Visitors during the opening of the Arabian Travel Market 2021 in Dubai on Sunday.

Inayat-ur-Rahman, Gulf Today

“We welcome everyone to Dubai.” This is the open invitation issued by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, as the Arabian Travel Market (ATM 2021) opened on Sunday.

Sheikh Mohammed tweeted, “62 countries participated today in the Arabian Travel Market, an international mega tourism event since the COVID-19 outbreak. Dubai welcomes the world as global tourism begins to recover, representing the light at the end of the tunnel.”

Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group, and chairman of Dubai World, officially inaugurated ATM 2021, marking the start of the 28th edition of the Middle East’s largest travel and tourism exhibition.

Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed at the opening of the Arabian Travel Market 2021 in Dubai on Sunday.

This year’s event has 1,300 exhibitors from 62 countries including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Italy, Germany, Cyprus, Egypt, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea, the Maldives, the Philippines, Thailand, Mexico and the US, underscoring the strength of our reach.

With 2021 ushering in a new dawn for travel and tourism, leading industry figureheads from around the world kicked off the discussion on the ATM Global Stage as they explored factors delivering the sector’s fast-paced recovery.

Meanwhile, Dr Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi, Minister of State for Entrepreneurship and SMEs, accompanied by Major General Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri, Director-General of the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai, visited Ajman Tourism’s pavilion at the ATM, which offered insights into Ajman’s vision 2021 and its programmes and plans to achieve it.

Dr Al Falasi was also briefed on the important tourism activities that the emirate is offering to enhance its position as a tourist destination that attracts visitors and tourists from throughout the world, and the department’s role in shedding light on Ajman's cultural and tourist assets, as well as the unique tourism experiences it provides to its visitors.