·
The ITIC session discussed
sustainable investment measures for the Middle East travel and
tourism sector and the strategies to restore travellers confidence
· ATM Virtual recorded 18,959 registrations, from 152 countries and
included 14,385 pre-scheduled meetings and 23 live webinars, interviews, and
pre-recorded roundtables
Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 4 June 2020: The final
day of Arabian Travel Market’s virtual event, ATM Virtual, saw a panel of
tourism experts discuss the opportunities in the region to kick-start sustainable investment in the hospitality
sector.
The
session, ‘Restructuring
to Attract Sustainable Development and Customers in the New World Order’,
moderated by BBC presenter and broadcaster, Rajan
Datar, and in collaboration with the International Tourism &
Investment Conference (ITIC), took place on Wednesday 3rd
June, and was opened by Dr.
Taleb Rifai,
Chairman, ITIC, who said:
“Who would have imagined three months ago we
would be holding our conference in this manner. The world is however quickly
waking up. Life post containment is incredibly important and the need for
economic recovery is now.”
Discussing Dubai’s future investment opportunities, Issam Kazim, CEO of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM), said: “Dubai has a lot of multinational companies who have established their regional headquarters here.
“Dubai has a lot to
offer these businesses in terms of systems and the different free zones giving companies
the opportunity and flexibility to be able to practice their business in a way
that is comfortable for them. The lifestyle of Dubai also makes it very easy
for people to relocate. It simply becomes an offer too good to refuse.”
Gerald-Lawless-itic-director-and-world-travel-and-tourism-council-wttc-ambassador
Gerald
Lawless, Ambassador for
the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), said: “It is a time for
opportunity and that is something investors will always look for. Investors are
out there, and they will be in the future. There are investment opportunities
within our industry, particularly in the hotel sector and we will see this
developing and evolving over the coming weeks and months.
“Tourism will bounce back, and how we make it bounce
back is so important.”
The opportunities in
the tourism industry for investment as a byproduct of cheaper real estate was
discussed by Nicolas
Mayer, EMEA Hospitality & Tourism Center of Excellence Industry
Leader, PwC, he said: “Many of the primary real estate markets in this region,
in the UAE, Saudi, and Oman for example, are phenomenally dynamic. Yes, they have taken a hit, but they have
demonstrated in the past the ability to ramp up again and go beyond what it
used to be, before anywhere else in the world, which makes one very confident in
investing.”
Foreign direct
investment was also a hot topic of conversation, particularly from Saudi Arabia
when looking at the opportunities afforded by their burgeoning tourism
offering.
Majed-Al-Ghanim-managing-director-of-tourism-quality-of-life-ministry-of-investment-saudi-arabia
Majed
AlGhanim, Managing Director of Tourism &
Quality of Life, Ministry of Investment, Saudi Arabia, said: “In addition to
the local and regional buying power in Saudi, we believe we have an attractive
offering for investors from overseas with all the of the new sites and
destinations coming up in Saudi Arabia. We are a destination that is ready,
open, and looking forward to welcoming visitors to Saudi Arabia.”
Issam-Kazim-ceo-dubai-corporation-for-tourism-commerce-marketing
The session also
featured investment discussion from H.E.
Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Chairman, Sharjah Commerce & Tourism
Development Authority; H.E.
Marwan Bin Jassim Al Sarkal, Executive Chairman, Sharjah Investment
and Development Authority – Shurooq; and H.E.
Saleh Mohamed Al Geziry, Director General, Ajman Tourism.
Day three of ATM
Virtual also featured responsible tourism with Harold
Goodwin, Responsible Tourism Advisor for World Travel Market and Inge
Huijbrechts, Global Senior Vice President Responsible Business and
Safety & Security, Radisson Hotel Group, discussing the responsibility
agenda in a post-coronavirus landscape.
During
the session, What are
the Implications of COVID-19 for Responsible Hospitality?’ Inge
Huijbrechts said: "Whilst most hospitality brands have put responsible and
sustainability projects on hold for a few months, we cannot and must not
self-isolate from climate change. Climate change is a huge focus as we emerge
from the COVID-19 pandemic, with responsibly caring for both our employees and
our guests a key objective for all hospitality companies across the
globe."
Turning
to influencers, ‘Make Your
Connection: Influencers as a Key Part of the Marketing Mix – COVID-19 The Road
to Recovery’, led by ITP Media Group’s Head of Content, Eddie
Taylor,, explored the importance of creating relevant, engaging and
impactful travel and lifestyle content in the current climate of best
practices.
ATM Virtual concluded on Wednesday
3rd June 2020, a total of 18,959 registrations from 152 countries were
recorded, including 490 media. The event included 14,385 pre-scheduled meetings and
featured 23 live webinars, interviews, and
pre-recorded roundtables.
This
session and all other content are available on demand until tomorrow (Friday
5th June) for those who are already registered. For access, please go to: atmvirtual.eventnetworking.com/online-conference.
Those
who did not register for ATM Virtual will be able to access the sessions from
next week on the WTM Global Hub: hub.wtm.com.
