The Ministry of Tourism (MoT), Government of India plans to highlight Incredible India’s Wellness Tourism offerings at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2011 in Dubai. The India pavilion at ATM will showcase the theme, ‘Wellness Tourism’ apart from other products in segments like wildlife, adventure, culture, fairs and festivals etc, a reliable source from India Tourism office in Dubai informed TravelBiz Monitor. 

ATM will be held from May 2-5, 2011 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Center; the event has witnessed five per cent increase in number of exhibitors over last year. This increase is specially fueled by countries like Syria, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Qatar who have increased the amount of space booked by them this year by 11.8 per cent, 7.5 per cent, 3.8 per cent and 3.6 per cent respectively. Keeping these numbers in mind, the growth of ATM 2011 is foreseen to be at least eight per cent by the opening day of the show.

According to India Tourism office in Dubai, the India Pavilion having 400 sq m space will be inaugurated by Sanjay Verma, Consul General of India. MoT is also expecting 25 private sector players and three state tourism boards to participate under the India pavilion. The private sector participants include hotels, resorts, tour operators and wellness service providers. MoT also intends to organise a presentation on India Tourism and is expecting the attendance of Sanjay Verma and Lokesh Mysore Kapanaiah, Ambassador of India to the United Arab Emirates.

Kerala Tourism will emphasise on promotion of Ayurveda this year at ATM this year. Venu V, Secretary, Tourism and Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala said,“Our key products at ATM will be Ayurveda and Houseboats, the two USPs of Kerala. These are experiences authentic to Kerala and which could draw both native Arabs, as well as the well-heeled expatriates from Europe and America to consider India as an unique and preferred destination.”

According to Suresh Kumar, Deputy Director, Publicity & Marketing, Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala, Kerala Tourism has taken 40 sq m stall space in the India Tourism pavilion and a total of eight participants comprising of tour operators, hotels and resorts are attending ATM along with Kerala Tourism. “The idea is to promote Kerala in the Middle East market. Typically we promote Ayurveda in this region and find lot of potential clients for this segment here,” stated Kumar. Likewise Karnataka Tourism is also gearing up to promote Medical Tourism opportunities in the state at ATM this year apart from the luxury train, Golden Chariot informed Vishwanatha Reddy, Director Tourism, Karnataka.

ATM 2011 will feature an additional fourth business day unlike its previous editions. According to Mark Walsh, Group Exhibition Director, Reed Travel Exhibitions, “We’ve decided to change the format of the show after a survey revealed that the majority of participants wanted more time to explore business opportunities, while also retaining a consumer element. The new format accommodates that request. As a result, ATM 2011 will run from Monday to Thursday (May 2-5), followed by a dedicated consumer session on the last day between 3 pm and 9 pm.”

The expo is all set to cover topics within the luxury travel sector, the cruise industry, aviation, Middle East tourism trends, online marketing, technology, medical tourism, new hotel concepts and for the first time, the World Travel Market Vision’s conference discussing green initiatives within the industry. The exhibition will include ATM’s special additions like Consumer Day, Travel Agents Day, and Careers Day. Each of these will give exhibitors a chance to present their destinations directly to consumers, travel agents and prospective employees.