Chinese Tourism Boom Ignites Double Exhibitor Surge at Arabian Travel Market 2024!
Arabian Travel Market 2024, slated to unfold at the Dubai World Trade Centre from May 6th to May 9th, is ready to witness an increase in Chinese exhibitors and travel professionals, doubling in number compared to its 2019 iteration.
The surge in Chinese participation follows the lifting of covid-related travel restrictions by China on January 8th, 2023, granting Chinese tourists the freedom to travel abroad without the need for quarantine upon their return. This liberation meant an uptick in bookings for overseas travel during the Chinese New Year period, soaring by a 540 percent compared to the corresponding period in 2022, according to data sourced from the Chinese travel platform, Trip.com.
Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director ME at Arabian Travel Market, remarked on the resurgence, stating, “Last year, some analysts projected a recovery in the Chinese outbound market to around six million per month by the summer of 2023, fuelled by pent-up demand, particularly from affluent young Chinese travellers."
Curtis continued, “However, the rebound fell short of expectations. Now, analysts are optimistic that Chinese visitor numbers could double year-on-year in 2024, with leading destinations in the Middle East showing quicker recovery rates compared to other international destinations, particularly in the luxury travel segment."
The buoyant sentiment finds reinforcement in spending data for the 2024 Chinese New Year, with Chinese payment platform Alipay reporting a 7 percent increase in overseas transactions compared to 2019 figures.
Popular destinations in the Middle East for Chinese tourists include Dubai, Saudi Arabia's AlUla, Egypt, and Jordan. Dubai alone welcomed over one million Chinese visitors in 2019.
Chinese participation at ATM 2024 is ready to more than double compared to ATM 2019, with new exhibitors ranging from private sector companies such as Heytrip International, Jiangsu Intelligence Equipment Co, Flightroutes24 Travel Company Ltd, Feeyo Technology, to representation from destination entities like the Macao Government Tourism Office, China Cultural Centre in the UAE, and the Hong Kong Tourism Board.
ATM is gearing up to host a conference session on this burgeoning market at its Global Stage, titled ‘Capitalising on China's Predicted Tourism Surge’, in collaboration with Huawei. Set for Monday, May 6th, from 15:10 to 15:50, the session will delve into trends, cultural preferences, and the important role of mobile marketing and tourism predictions in the Chinese tourism landscape.
Aligned with this year’s overarching theme, ‘Empowering Innovation: Transforming Travel Through Entrepreneurship’, ATM 2024 will spotlight entrepreneurship-focused sessions alongside segments for other key source markets such as India and the Americas. The event will showcase a range of features revolving around innovation, with informative content disseminated across the Global Stage and the newly introduced Future Stage, featuring industry luminaries and thought leaders.
