A further three million visitors are expected to come from overseas to the United Arab Emirates during Expo 2020, according to new data released in advance of Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2020.
ATM runs from 19th to 22nd April at Dubai World Trade Centre.
The influx is being driven by arrivals from the UK, Pakistan, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia and India.
Research from Colliers International and ATM is predicting an increase of 770,000 visitors from India between this year and next year, with arrivals from Saudi Arabia set to increase by 240,000.
Around 150,000 additional visitors are expected both from the UK and the Philippines, and 140,000 extra visitors from Pakistan are also expected in the same time period.
Tourism boards from the seven emirates in the UAE will have major exhibits at ATM 2020 to get their share of these growing markets, as will other UAE exhibitors such as Abu Dhabi Airports, Emirates and Emaar Hospitality Group.
Expo 2020 will not only increase the number of overseas visitors to the UAE and showcase the nation as an important international hub, but will also allow it to expand its first-class hospitality offerings, according to ATM exhibition director Danielle Curtis.
Expo 2020 has also given the UAE the opportunity to upgrade transport infrastructure and airports and come up with an extensive range of new entertainment, leisure and retail facilities in addition to diversifying source markets to include new ones.
The Middle East and Africa is still the UAE’s main source market, but this dynamic could change in the future with the Asia Pacific market predicted to become the nation’s biggest source of arrivals.
This market is experiencing a compound annual growth rate of as much as 9.8% and is likely to stay that way for another four years until 2024, being largely driven by the highly populated Indian subcontinent.
The introduction of the new five-year multi-trip UAE tourist visa will not just encourage a greater frequency of travel to and longer stays in the nation, but will also enable new airline routes to increase the UAE’s accessibility to many new markets, Curtis claims.
This will in turn provide a boost to overall spending by tourists and further stimulate the GDP impact of the UAE.
25 million visitors are expected to converge on the UAE for Expo 2020, and the hospitality sector of the country will play a big part in ensuring that the international event is a success.
It will also help to secure a significant number of visitors who will want to travel to the UAE again once the Expo has concluded.
The UAE has a positive outlook for its hospitality sector in the next 12 months, with strong market demand.
Anyone who is intending to travel to the UAE to attend Expo 2020 or for any other reason should ensure that they have taken out travel insurance coverage before they do so.
Comprehensive travel insurance can protect against falling ill while overseas in addition to problems caused by delayed or cancelled flights.
