24 ARABIAN NEWS


June 2022 Travel News


Abu Dhabi Partners with Top Global Travel Service Provider Trip.com Group


Arabic travellers in the GCC plan for new travel experiences, says expert during ATM 2022


GCC travellers are looking to make up for lost time when it comes to travel, with the anticipation of new experiences dominating conversations, according to research revealed yesterday at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2022 by leading consumer intelligence company D/A. The research is based on the analysis of over four million social media posts and comments from more than two million Arabic-speaking unique users in the GCC. The number of travel conversations and posts about travel increased by 110% and 151%, respectively, between 2019 and 2021.


Speaking on the ATM Global Stage on Tuesday, 10 May, Paul Kelly, Managing Partner, D/A, said: “Travel conversations increased to over 1.3 million in 2021, underscoring the willingness by Arabic speakers in the GCC to travel, regardless of age or nationality. We are ultimately witnessing the pent-up demand from the last two years coming to the fore as borders reopen, flights are back on track and restrictions are lifted.” GCC travellers have a vital role in tourism recovery, a direct result of their spending power. According to the UNWTO, GCC travellers spend 6.5 times more than the global average, with 40% of GCC travellers spending more than AED36,700 on their last trip to Europe. Travellers from Saudi Arabia are reportedly the highest travel spenders globally.


“Overall, when it comes to the GCC traveller, the conversations indicate that something new is the order of the moment. Even in the familiar, a new experience is at the top of the wish list for those


intent on travelling soon – a huge change from what we have seen in the past year or two,” Kelly added.


In terms of holiday preference, the consensus is on escaping and breaking free and discovering new experiences, which many have been unable to do in the last two years. Those in the younger age groups were keen on shopping and enjoying local flavours, while the older groups were more focused on staying closer to nature and relaxing. Having fun was a mainstay; however, mid-career professionals have a lot of work travel lined up. Holiday destinations favoured by GCC travellers followed the global google trend, which saw a spike in the search terms ‘staycation’ in 2020, which was representative of the number of people from GCC countries looking to vacation locally. According to the D/A research, the UAE was the most popular destination in the MENA region, followed by Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Egypt, and Qatar. In Europe, the UK was the most popular destination, followed by France, Germany and Italy, with Switzerland rounding out the top five list. Elsewhere on the agenda on Day 3 at the ATM Global stage, delegates participated in an in- depth discussion about the future of the region’s hotel industry and the importance of unique dining experiences as an essential tool in the destination marketing playbook. Moving forward, on the final day of ATM 2022, highlights include redefining the new and evolved Indian traveller, responsible technology for travel and tourism, and the return


and rise of city tourism.


Industry leaders explore long-term trajectory of Middle East travel at Arabian Travel Market 2022


Livermore, Chief Economist at Oxford Economics; Jochem-Jan Sleiffer, President – Middle East, Africa and Turkey at Hilton; Bilal Kabbani, Industry Head – Travel and Tourism at Google; and Andrew Brown, Regional Director – Europe, Middle East and Oceania at the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC).


MORE than 23,000 visitors attended the 29th edition of Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2022, as industry leaders gathered at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) to share insights into the future of international travel and tourism.


“In addition to doubling our visitor numbers year on year, ATM 2022 hosted 1,500 exhibitors and attendees from 150 countries,” commented Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director ME for Arabian Travel Market. “These figures are especially impressive given that lockdowns are still taking place in China and other destinations. What’s more, the development of the travel and tourism sector throughout the Middle East region shows no signs of abating, with GCC hotel construction contract awards set to rise by 16 percent this year alone.”


The value of UAE and Saudi Arabian projects accounted for 90 percent of all regional hospitality contracts awarded in 2021, according to research from BNC Network. With analysis from Colliers International forecasting that $4.5 billion worth of hotel construction contracts will be awarded in the GCC during 2022, industry experts took to the ATM Global Stage for a panel discussion about the future of the region’s hospitality industry. Moderated by Paul Clifford, Group Editor – Hospitality at ITP Media Group, the panel discussion featured insights from Christopher Lund, Director – Head of Hotels MENA at Colliers International; Mark Kirby, Head of Hospitality at Emaar Hospitality Group; Tim Cordon, Area Senior Vice President – Middle East and Africa at Radisson Hotel Group; and Judit Toth, Founder and CEO of Vivere Hospitality.


Commenting on the need to attract and retain


talent within the Middle East’s hospitality sector, Radisson Hotel Group’s Cordon said: “The organisations that get this right are going to benefit because, of course, we know how expensive it is to bring new people into our business and it’s even more expensive if you lose them. I don’t think you can talk about the future of hospitality without talking about the future of talent.” Vivere’s Toth pointed out that it was equally important to educate industry professionals on the priorities and mindset of younger employees and guests alike. “[The younger generation] think completely differently. They live in a world of crypto and NFTs. How are they going to be able to bring their ideas and talents into the [hotel] business? And remember, on the other side, your new and future customers are also coming from the same background, with the same motivations and understanding. So, it’s a matter of bringing in new talent that shares common ground with new customers.”


Speaking on the continued importance of nationalisation efforts, Emaar Hospitality Group’s Kirby said: “Emiratisation coexists with how we develop our leadership teams to operate hotels. We focus on leadership at this level to come from within, [drawing on] internal talent. The fact that we’re growing and opening new hotels helps us, because it provides opportunities for our existing team members to move up.”


The four-day live event was inaugurated by His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman of Dubai Airports, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group Chairman of Dubai World. The show’s opening session, which was moderated by CNN’s Eleni Giokos, featured Issam Kazim, Chief Executive Officer, Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing; Scott


The show’s opening day also featured the first session of the ARIVALDubai@ATM forum, during which industry experts explored the role that in-destination experiences are playing in shaping the future of global travel and tourism. Later in the afternoon, ministers from the UAE, Jordan, Jamaica and Botswana took to the ATM Global Stage to discuss the importance of investment, technology and inclusivity in driving Middle East tourism forward, as part of the International Tourism & Investment Conference (ITIC) Ministerial Roundtable.


The second day of ATM 2022 saw senior representatives from Air Arabia and Etihad Aviation Group join JLS Consulting’s John Strickland on the ATM Global Stage for a discussion about efficiency and sustainability within the aviation sector. Later in the afternoon, D/A’s Paul Kelly offered his perspective on how to connect with the Arabic travel audience more effectively. At the end of day two, video-sharing platform ‘Welcome to the World’ secured up to $500,000 of investment after winning the inaugural ATM Draper-Aladdin Startup Competition on the ATM Travel Tech Stage.


Day three of ATM featured sessions focused on what guests really want, sports tourism, hospitality tech trends, dining experiences, metaverse-based


travel services, the role of influencers and more. The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) also hosted two panel discussions on the third day, shining a spotlight on sustainability and long- term trends within the business travel segment. As part of the conference agenda for the fourth and final day of ATM 2022, representatives from Atlas, Wego Middle East and Alibaba Cloud MEA took to the ATM Travel Tech Stage to explore how data is changing airline retailing. Panellists shared insights into how to build data-led organisations, and why companies that successfully harness travel data today will be most likely to succeed in the longer term.


The morning sessions included a session hosted by WTM Responsible Tourism, on the ATM Global Stage, focusing on how the latest innovations can be used to promote responsible technology for travel and tourism. Concluding this year’s edition of ATM, afternoon sessions included a discussion about the return and rise of city tourism. The final day of the live event also included the announcement of ATM 2022’s ‘Best Stand Design’ and ‘People’s Choice Award’, which were presented to SAUDIA for its futuristic and striking concept. Other stands awarded for their creativity included the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, Jumeirah International, Ishraq International and TBS/Vbooking. “ATM 2022 has provided a timely opportunity for the global travel and tourism sector to gather in Dubai and explore the future of our industry. Innovation, sustainability, technology and talent acquisition and retention will be crucial to its long- term success,” concluded Curtis.


THE Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) has signed a strategic partnership with Trip.com Group, a leading global travel service provider, in an online ceremony at Arabian Travel Market.


The partnership’s social and


economic initiatives will encourage and entice visitors worldwide to visit Abu Dhabi, promoting the UAE capital as a top-tier travel destination in 13 markets across Asia and Europe, including in India, China, South Korea, Japan, USA, UK, Germany, France, and the Netherlands.


The partnership marks the first time DCT Abu Dhabi has engaged Trip.com Group as a whole, rather than with its various singular entities, increasing consistent visibility across its five popular business and consumer global travel platforms.


Over a period of 12 months, Trip. com Group’s primary focus is to achieve 57,000 room nights in Abu Dhabi through marketing on its five portfolio channels. These B2B and B2C subsidiaries include Trip.com, a global travel service provider with an extensive hotel and flight route network; Skyscanner, the world leader in global flight meta- search; Travix, a global OTA operating in 39 countries; Ctrip and MakeMyTrip.


HE Saleh Mohamed Al Geziry, Director General for Tourism at DCT Abu Dhabi, said: “We are very pleased to announce our global agreement with Trip.com Group, a partnership that will


share Abu Dhabi’s story with international visitors – beginning with the summer season and beyond. “Through strategic partnerships such as this and our ever- expanding tourism and culture offering, we are further elevating Abu Dhabi as a top- of-mind destination, providing travellers around the world with diverse, immersive and enriching experiences to discover at their own pace.”


Jane Sun, Chief Executive Officer at Trip.com Group said “We are pleased to announce, Trip. com Group and the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi continue to strengthen our cooperation through


a new strategic partnership.


“Together, we will launch a series of promotional initiatives to market and develop Abu Dhabi’s tourism industry and promote and conserve its rich heritage and culture.” As part of this


landmark partnership, DCT Abu Dhabi and Trip.com Group will also introduce industry initiatives, including a talent development programme that will see staff members seconded across worldwide offices to expand their professional and industry experience. A second


initiative will centre on increasing the awareness of Abu Dhabi’s sustainable tourism activities.


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