Abdul Wahab Teffaha, Secretary General, Arab Air Carriers’ Organization (AACO), Schubert Lou, CEO, Trip.com, H.E. Laura El Khazen Lahoud, Minister of Tourism, Lebanon, and H.E. Nicola Amanda Bernstein, Minister for Tourism and Culture, Republic of Seychelles, met on ATM 2026’s Global Stage to discuss post-conflict connectivity and ways to future-proof operations. The session was moderated by Thomas Shambler, Head of Business, ITP Media Group.
Drawing parallels with the regional travel sector’s faster-than-anticipated post-pandemic recovery, Teffaha said: “Aviation is now part of the DNA of the human race. Aviation connectivity is something that is no longer a luxury, and should not be treated as a luxury by governments. It should be treated as part of the infrastructure foundation of any country in the world.”
Commenting on how the Middle East’s geopolitical situation affected the Seychelles’ tourism sector, Bernstein said: “During this period, we found that demand was still strong, but it became about availability, frequency, connectivity, and of course, affordability of the different route options available. About 60% of our travel comes through the Middle East, so we were particularly vulnerable when tensions arose here. The resilience, for us, is founded both in the strength of our partnerships – when it comes to how we get back on our feet together – and diversification.”
With reference to Lebanon’s post-conflict priorities for connectivity, Lahoud said: “We need to have smarter tourism. We need to collaborate more with the airlines, as we know things they don’t know and they know things we don’t know. We need to share our data and make sure supply, demand, efficiency – all this – is synchronised.”
Offering his perspective on preparations for future challenges, Schubert said: “I would say we need a playbook, outlining how we as an industry deal with these situations, and how quickly we can respond – saying that [when we encounter] A, B, C, we do X, Y, Z. It’s about how we can accelerate decision-making together. Then, once we have the playbook, it’s about infrastructure.”
Danielle Curtis, Regional Portfolio Director – UAE, RX Global, said: “The Middle East’s travel and tourism community has had to contend with significant challenges over the past six months, and the resilience and determination demonstrated have been truly impressive. It is enlightening to hear ministers and industry experts reflect on lessons learnt, and discuss how the region can further strengthen and future-proof both its physical and digital connectivity over the longer term.”
