- Haitham Mattar, Managing Director, Middle East, Africa and South West Asia, IHG Hotels & Resorts, addressed travel and tourism trade professionals at the ATM 2024 Future Stage
- Senior representatives from Marriot, Four Seasons, Banyan Tree, Mastercard and Silkhaus, also provided perspective on industry challenges and opportunities
- ATM 2024, the region’s leading global travel and tourism event, continues until May 9 with interactive discussions and keynotes at Dubai World Trade Centre
Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 6 May 2024: Travel & tourism experts from across the industry convened at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2024 Future Stage this morning to discuss the complexities of navigating the transformation of hospitality.
Slow travel, a movement that encompasses sustainable travel, mindful travel, and low-impact travel, sustainable practices and the use of AI and data to enhance the travel experience emerged as key actionable strategies for futureproofing travel and hospitality businesses in the Middle East region.
The opening session entitled Trends Shaping the Future of Hospitality in the Middle East, brought together senior representatives from IHG Hotels and Resorts, Marriot International, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, Banyan Tree Dubai, Mastercard and Silkhaus. The diverse panel provided a broad perspective on the challenges and opportunities facing today’s hospitality industry.
Haitham Mattar, Managing Director, Middle East, Africa and South West Asia, IHG Hotels & Resorts, initiated the hospitality trends session with an insightful discussion on the dynamic transformation within the hospitality landscape.
Addressing a packed venue of trade professionals, Mattar highlighted the importance of how destinations and hotels identify their respective source markets: “The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way generations choose travel, with outdoor adventure now taking the No. 1 spot away from “beach, sun and sand”. For the industry to stay afloat in difficult times, the private sector needs to mirror the vision of their respective tourism authorities and work together to ensure appealing spending packages for those markets.”
He also outlined how generational shifts and emerging travel behaviours are giving rise to global travel trends such as slow travel and similarly, with the hospitality industry responsible for 10% of global emissions, consumers are now willing to spend up to 31% more on hospitality companies that execute sustainable practices.
Lastly, he highlighted how innovation in the hospitality industry is triggering the pace of digitalisation. “The future use of technology and AI will be critical for us to get a clear idea of how to enhance consumer preferences. Specifically, travel anxiety is starting to reduce with technology, and the focus should now be firmly on the traveller’s experiences,” he added.
Also speaking about the transforming needs of the market, Sandeep Walia, Chief Operating Officer, Middle East – Marriott International, echoed Mattar’s sentiments as he highlighted slow holidays, sustainability, the rise of AI and dupe destinations – similar to traditional holiday destinations but closer in geography – as some of the key travel trends for the next three years, according to the “Marriott Bonvoy Travel Trends report 2024 and beyond’.
“The insights shared today go beyond theories to offer direct reflections of the transformations we aim to foster through ATM. As we continue to drive innovation and entrepreneurial spirit within the travel industry, sessions like these equip our attendees with the knowledge and tools necessary to lead the hospitality industry forward,” said Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director ME, Arabian Travel Market.
The 31st edition of ATM, under the theme ‘Empowering Innovation: Transforming Travel Through Entrepreneurship,’ also hosted the fascinating Global Stage Welcome: The Gateway to Global Insights session, outlining Dubai’s key tourism objectives for the coming years.
Elsewhere today, the Market Insights Summit also took centre stage, exploring the potential of developing markets such as China, India and Latin America as they emerge as key players in global tourism.
Held in conjunction with Dubai World Trade Centre, ATM 2024’s strategic partners include the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), Destination Partner; Emirates, Official Airline Partner; IHG Hotels & Resorts, Official Hotel Partner and Al Rais Travel, Official DMC Partner.
ATM 2024 concludes on Thursday, 9 May, at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC).
The latest ATM news stories are available at https://hub.wtm.com/category/press/atm-press-releases/.
To register your interest in attending ATM 2024, visit https://www.wtm.com/atm/en-gb/enquire.html.
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For more information, log on to wtm.com/atm/en-gb.html.
Arabian Travel Market (ATM), now in its 31st year, is the leading international travel and tourism event in the Middle East for inbound and outbound tourism professionals. ATM 2023 welcomed over 40,000 attendees and hosted over 30,000 visitors, including more than 2,100 exhibitors and representatives from over 150 countries, across 10 halls at Dubai World Trade Centre. Arabian Travel Market is part of Arabian Travel Week. #ATMDubai
Next in-person event: 6 to 9 May 2024, Dubai World Trade Centre, Dubai.
Arabian Travel Week is a festival of events taking place from 6 to 12 May, within and alongside Arabian Travel Market 2024. Providing a renewed focus for the Middle East’s travel and tourism sector, it includes Influencers’ events, GBTA Business Travel Forums, as well as ATM Travel Tech. It also features the ATM Buyer Forums, as well as a series of country forums.
About RX
RX is a global leader in events and exhibitions, leveraging industry expertise, data, and technology to build businesses for individuals, communities, and organisations. With a presence in 25 countries across 42 industry sectors, RX hosts approximately 350 events annually. RX is committed to creating an inclusive work environment for all our people. RX empowers businesses to thrive by leveraging data-driven insights and digital solutions. RX is part of RELX, a global provider of information-based analytics and decision tools for professional and business customers. For more information, visit www.rxglobal.com.
About RELX
RELX is a global provider of information-based analytics and decision tools for professional and business customers. RELX serves customers in more than 180 countries and has offices in about 40 countries. It employs more than 36,000 people over 40% of whom are in North America. The shares of RELX PLC, the parent company, are traded on the London, Amsterdam and New York stock exchanges using the following ticker symbols: London: REL; Amsterdam: REN; New York: RELX. *Note: Current market capitalisation can be found at http://www.relx.com/investors
World Travel Market (WTM) portfolio comprises leading travel events and online portals across four continents. The events are:
WTM London is the world’s most influential travel & tourism event for the global travel community. The show is the ultimate destination for those seeking a macro view of the travel industry and a deeper understanding of the forces shaping it. WTM London is where influential travel leaders, buyers and high-profile travel companies gather to exchange ideas, drive innovation, and accelerate business outcomes.
Next live event: 6 to 8 November 2023 at ExCel London.
WTM Latin America takes place annually in the city of São Paulo and attracts around 20,000 tourism professionals during the three-day event. The event offers qualified content together with networking and business opportunities. In this its ninth edition – there have been eight face-to-face events along with a 100% virtual one, which was held in 2021 – WTM Latin America continued to focus on effective business generation, and achieved the advance booking of six thousand meetings that were held between buyers, travel agents and exhibitors in 2022.
Next event: 15 to 17 April 2024 – Expo Center Norte, SP, Brazil.
WTM Africa launched in 2014 in Cape Town, South Africa. In 2022, WTM Africa facilitated more than 7 thousand unique pre-scheduled appointments, an increase of more than 7% compared to 2019 and welcomed more than 6 thousand visitors (unaudited), the same number as in 2019.
Next event: 10 to 12 April 2024 – Cape Town International Convention Centre, Cape Town http://africa.wtm.com/
About ATW Connect: Africa Travel Week’s digital arm, is a virtual hub packed to the seams with interesting content, industry news and insights, and the opportunity to hear from experts on a variety of topics in our new monthly webinar series. All with the aim to keep all of us in the travel and tourism industry connected. ATW Connect focuses on inbound and outbound markets for general leisure tourism, luxury travel and the MICE/business travel sector as well as travel technology.
WTM Global Hub, is the WTM Portfolio online portal created to connect and support travel industry professionals around the world. The resource hub offers the latest guidance and knowledge to help exhibitors, buyers and others in the travel industry face the challenges of the global coronavirus pandemic. WTM Portfolio is tapping into its global network of experts to create content for the hub. https://hub.wtm.com/