With just about a month to go before the Arabian Travel Market opens in Dubai, all eyes remain fixed on India as the country’s outbound tourism sector seems to be the panacea that destinations overseas need to recover from the impact of Covid-19.

A recent report by GlobalData, a data aggregator, predicts that India’s outbound trips will hit 29 million by 2025. It goes on to say that India remained the biggest source market for Dubai in 2021, with 910,000 visitors. Meanwhile, travel agent Thomas Cook says that flight queries for the UAE and Egypt have risen by 30 pc in India.

As Indian flight queries for the UAE and Egypt witness a significant uptick, and the country retains its position as Dubai’s biggest source market, India’s tourism sector will be a key focus for delegates, exhibitors and attendees at the Arabian Travel Market that starts on May 9 in Dubai.

Predictions for the outbound travel sector from India are extremely healthy and exciting for the global tourism industry. GlobalData says that India’s travel industry is projected to account for 29 million outbound trips per year by 2025 and another research firm, ResearchandMarkets.com, says that India’s outbound tourism market will surpass USD 42 billion by the end of 2024. In this context, ATM 2022 will offer a timely opportunity to explore the vast potential offered by the country’s travel, tourism and hospitality sector, says a press communique by issued by ATM.

Data from Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) shows that the country ranked top of the emirate’s source market list for 2021, accounting for 910,000 inbound visitors, and short-haul flight queries for destinations including Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Egypt have witnessed a 30 pc uptick among Indian tourists, according to Thomas Cook (India), the country’s largest travel firm.

“The global pandemic had a major impact on India’s travel sector but, as our industry’s global post-pandemic recovery continues to gather pace, Indian tourists appear eager to return to their favourite Middle Eastern destinations. We are excited to explore the vast potential of this vital source market as part of our dedicated buyer forum at ATM 2022,” says Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director ME of ATM.

The number of inbound tourists travelling from India to the UAE has witnessed a 50 pc increase of late, with VFS Global processing 40,000 travel visas since Dubai reopened its borders following the pandemic. With a buyer forum dedicated exclusively to India, attendees, exhibitors and delegates at ATM 2022 will have ample opportunity to take a deep dive into the country’s tourism, travel and hospitality industry, examining current and future trends, and exploring the ways in which destinations across the Middle East can capitalise on this important source market.

ATM 2022 will host a range of high-profile exhibitors from India, including India Tourism, the Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board, ITC Hotels, Le Passage to India Tours and Travels, Vervotech Solutions, Qtech Software, TI Infotech, and WebEngage/Webklipper Technologies amongst others.

“With the reopening of the Indian skies, flights to and from India now reach 3,250 flights per week by 66 airlines. Emirates alone is now back to pre-pandemic frequencies, operating 170 weekly flights to nine cities, which underscores the importance of the Indian market for the region. ATM 2022 offers the ideal forum in which to explore synergies between the GCC and Indian tourism sectors, and to identify opportunities to grow inbound travel in the future,” adds Curtis.