· The pandemic and progressive
IT companies have accelerated demand for remote working
· ‘On the go’ bleisure stays increasingly
popular with Gen Z singletons, white collar millennials and other digital
nomads
Hotels throughout the Middle East region are preparing to capitalise on the pent-up global demand for workstations, driven in the main by the social restrictions imposed by governments across the world over the past ten months.
According to research
conducted as well as commissioned by Reed Travel Exhibitions, the organiser of Arabian Travel
Market (ATM), many travel experts are expecting a surge in
workations in 2021 and beyond, a trend that was apparent in 2019, but one which
now has such pent-up demand due to the coronavirus travel restrictions.
Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director ME,
Arabian Travel Market, which will take place live at the Dubai World Trade
Centre (DWTC) 16-19 May 2021, said: “The hotel industry in the Middle East has
gradually started to recover, especially in places such as Dubai. Staycations
created the initial demand after lockdown, the next step has been the continued
growth of workstations, which are also referred to as leisure stays, which tend
to bring in more visitors from overseas.”
Fueling this
growth are companies like Facebook, Twitter and Spotify which have announced
that employees can work from home indefinitely, leading many experts to predict
that these digital professionals are likely to work remotely, whilst still connecting
safely and securely with their physical offices.
“Longer term, the
‘on the go’ executive will be a far more common sight in hotels, whether it’s Gen
Z singletons, millennial professionals, or freelancers who can earn a living
from a laptop,” added Curtis.
With over 50% of
the world’s working population doing so from home and the rise of entrepreneurial
digital nomads who prefer to work remotely, the popularity of workations will
only increase.
This will alleviate
the boredom of living and working from home, even after the pandemic has
finally been eradicated and obviously in the short term, it will provide much
needed revenue to not only hotels but the travel trade in general, not to
mention government coffers.
“And on that
point, as an example, Dubai has introduced a remote visa programme that would
entitle visitors to stay for up to 12 months, with access to co-working spaces
and government support services,” said Curtis.
To
accommodate the needs of the ‘new normal’ smart working traveller even further,
an increasing number of hotels in the MENA region are offering pop-up
co-working spaces with the aim of rethinking and making the most of the hotel
space, which is no longer considered just as a place to stay, instead, it
becomes a potential work environment.
“Covid-19 has
completely disrupted the traditional office culture and the hospitality sector
has been quick to offer alternative solutions for those looking to combine
working from home with leisure time. The introduction of the workation concept
is not just a novel idea, it’s about making adjustments to meet the
new market demands, allowing those who are not
currently working from their office to enjoy a luxury hospitality experience
whilst continuing their work commitments,” said Mark Kirby, COO of Emaar
Hospitality.
Further afield in the
Maldives for example, hotels are offering the ultimate ‘workation packages’
where guests can work from a secluded beach house, with personal desks and
high-speed WiFi. Some hotels in India have created indoor and outdoor common
areas that function as work-friendly spaces, many others have opted for
dedicated spaces poolside where remote workers get a table, chair and parasol,
WiFi and power socket, as well as the ubiquitous sun lounger.
“Depending on the
effectiveness of the vaccines being rolled out, as well as travel and other
social restrictions, this demand could broaden to include families. If children
are being home-schooled it would make little difference if they were at home or
on a workation with their parents. Indeed, time away from long cold winter nights
in northern Europe, would undoubtedly improve a family’s state of mind,” added
Curtis.
Now in its 28th
year and working in collaboration with DWTC and Dubai’s Department of Tourism
and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), the theme of the show next year will be ‘A
new dawn for travel and tourism’ and the spotlight will be thrown onto the
current state of the industry and more importantly, what the future holds. It
will also look at the emerging trends and how innovation can drive the industry
forward.
