers, travel agents and exhibitors in 2022.

Next event: 15 to 17 April 2024 – Expo Center Norte, SP, Brazil.

http://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: 10 to 12 April 2024 – 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/

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