22 SEMINAR SCHEDULE
Arabian Travel Market - Global Stage 2017
A packed programme brings together high-profile speakers and industry experts to discuss, debate and anticipate the latest developments, news and trends in travel and tourism across the Middle East and beyond
UNWTO & ATM Ministerial Forum: Tourism’s contribution to sustainable economic
growth and diversification in the MENA region AL MULTAQUA BALLROOM, MONDAY, 24 APRIL, 15.30 - 17.30
Opening session: 15.30-16.00 H.E. Eng. Sultan bin Saeed AlMansoori, Minister of Economy of the United Arab Emirates Mr. Taleb Rifai, Secretary-General, World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Mr. Simon Press, Senior Exhibition Director, Reed Exhibitions.
Panel Debate: 16.00-17.20 MINISTERS/HEADS OF NTAS AND NTOS Shaikh Khaled Bin Humood Al Khalifa, Executive Director for Bahrain Authority for Tourism and Exhibitions H.E. Mr. Mohamed Yehia Rashed, Minister of Tourism of Egypt H.E. Mr. Avedis Guidanian, Minister of Tourism of Lebanon H.E. Mrs. Lina Mazhar Annab, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities of Jordan Mrs. Maitha Saif Majid Al Mahrouqi, Undersecretary for the Ministry of Tourism, Oman H.E. Mrs. Salma Elloumi Rekik, Minister of Tourism and Handicrafts of Tunisia H.E. Mr. Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Chairman of Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority Mr. Haitham Mattar, CEO and Head of Tourism Development Authority, Ras Al-Khaimah Tourism Development Authority, United Arab Emirates
The forum will bring together Ministers of Tourism and industry leaders in the MENA region to consider ways to capitalise on tourism growth in the region while building a sustainable ecosystem.
PRIVATE SECTOR Mr. Vijay Poonoosamy, Vice President, Etihad Airways Mr. Adel Al Redha, Executive Vice President & Chief Operations Officer, Emirates Airline Mr. Eyad Jasim Al Kharafi, Chairman of Traveler´s Guild, Al Kharafi Group, Kuwait Mr. Antonio Peña, Director, JSF T&T School Mr. Abdullah Bin Nasser Al Dawood, CEO, Al Tayyar Group Mr. Ivan Jakovljevic, Travel Industry Director, MENA region, Google Mr. Yousef Wahbah, Partner & Leader, Real Estate & Hospitality, MENA region, Ernst & Young Mr. Antonio Lopez de Avila, UNWTO Advisor on Technology and Innovation Mr. Carl Obst, Director, Institute for the Development of Environmental-Economic Accounting (IDEEA) Mr. Antoine Medawar, Vice President for the MENA Region, AMADEUS
Moderator: Becky Anderson, CNN International
17.20 - 17.30 Conclusions and Closing Remarks by Taleb Rifai, Secretary-General, United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)
MONDAY 24TH APRIL 12:30 - 13:30
EXPO 2020 Dubai: The Legacy The opening session will look at the role Expo 2020 Dubai plays in delivering the UAE government’s long-term vision for economic diversification. High-level government and private-sector stakeholders to discuss how the mega event will leave an enduring legacy for the country and contribute to its goal of becoming a knowledge economy and a lead- ing global tourism destination. The panel will outline the true impact of expo on the UAE and the wider GCC’s travel, tourism and aviation industries. They will also consider the big picture infrastructure and investments planned for the next 10 to 15 years, from airports to cities-within-cities, that are all part of the UAE’s ambitious masterplan for growth. Moderator: Richard Dean, UAE Broadcast Professional, Dubai Eye 103.8 Speakers: Marjan Faraidooni, Senior Vice President, Legacy Impact & Development, Expo 2020 Dubai; Issam Kazim, CEO, Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism); Anita Mehra, SVP Communications & Reputation, Dubai Airports; Deirdre Wells OBE, CEO, UKinbound
13:50 - 14:50
Capitalising on Experiential Travel: China & India Mega Source Markets As Middle East oil economies recover from a challenging period, tourism is at the core of strategic growth plans for governments across the region. As a result, promotional activi- ties to attract more visitors from two of the biggest potential inbound source markets, China and India, have increased. To capitalise, stakeholders in the tourism and hospitality industries are preparing to cater to these markets, which present challenges and benefits. This session brings together experts in Chinese and Indian travel markets, as well as the hospitality industry, to shed light on how best to build competitive products and maximise the return on investment from these mega source markets. Strategic marketing and hotel asset management are some of the subject areas under the spotlight. Moderator: Stephen Marney, Journalist, Broadcaster, Strategic Communications and Customer Experience Specialist Speakers: Filippo Sona, Director, Head of Hotels MENA Region, Colliers International. Azeez Narain, Associate Vice President-Development, Taj Hotels, Resorts and Palaces; Debrah Dhugga, Managing Director, DUKES COLLECTION
TUESDAY 25TH APRIL 11:00 - 12:00
Business Travel and the Sharing Economy: Pros and Cons How is the new sharing economy trend, led by the likes of Careem and Airbnb, impacting business travel? Are business travellers embracing this trend and if so, what are the pros and cons? Panellists discuss how the sharing economy is disrupting business travel, particularly in the Middle East, and what the future holds. With business and leisure travel becoming increasingly blended into one ‘bleisure’ experience, will the sharing economy become even more popular? How should business travel specialists adapt? Moderator: Karen Osman, Managing Director, Travel Ink Speakers: Bassel Al Nahlaoui – VP Business Development & Government Relations, Careem; Rabih Saab, President and Managing Director, Europe, Africa, and Middle East, Travelport
12:20 - 13:20
Riding the Wave of Cruise Tourism The GCC’s cruise industry is going from strength to strength, with new ships homeporting in the UAE and more cruise lines adding the GCC to their itineraries every year. The region is gearing up for more cruise business by building new ports or terminals and relaxing visa restrictions. Dubai alone is targeting one million cruise tourists by 2020 as the expansion of Mina Rashid gets underway. Our cruise experts discuss the potential to grow the industry in the GCC, as well as taking a look at the best ways to attract more cruise lines, by improving infrastructure, destination experiences and travel industry support. Moderator: Gemma Greenwood, Director, Content Inc Speakers: Hamad Mohammed Bin Mejren, Senior Vice President, Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism); Helen Beck, Vice President, Interna- tional Sales & Marketing, Crystal Cruises; Lakshmi Durai, CEO, Travel Matrix, representative for Celebrity Cruises; Bo Larsen, Senior Vice President Strategic Partnerships, Cruise Lines International Association
13:40 - 14:40
The Future of Luxury Travel What will the future of the luxury travel landscape look like? We ask local and global luxury travel specialists for their predictions on the top trends across guest experience, service, destinations and hotel design. Moderator: Rhea Saran, Editor-in-Chief, Conde Nast Traveller Speakers: James Britchford, VP Sales and Marketing, IHG Linda Celestino, VP Guest Experi- ence, Etihad Airways; Anthony Challinor-Cole, General Manager, Elegant Resorts Middle East
15:00 - 16:00
OTAs: The Future of Travel? The OTA giants are growing rapidly throughout the Middle East. For many hoteliers and other travel businesses, they bring a new route to market, galvanising the sector. But are they driving down profits and making it harder for smaller businesses? Our panel of OTAs and hoteliers offers a snapshot of the current dynamic around OTAs in the Middle East, and attempts to map the future. Moderator: Dan Pearce, Managing Director, TTG Speakers: Paula de Keijzer, Senior Director, Middle East, Africa and Indian Ocean, Expedia; Amer Al Halabi, Regional Manager, HotelsCombined; Sapan Anand - Vice–President Stra- tegic Alliances, Rategain
16:20 - 17:20
The Real Deal: Why Selling Local Experiences Matters Today’s travellers are seeking authentic destination experiences. They want to discover traditional cuisine, stay in real houses, shop in the back streets, immerse themselves in the culture, try off-the-beaten track adventures, take ‘insider’ tours and live like locals. The rise of peer-to-peer booking sites like Airbnb and local experiences portal,
Triip.me, has proven this. Our panellists give tips on how Middle East destinations can adapt to this trend. What steps have destinations taken to sell ‘the real Middle East’? Moderator: Karen Osman, Managing Director, Travel Ink Speakers: Issam Kazim, CEO, Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Market- ing; Saif Saeed Ghobash, Director General, Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority; Andy Levey, Head of Marketing, La Perle by Dragone; Simon Mead, Manager-Operations, Arabian Adventures-Destination Management Company of the Emirates Group
ARABIAN TRAVEL MARKET PARTNERS:
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