30% Surge in Indian Participation: Arabian Travel Market 2025 kicked off in Dubai with a sharp rise in international exhibitors and strong Indian presence
The 32nd edition of the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) opened today at Dubai World Trade Centre, attracting over 2,800 exhibitors and more than 55,000 travel professionals from 166 countries. With the theme “Global Travel: Developing Tomorrow’s Tourism Through Enhanced Connectivity,” this year’s event explores how collaboration across borders and industries is reshaping global tourism, reported traveltradejournal.com.
India’s participation sees a remarkable 30% rise, led by major regional tourism boards and airline carriers.
ATM 2025 has seen a notable 30% growth in participation from India, driven by strong representation from regional tourism boards of Goa, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh, along with Air India and Air India Express. This highlights India’s growing influence in global tourism and reflects the sector’s rapid post-pandemic resurgence.
The Middle East accounts for 33% of exhibitors this year, while 67% are international, showcasing ATM’s expanding global relevance.
Asia remains the fastest-growing region, with a 20% increase in exhibitor numbers, featuring destinations such as Japan, Macao, Maldives, Mauritius, South Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines.
Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director – Middle East, Arabian Travel Market, noted the event is “on track to break records in terms of both attendance and exhibitor participation.” To accommodate demand, two additional halls have been added, and the ATM Conference Programme will run across three stages: the Global Stage, Future Stage, and Business Events Stage.
A major addition to this year’s lineup is IBTM@ATM, a dedicated zone for business events, featuring venues, hotels, tourism boards, airlines, and more. The Business Events Stage will host key sessions on event-driven economic growth and cross-market collaboration, with speakers from ICCA, DET, Abu Dhabi’s Culture and Tourism Department, and others.
ATM Travel Tech has also expanded significantly, with a 23% increase in featured technologies. This section introduces a Start-Up and Innovation Zone, including a VR experience and the return of the popular Start-Up Pitch Battle. Cassie Kozyrkov, AI expert and Google’s first Chief Decision Scientist, will deliver a headline session titled “AI Adoption: From Buzzwords to Business Strategy” on the Future Stage.
Visitor registrations reflect ATM’s global pull, with over 52% from international markets. The top five international countries represented are India, Egypt, the UK, Türkiye, and the US. UAE and GCC attendees account for 48% of footfall.
Strategic partners for ATM 2025 include Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) as Destination Partner, Emirates as Official Airline Partner, IHG Hotels & Resorts as Official Hotel Partner, and Al Rais Travel as Official DMC Partner.