Following its very successful inaugural exhibition at ATM 2018, UKinbound has returned to the show for a second year and is hosting over 20 UK tourism businesses and organisations which include luxury hotels and transport partners, premium attractions and Destination Marketing Organisations.
Throughout the three-day exhibition, exhibitors will be showcasing their diverse UK product to buyers, allowing them to build relationships and generate new business leads.
UKinbound CEO Joss Croft said, “The Middle East, Africa and India present an array of exciting business opportunities for our members, and therefore it was strategically important that UKinbound returned to ATM this year.
“Once the UK has left the European Union, it will be more important than ever to attract international visitors and business opportunities from across the globe. In 2017, the UK saw over 2.1 million visits from the Middle East, African and Indian markets which contributed £3.72 billion to the UK economy (source: VisitBritain). Our presence at ATM will give our members the opportunity to tap into this growing market.
“The UK is packed full of amazing year-round experiences and we want to ensure people continue visiting in 2019 and beyond. We’re therefore continuing to lobby the British Government on issues such as visas and Air Passenger Duty, which will allow the UK to remain a cost-efficient destination for Middle Eastern, African and Indian visitors.”
Additionally, earlier this month UKinbound released its latest Business Barometer results regarding the performance of the UK market in January /February 2019.
Compiled by Qa Research, 73% of businesses said their bookings/visitor numbers/customer orders were the same or higher than January/ February 2018. Yields were also the same or up for 79% of businesses during the same periods.
Business confidence experienced a small drop, with 53% of businesses stating they are confident about the upcoming 12 months, which is down 6% on November/December 2018. This is still higher than the 40% figure from September/October 2018.
The survey also asked members if it would benefit their businesses if rules were relaxed for international students to stay and work for up to two years in the UK following their graduation. 6 in 10 said it would, suggesting that the tourism industry would support a review of student visas.
UKinbound will be exhibiting at the Arabian Travel Market in the European Hall (stand EU5730) in Dubai from Sunday 28th April to Wednesday 1st May 2019.
