The Middle East Tourism Summit, organised by ITIC in partnership with
Arabian Travel Market 2021, rounded off the Middle East region’s largest travel
and tourism showcase by calling for continued collaboration at government level
to support the recovery of the tourism industry in the Middle East. The
comments came ahead of ATM Virtual, which takes place 24-26 May.
“Governments must come together. They must work together. There is no
sense in any country working on its own anymore,” said Taleb Rifai, Chairman, International
Tourism and Investment Conference (ITIC) and former Secretary General UNWTO.
The summit, which will also take place virtually on 27 May, was held
under the theme ‘Invest-Rebuild-Restart the tourism industry in the Middle
East’ and attended by high-level decision makers, professionals and investors
who discussed the challenges, issues, opportunities, but more importantly the
way forward for the tourism industry in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The summit also focused on green sustainable
investment, underscoring a new vision for responsible tourism recovery.
“Putting
sustainability at the heart of the future development of the tourism industry
in the Middle East will be crucial to meet the expectations of local and
international visitors, who are now more socially aware and informed, than ever
before. The industry has undoubtedly made huge strides in this area, with a
range of initiatives across the sector positively impacting the environment,”
said Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director ME,
Arabian Travel Market.
Elsewhere
on the conference agenda on the final day of ATM, was an insightful session
entitled ‘East Meets West: Lessons Learned Leading to Recovery and On-going
Resilience’ with guest panelists from industry associations such as the International
Air Transport Association (IATA), the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC)
and the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA).
The
overwhelming consensus was that it is extremely important
that countries and destinations work together to share best practice and align
protocols in order to get global travel restarted seamlessly and safely, a
point reiterated by aviation experts earlier at ATM. According to the panel,
the most pressing issues making the current situation so challenging for the
industry is the fact that the situation remains unpredictable and there is a
lack of clarity, which makes medium to long term planning very difficult.
Another
popular seminar was a hotel summit session about the challenges to traditional
hospitality, brought on by social distancing and the increased reliance on
technology – impersonal by nature. A panel consisting of hospitality leaders,
agreed that nothing would replace genuine hospitality, rather guests would
decide what level of human interaction they were comfortable with – balancing
safety with personal attention while maximising the efficiency of technology
without compromising on service excellence.
ATM continues
next week with the highly anticipated ATM Virtual event, which takes place from
24 – 26 May. During the three-day showcase, those unable to attend the in-person
event this year, will have the opportunity to view sessions recorded from the
in-person event, as well as participate in a range of webinars, live conference sessions, roundtables, speed
networking events, destination briefings, as well as make new connections in
one-to-one meetings.
Arival Dubai @ ATM will also take place
during the virtual week. The event will feature a series of sessions covering
current and future trends for operators of tours and attractions.
In addition, the Global Business Travel
Association (GBTA), the world’s premier business travel and meetings trade
organisation, will deliver the latest business travel
content, research and education to drive the post-pandemic recovery and support
growth in business travel.
“This week has been a resounding
success, we’ve welcomed exhibitors from 62 countries and travel professionals
from over 100 countries during the four days of the event,” said Curtis.
“Next week, ATM Virtual gives us the opportunity
to interact with an even greater global audience. With travel restrictions still
in place for many people, for those unable to attend the live and in-person
event, the virtual element provides the perfect platform for travel
professionals to connect, do business and hear from leading lights within the
industry, from anywhere in the world,” added Curtis.
