Harold Goodwin, WTM’s Responsible Tourism Advisor, will moderate two important panel debates this week during the virtual element of Arabian Travel Market – ATM Virtual.
He will bring together top hoteliers, industry consultants, travel experts and technology specialists to help set the agenda for responsible tourism issues in the coming years.
The Middle East region’s largest travel and tourism showcase, Arabian Travel Market (ATM), continues this week (24-26 May) with the ATM Virtual event.
Those who were unable to attend the in-person ATM at the Dubai World Trade Centre last week will be able to participate this week in webinars, live conference sessions and destination briefings.
The responsible tourism sessions moderated by Goodwin will be of interest to industry professionals around the world.
The first one is called Responsible Hospitality in a Perfect Storm and takes place at 16:30 (Dubai time, 13:30 UK time) on 25 May.
The second debate is called Responsible Technology for Travel & Tourism and takes place on 26 May at 11:30 Dubai, 08:30 UK.
Commenting on the first event, Goodwin said:
“With Covid-19, climate change, biodiversity loss and increasing inequality, the new normal will be a challenging trading environment for business and leisure travel.
“We have brought together leading thinkers and practitioners to share their ideas about how hotels manage risk and trade profitably over the next decade.
“Properties being built now will be operating in a very different environment in the 2030s; the decisions we make now will determine the assets we work with in the future.”
His panel guests will be Eric Ricaurte, Founder and Chief Executive of hospitality consultancy Greenview; Inge Huijbrechts, Global Senior Vice President Sustainability, Security and Corporate Communications at Radisson Hotel Group; Dimitris Manikis, President for Europe, Middle East, Eurasia and Africa (EMEA) at Wyndham Hotels & Resorts; Madhu Rajesh, Chief Executive at Sustainable Hospitality Alliance; and Rana Al Oran, Director of People and Culture at Four Seasons Hotel Doha.
For the second debate, Goodwin hopes his panellists will help professionals in the sector to understand the “bewildering range of tech solutions”.
“We have chosen speakers who can look behind the brochures and the sales pitch to share what they have learnt about what works,” said Goodwin.
He will speak to Andrea Nicholas, Chief Executive at certification scheme Green Tourism; Chris Warren, Founder and Chief Executive at the sustainability consultancy My Green Butler; Keith Bradley, Managing Partner at video platform Globally Great; Dina Storey, Head of Sustainability at Expo 2020 Dubai; and Claire Whitely, Senior Sustainability Manager at Sustainable Hospitality Alliance.
For industry professionals who want to explore more about responsible tourism, there is a rich programme of on-demand interviews at ATM Virtual.
These include interviews with Dina Storey from Dubai Expo and Stefanie Schachtschabel from Gobally Great.
There is more about technology in the Sustainability Pavilion and interviews about Seafuel making hydrogen fuel from seawater using sustainable electricity.
To watch the panels, live and the on-demand interviews register at ATM Virtual: https://www.wtm.com/atm/en-gb/enquire.html
All sessions will be available on demand at the platform until 9th June 2021 and from that, will be available on WTM Global Hub.
ENDS –
Arabian Travel Market (ATM), now on its 28th year, continues to be the focal point for the Middle East’s resilient and ever-changing travel and tourism landscape and prides itself on being the hub of all travel and tourism ideas, providing a platform to discuss insights on the ever-changing industry, share innovations and unlock endless business opportunities. Arabian Travel Market is part of Arabian Travel Week. #IdeasArriveHere
In-person event: Sunday 16 to Wednesday 19 May 2021, Dubai World Trade Centre, Dubai
Virtual event: Monday 24 to Wednesday 26 May 2021
Arabian Travel Week is a festival of events taking place within and alongside Arabian Travel Market 2021. It includes ATM Virtual, ILTM Arabia, Arival Dubai, the Travel Agents’ Academy, The ATM Influencers day, the Digital Influencer Speed Networking and Travel Forward – a new travel tech and hospitality innovation event launching this year. It also features the ATM Buyer Forums, ATM Speed Networking Events as well as The Saudi, India and China Summits. Providing a renewed focus for the Middle East’s travel and tourism sector, Arabian Travel Week will take place in Dubai from Sunday 16th to Thursday 26th May 2021.
www.wtm.com/arabian-travel-week/en-gb.html
WTM Responsible Tourism is a programme of interviews, panels and debates now at four trade shows in the World Travel Market (WTM) Portfolio, including WTM London, Arabian Travel Market, WTM Latin America and WTM Africa.
WTM acts as an international forum to drive the responsible tourism agenda forward, through seminars at several of the portfolio’s travel trade exhibitions, World Responsible Tourism Day, and working with responsible tourism experts to provide insight through the WTM blog. WTM Responsible Tourism aims to unite travel companies, organisations and individuals interested in spreading sustainable practices and ethical methods within the travel industry.
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Natalia Hartmann
WTM & IBTM Portfolio Press & PR Lead
Email.: natalia.hartmann@reedexpo.co.uk