·
· The travel sector has been
resilient in facing the challenges presented by the pandemic, says Clark
· Demand in leisure and hospitality will continue to be robust
Dubai,
United Arab Emirates, 3 May 2023: Sir Timothy Clark,
President, Emirates Airline, has addressed travel and tourism delegates at Arabian Travel
Market 2023. Speaking on the Global Stage with renowned aviation
commentator John Strickland, Clark discussed the resurgence in passenger
numbers that is being witnessed by the airline industry worldwide, as well as
the opportunities and challenges ahead.
Addressing
the performance of Emirates in the post-pandemic era, Clark said: “We used the
period during the pandemic to carefully organise our resources and devise a
solid plan which allowed us to kick-start as soon as skies opened again. After
30 years of operating the world’s largest airline and as one of the flagship
carriers of the UAE, there simply was no option to sit back and stop.”
In
the last quarter, Dubai has welcomed five million visitors, already exceeding
pre-pandemic numbers. According to Clark, demand will continue to be as robust
as it has been recently, and the leisure and hospitality sectors will see a big
uptick in the next five to 10 years.
As
ATM 2023 focuses on ‘Working Towards Net Zero’ Clark touched on the airline’s sustainability
strategy: “The fuel from the aviation industry accounts for 2-2.5% of global
emissions. As passenger numbers grow, so must our efforts to mitigate our
carbon footprint. Emirates runs a number of sustainability initiatives across
the business. Our first flight using Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) took to
the skies in 2017 and earlier this year we operated a demonstration flight
using 100% SAF. We also recycled 500,000
kilograms of plastic and glass over the course of 2022. As far as we can, we
try to offset.”
Elsewhere
on the agenda:
On the Travel Tech Stage, day three of ATM 2023
opened with a look at the Investment
Trends Leading Travel Tech, while Strategic
Sustainability Planning was the focus of discussion this morning at
The Sustainability Hub. As ATM
celebrates 30 years, speakers gathered on the Global Stage today to reflect on
the past three decades of tourism in the Emirates during The
Success of Tourism for the UAE: 30 Years On.
The momentum continues for the final day of ATM
2023 tomorrow with a diverse schedule of insightful sessions. On the Global
Stage, the day will begin with a panel discussion on the benefits of engaging
young people in the tourism industry, with an emphasis on preparing
for sustainable goals.
There are also a number of sessions taking place
on the Travel Tech Stage tomorrow based around the theme, ‘Bridging the Gap in
Technology’, covering areas such as NDC
and ChatGPT
among many others. A session on Rural
Tourism is set to be a highlight of the final day at the
Sustainability Hub.
ATM 2023 is held in
conjunction with Dubai World Trade Centre and its strategic partners include
Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) as the Destination Partner,
Emirates as the Official Airline Partner, IHG Hotels & Resorts as the Official Hotel Partner and Al Rais
Travel as the Official DMC Partner.
To register for ATM 2023, please log on to: https://www.wtm.com/atm/en-gb/enquire.htmlThe latest ATM news stories are available at https://hub.wtm.com/category/press/atm-press-releases/.
