Arabian Travel Market

Arabian Travel Market is the market leading, international travel and tourism event unlocking business potential within the Middle East for inbound and outbound tourism professionals. Tourism destinations from around the world showcase a diverse range of accommodation options, breath taking tourism attractions, travel technology and key airline routes.

Arabian Travel Market (ATM), is the leading global event for the Middle East inbound and outbound travel industry for the last 25 years. The event generates more than $2.5 billion of travel industry deals. The annual business-to-business (B2B) exhibition showcases over 2,800 products and destinations from around the world to over 26,000 buyers and travel trade visitors across four days at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre (DICEC). More than 40,000 travel professionals, government ministers and international press, visit ATM every April to network, negotiate and discover the latest industry opinion and trends at Arabian Travel Market.

For many years, WTM London has organised World Responsible Tourism Day, with the support of the United Nations World Tourism Organization, the world's largest industry event focused on efforts to make the industry more responsible and sustainable. Each year leading figures from the industry, along with representatives of civil society and key organisations, gather to discuss the key issues facing the sustainable development of tourism. Many of these issues are directly reflected in the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, which was the focus of a key panel discussion at the 2016 event.

The World Travel Market Portfolio includes responsible tourism seminars at WTM London, Arabian Travel Market, WTM Latin America and WTM Africa. These seminars are part of the Events Programme for each show.

2017 is the United Nations International Year of Sustainable Development through Tourism and in 2020 the United Arab Emirates will host the Expo 2020. One of the three themes of the Expo is sustainability, looking at ways that we can pursue progress without compromising the fundamental needs of future generations. 2015 saw the launch of the Sustainable Development Goals, three of which explicitly mention tourism. Three panellists will explore what the idea of sustainability means for tourism and tourism businesses at Arabian Travel Market.

Tourism is also mentioned specifically in three of the SDGs:

SDG 8 - Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all - states that "By 2030, devise and implement policies to promote sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products."

SDG 12 - Ensure sustainable Consumption and Production patterns - calls for the world to "Develop and implement tools to monitor sustainable development impacts for sustainable tourism which creates jobs, promotes local culture and products.";

SDG 14 - Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development - says there is an essential role for tourism, to "by 2030 increase the economic benefits of SIDS and LCDs from the sustainable use of marine resources, including through sustainable management of fisheries, aquaculture and tourism".

In addition to these goals, tourism is able to support every other SDG - from action on climate change to improving gender equality and protecting biodiversity - and this year, marking the fact that 2017 is also the UN International Year for Sustainable Tourism for Development, World Travel Market's responsible tourism programme will have dedicated panel sessions dedicated to examining what the industry can do to meet its commitments across a range of the goals.

Arabian Travel Market (ATM) forms part of the Reed Travel Exhibitions WTM Portfolio along with:

* World Travel Market London

* World Travel Market Latin America

* World Travel Market Africa

* World Travel Market Connect Asia

* International Golf Travel Market