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Welcome 07


Setting standards


Continued from page 1


CEO Haitham Mattar said: “Sustain- able tourism growth was identified as the first key pillar of our new tourism strategy for the destination, which we launched last year – ‘Destination 2019’ – and this is what is currently driving our consistent year-on-year growth in visitor arrivals and hotel performance.” The landmark Destination 2019


Tourism Strategy focuses on increas- ing the value and yield of tourism, “rather than driving up visitor numbers alone”, he explained. “It is taking a three-dimensional


approach, targeting three core tour- ism segments – adventure, culture and wellness and luxury tourism – which will promote Ras Al Khaimah’s key USPs and attractions.” Mattar added: “RAKTDA pursues opportunities that will deliver the


UNWTO gathering at ATM


greatest economic benefit, taking into account the historic and current volume of visitors and expenditure, as well as anticipated outbound travel growth internationally.” The authority is targeting one


million visitors by the end of 2018 and 2.9 million by 2025. The importance of the region’s


aviation sector as a key driver of economic prosperity was a hot topic at the forum. In 2016, Middle East carriers


reported the strongest regional annual traffic growth for the fifth year in a row, International Air Trans- port Association (IATA) statistics reveal, consolidating its position as the third-largest market for interna- tional passengers. Capacity growth hit 13.7 percent and this upward trend is forecast to continue in 2017. Speaking at the forum, Etihad


Airways Vice President of Inter- national and Public Affairs, Vijay Poonoosamy stressed how the


aviation industry as a whole was “at the heart” of MENA’s travel and tour- ism industry growth. “It is vital to recognise the value


tourism brings to the region – more than 10.6 million jobs and a US$284.8 billion contribution to GDP,” he said. “Those statistics show there is a


vested interest for everyone involved in the industry to do what it takes to safe- guard the prosperity of the industry. “Everything needs to be done


to develop a roadmap to promote sustainable and inclusive growth and of course, the aviation industry is key to unlocking this.” Other topics debated included


strategies for securing tourism invest- ment, measuring travel and tourism contribution, strengthening partner- ships and policies, and ways of driv- ing innovation to improve industry competitiveness. Antoine Medawar, Vice President


for Amadeus in the MENA region, emphasised the importance of coop- eration between public and private sector stakeholders to ensure students and the labour force are fully equipped to deal with the sector’s “technology- driven future”. “We believe the combination of


education and technology is critical to build a sustainable and competi- tive travel and tourism sector going forward,” said Medawar. “This forum is a unique platform to discuss the policies and initiatives that will equip future sector employees with the skills and knowledge to contribute to continued, sustainable growth.”


Building greatness


Continued from page 1 Describing the expo as a “moment


in history” for the entire region, Marjan Faraidooni, Senior Vice President - legacy development and impact devel- opment, Expo 2020 Dubai, urged all tourism stakeholders to be part of it. Speaking during her address at


yesterday’s opening session on the ATM Global Stage, she added: “Expo 2020 Dubai is not only momentous for Dubai, but the entire MENASA region; it’s our chance to show the world we can pull off an event this big. “I think we’re going to have a major impact on several industries. Expo is a key moment in the devel- opment of Dubai and the UAE – for tourism, for the development of our knowledge economy and for our pres- ence on the world stage. “It’s going to be an amazing,


unforgettable moment and I would like to invite you all to be part of it.” She was one of the high-profile


speakers at ‘Expo 2020 Dubai: The Legacy’, which discussed the role the mega event, from October 2020 to April 2021, will play in delivering the


UAE government’s long-term vision for economic diversification. Expo’s long-term strategy is intrinsically linked to the goal of UAE Vision 2021, which calls for the UAE to become one of the world’s leading countries by the time it celebrates its Golden Jubilee in 2021. To achieve this, there are two key


objectives – creating a competitive knowledge economy and promoting a sustainable approach to the environ- ment and infrastructure. These goals are being realised


across a multitude of initiatives, from supporting small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and champion- ing sustainability to fostering idea exchange among Emirati youth and creating jobs and career opportuni- ties now and in the future. To ensure visitors return to Dubai


after the event, which is a core facet of the legacy strategy, the destina- tion must provide “excellent customer service and a world-class welcome”, stressed fellow opening session panellist Deirdre Wells OBE, CEO of UKInbound, who was instrumental in executing the tourism legacy strategy for the 2012 London Olympics. Fellow panellist Anita Mehra,


STAY CONNECTED


Make the most of your ATM experience by connecting with us on


Twitter @ATMDubai, as well as on Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube


You can find quick links to all our social media at


www.arabiantravelmarket.wtm.com


Senior Vice President Communica- tions and Reputation, Dubai Airports, echoed calls for robust infrastructure to welcome millions of expo visitors. She said: “Expo should start and


end at the airport. Dubai International (DXB) and Dubai World Central (DWC) should become an extension of the expo venue and entice visitors to attend. Our role should be to educate, explain and excite.” Between now and 2020, Dubai


Airports will focus on adopting technol- ogy-led, customer-centric processes


that set global benchmarks in terms of efficiency and personalisation. It will also provide the passenger


capacity required for Expo 2020 Dubai and beyond. DWC’s passenger terminal build-


ing is currently being expanded to cater to 26 million passengers by the end of this year (2017), but by the mid 2020s its capacity will reach more than 200 million. At the same time, under the DXB Plus initiative, which focuses on streamlining operations through technology, Dubai International’s capacity will hit 118 million by 2023. Dubai must also cater to the rise


in demand for experiential travel – the ATM 2017 theme – said Deirdre Wells, because “people want authentic, qual- ity experiences”. Issam Kazim, CEO, Dubai Tourism


agreed, and said expo was a chance for visitors to explore the “other side of Dubai”. “Not everyone is aware of our


cultural heritage and expo will help us show this to the world – in a big way,” he said.


Marjan Faraidooni 34 32 24


Contents 20


08 News 20 Seminar schedule


24 Changing the face of travel Embracing new technology


28 Reaching new heights Gulf airlines chart a course for the future


32 Rediscovering the region Adventure calls in the Middle East


34 An entertaining proposition The theme park revolution


36 Destination profiles 42 Vox pops


The Arabian Travel Market show dailies are published on behalf of:


Gateway House 28 The Quadrant, Richmond, Surrey TW9 1DN, United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0) 20 8271 2158, Email: arabian.helpline@reedexpo.co.uk Web: www.arabiantravelmarket.wtm.com


Arabian Travel Market is owned and protected by Elsevier Properties SA and used under licence. Reed Travel Exhibitions/Reed Exhibitions is a registered trade mark of Reed Elsevier Group PLC.


Published by:


npimedia PO Box 500573, Office 704, Executive Heights, Barsha Heights, Dubai, UAE Tel: +971 4 4243640, Fax: +971 4 4327505 Email: enquiries@npimedia.com; Web: www.npimedia.com


©Copyright


This show daily is published under licence by Reed Exhibitions Limited. The copyright in the design and content of the show daily is owned by Reed Exhibitions Limited or its licensors. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form, by any means – electronic, photocopying or otherwise – without the prior permission of Reed Exhibitions Limited.


VISIT NPI AT STAND ME1440 All images from npimedia archive, Alamy/Phocal Images or supplied


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