Dubai Tourism returns for South Africa roadshow

DUBAI is offering South African travel agents and stakeholders an opportunity to network with stakeholders in the former’s hospitality market.

This is anticipated to improve the officials’ businesses and give them greater openings and opportunities to satisfy their clients.

Dubai’s Department for Economy and Tourism (DET) has returned for its South Africa Roadshow, to be held between Monday (today) and Friday in the cities of Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg.

This year’s roadshow will highlight Dubai’s experiences and diversity of the city’s offerings to key travel partners in South Africa.

Highlights of the road show span across travel, hospitality, entertainment and Dubai’s citywide events, with a focus on leisure, family travel, education and medical tourism.

Key elements of the event will include breakout network sessions, partner presentations, one-on-one meetings and raffle draws.

Some of the organisations in the airlines, hotel and destination management are accompanying DET to South Africa.

DET’s ultimate vision is to position Dubai as the world’s leading commercial centre, investment hub and tourism destination.

Dubai is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai.

– CAJ News

How neigbouring African countries took over Nigeria’s travel business

More Nigerian air travelers are opting to travel to neigbouring countries like Ghana and Cotonou to book international flights after being forced to pay thrice cost of flights in  other countries to same destinations, Daily Sun can confirm.

Fares advertised on the websites of foreign airlines show that Nigerians now pay three times what travelers in other countries pay to the same destinations. Nigerian travelers now pay as high as N3, 000,000.00 to purchase an economy ticket while date changes on some airlines go as high as between N1, 500,000.00 to N1, 800,000.00. For business class tickets, passengers pay about N7 million.

In the past one year, foreign airlines removed lower inventory tickets on their website for travelers from Nigeria because they say they have been unable to repatriate funds generated from sale of tickets deposited in Nigerian banks. These airlines insist on getting their funds in foreign currency but owing to the biting forex scarcity, that has been difficult. They then took the decision to remove lower inventory tickets from their website, making cost of flights expensive for Nigerians.

To combat this, many Nigerian passengers now prefer travelling to countries like Ghana to book tickets at lower costs and this development has almost crippled the Nigerian travel industry leaving many travel agents losing their clients to the high cost of flight tickets.

“To put this in perspective, all low-fare inventories of the airlines have been deliberately blocked to our members and to this market. This now means, Nigeria is at a disadvantage since the airlines seems to have mastered the art of exploiting the forex issue to their advantage. Agencies are now forced to fold, leave the country or trying to use other neighboring countries to sell to their customers. Nigeria Travel market continues to be at the losing end with the airlines being indifferent to the plight of travelers and as a body we are left with no option than to call on the government to be more strategic, deliberate and direct in resolving this multifaceted dilemma.

“Just to be clear, in the aviation downstream sector, businesses are currently folding up and more will follow suit which will add to the unemployment challenge that the Federal Government is wrestling with if urgent and precise actions are not taken to nip this development in the bud before it is too late.

“The reaction of airlines is grossly unfair to the Nigerian travelling public, as well to us as a nation in general with a seeming disdain to the available cordial business relationship. This of course gravely threatens our survival as travel practitioners in Nigeria. The suffocating profiteering practices by majority of the foreign airlines is unbelievable and unexplainable in a Nigeria market that is ranked by many indices of IATA as one of the best in Africa and with the best post-covid recovery rates across Africa and Middle East, the Nigerian Market should be applauded, but the reverse is the case.

“For emphasis, being one of the biggest market for any airline that operates within it, we expect airlines to respect and appreciate the impact of the traffic our market offers and seek better ways to ensure there is mutual benefit in tandem with the current reality.  The trade rules are obnoxious, not consistent with global best practices and fares are unjustifiably high, all in reaction to trapped funds. We at this stage have reasons to believe there is more to it.

“We hold the stand that government still retains the responsibility to commit to agreements with airlines to protect the sector and call airlines to order when there are obvious excesses from the airlines that puts the entire industry in jeopardy; because the current fare structure and practices are exploitative to the Nigerian Traveler as well as agencies who provides a reasonable number of jobs for our great nation.

While stating Nigeria’s commitment to the Bilateral Air Service Agreement, he assured them that the ministry is concerned, and will do its best to resolve the matter of blocked funds as soon as possible.

He stated further that the issue of blocked funds sits with the Central Bank of Nigeria and it is not what the ministry can handle alone else it would have been resolved immediately and urged foreign operators to be very considerate when dealing with the issue bearing in mind the effects of COVID- 19 and recession the country had experienced.

IATA’s Area Manager, West and Central Africa, Dr. Samson Fatokun, who led the delegation expressed gratitude to the minister for his concern and said the global airline community would like to appeal to the him for special intervention in resolving of airline blocked funds issues in Nigeria. He said the airlines are facing the collateral damage and the average Nigeria is bearing the brunt of this issue.

At the meeting, Akporiaye said: “Is a very difficult time for us as some of us are already giving up on the industry and going into other business. It is our loss and also the loss of the country as we don’t sell more ticket like we use to, and this will further increase the unemployment situation if this issue is not attended to.”

Source: The Sun

Middle East Set to Be One of the Fastest-Growing Airline Markets

As “record aircraft deliveries” make headlines in the Middle East and India market, the current supply chain constraints leave us wondering if the aircraft makers would be able to keep pace with the demand.

Despite a sluggish international travel market, the pace of recovery in the Middle East aviation market accelerated throughout 2022 and is expected to take off over the next 10 years with the region’s share of the global fleet set to expand. In its “Global Fleet and MRO Market Forecast 2023-2033,” global management consulting firm Oliver Wyman noted that the Middle East remains among the fastest-growing aviation markets in the world, with the regional fleet set to expand 5.1 percent annually over the next decade. The report further noted that the Middle East’s share of global fleet will grow over the decade from 4.9 percent in 2023 to 6 percent in 2033.  Meanwhile, the global fleet is projected to expand one-third by 2033, to well over 36,000 aircraft, with Oliver Wyman also anticipating a record number of aircraft deliveries over the next 10 years (despite current supply chain constraints). The Middle East fleet’s growth over the next decade will primarily be driven by the addition of narrow bodies. Historically, the Middle Eastern fleet has been primarily made up of widebodies. But moving forward, the report observed that narrow bodies will increase to 48 percent of the fleet from 39 percent, while wide bodies will decline to 48 percent from 56 percent.

Highlighting key travel trends to Saudi Arabia for the month coinciding with Ramadan, global travel marketplace Skyscanner noted that travellers from across the Gulf, UK, Egypt and Germany are amongst the most popular making their way to the kingdom during this time. With over 70 percent of travelers looking for trips between one and two-week long, Jeddah is the airport of choice, accounting for 75 percent of bookings. “As restrictions ease and capacity increases, we are seeing travel demand return to pre-pandemic levels, if not higher,” said Ayoub El Mamoun, Skyscanner travel expert. “Travel remains a key priority, with many travellers across the Gulf, such as the United Arab Emirates and Saudi, planning the same or more trips in 2023 than they did the year previously.”

Oman welcomed 2.9 million tourists in 2022, a 348 percent increase compared to 2021. The number of tourism projects and hotel establishments also increased relatively. This information was announced by Ibrahim Said Al Kharousi, undersecretary of the ministry of heritage and tourism in Oman. Al Kharosi was speaking at the Global Travel Week Middle East hosted by Oman. Around 200 luxury tourism specialists had participated at the event that sought to introduce tourism hotspots, exchange tourism experiences and reaffirm commitment to support and develop travel and tourism in the region. With the prime aim of showcasing Oman’s tourism potential, Global Travel Week sought ways to establish long-term relations between international markets and Gulf destinations, said Al Kharousi.

Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism has announced the relaunch of the Carbon Calculator tool that measures the carbon footprint within Dubai’s hospitality sector. The tool has now been revamped to track real-time data for carbon emission sources, allowing hotels to identify and effectively manage their energy consumption. The improvements are part of the Dubai Sustainable Tourism (DST) initiative that seeks to contribute to the broader clean energy targets and support the United Arab Emirates’ Net Zero by 2050 Strategy, in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) 2030. The initiative also supports the goals of the Dubai Economic Agenda D33, to consolidate Dubai’s status as one of the top three global cities and enhance its position as one of the world’s leading sustainable tourism destinations. Since its inception in January 2017, Dubai Sustainable Tourism’s Carbon Calculator, part of the Tourism Dirham Platform, has been measuring the carbon footprint of hotels across Dubai.

Travel marketing platform Sojern shared its latest data highlighting that the Middle East continues to build on its strong travel momentum even in 2023. With relatively quick bouncebacks from Covid-19 in the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia seeking to secure its place on the tourist map with an ambitious visitor push, Sojern said the strong travel intent to the region would continue well into 2023. As of February, Sojern sees that 2023 flight searches are up year-on-year globally. With last year’s FIFA World Cup boosting travel recovery in the region, Sojern looks at the current state of play for travel now that the tournament dust has settled. The travel marketing platform noted that Qatar continues to ride the World Cup wave with particularly strong interest from Latin America. Lodging demand from regional Middle East travellers is also up 123 percent. Sojern also noted that over 75 percent of U.S. travellers are staying in the region for more than eight days. Compared to other long-haul destinations in Asia they are more willing to stay for over one week making them high-value travellers for Middle Eastern destinations.

Knowland, the provider of data-as-a-service insights on meetings and events for hospitality, announced its expansion in the Middle East to include Doha. Knowland’s extension into the Middle East will continue throughout 2023 to accommodate the demand and competition facing new hoteliers. Calling Middle East one of the fastest-growing hospitality markets in the world, Knowland said this has created several challenges including steep competition as well as the necessity to train sales teams who may have never worked in the hospitality industry. “The world’s largest active pipeline of new hotels is in the Middle East, so as we continue to build on the exciting growth in Qatar, we are also focused on expanding our reach throughout the increasingly popular region for local and global meetings and events,” Jeff Bzdawka, CEO of Knowland said. The company plans to open additional Middle East markets this year.

Hyatt shared that 45 percent of the properties that joined Hyatt’s system in 2022 were based in Europe, Middle East and Africa market and the region’s contribution to the Hyatt growth journey continues into 2023 through a strong pipeline with ten percent of Hyatt’s 117,000 rooms record pipeline, as of fourth quarter earnings, expected to join the portfolio in the region. Properties classified as lifestyle hotels make up nearly one fourth of the Europe, Middle East and Africa market pipeline, expanding the portfolio to more sought-after leisure destinations and strengthening the World of Hyatt value proposition. Notable drivers for the expected regional growth include several large-scale leisure portfolio integrations, adding a substantial number of rooms to the World of Hyatt program and the hyatt.com booking flow as well as organic growth for the Park Hyatt, Grand Hyatt, Hyatt Regency and The Unbound Collection by Hyatt brands slated for 2023 and the years ahead.  

Members of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) enquiry mission are in Riyadh for their 6-day evaluation process of the Riyadh Candidacy for World Expo 2030. Saudi Arabia announced its bid to host World Expo 2030 in Riyadh in October 2021 and, since then, senior Saudi government officials have made three presentations to the BIE General Assembly. The year 2023 will see key milestones for Riyadh Expo 2030 with the current enquiry mission visit, a presentation to the General Assembly in June and the final vote by the General Assembly in November 2023. Members of the enquiry mission will engage with ministers, members of government and subject matter experts, to evaluate the details of the Riyadh Expo 2030 bid. “Its theme outlines a vision to create a unique and collaborative platform for global problem-solving with an enduring legacy, led by foresight and geared towards delivering impact at a global scale,” a release stated.

Qatar Airways launched a new brand campaign in collaboration with Indian actor, Deepika Padukone. The campaign launch is the culmination of the airline’s endeavor to redefine Qatar Airways premium experience, particularly through showcasing the Q-Suite, the airline said in a statement. Calling Padukone an obvious choice, Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, Akbar Al Baker, said, “She has the right global appeal and charisma for our brand.” Qatar Airways currently flies to more than 150 destinations worldwide, connecting through its Doha hub, Hamad International Airport.

Hotel management company Shaza Hotels has entered into a brand-wide agreement with WebBeds, a global marketplace for travel brands. Based on the agreement, WebBeds will undertake brand wide pricing and distribution globally for all Shaza and Mysk Hotels through their distribution networks, connecting travel agents and trave trade suppliers. This partnership will strengthen Shaza Hotels’ distribution network and expand its reach in the global travel market, the company said in a statement. Shaza Hotels also announced its ambitious expansion plans in the region, which includes the opening of properties in Dubai, Jeddah, Madinah, Sharjah and Muscat. The group said that it is also aiming to develop its Shaza and Mysk portfolio outside the Gulf region, to U.S., Turkey, Egypt and Levant.

Leading luxury hospitality company Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts announced plans to introduce a Four Seasons Resort as part of The Red Sea masterplan development in Saudi Arabia. Touted to be one of the region’s foremost luxury beachside destinations, The Red Sea will comprise idyllic natural islands and lagoons across 124 miles of coastline along the western coast of Saudi Arabia, between the cities of Umluj and Al Wajh. The new Four Seasons Resort will be located on Shura Island. “As we continue to expand Four Seasons presence in the region, our new project in the Red Sea will be one of our first resorts in Saudi Arabia,” said Bart Carnahan, president, global business development and portfolio management. The new Four Seasons Resort, designed by Foster + Partners, will offer approximately 149 rooms and suites.

Emirates and Philippine Airlines have signed an interline agreement to boost connectivity for passengers of both air carriers to new points on each other’s networks via Manila and Dubai, using a single ticket and one baggage policy. The partnership provides Emirates’ passengers access to 19 Philippine domestic destinations operated by Philippine Airlines, including Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, Bacolod, Cotabato, Davao, Iloilo, Kalibo and more, as well as two Asian regional points via Manila. Passenger of Philippine Airlines will also benefit from access to Emirates’ global network beyond Dubai. The partnership will help open new links for trade and tourism that will drive more inbound traffic into the market, and expand Emirates’ footprint in East Asia, said Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Chief Commercial Officer, as he called The Philippines one of the strongest consumer markets for the airline.

Source: Skift

What travelers to Turkey need to know

It’s been nearly a month since a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck Turkey and Syria, claiming the lives of thousands of people and injuring many more.

The devastating impact of the events, and the aftershocks that have followed, have left many travelers who had been planning to visit the country in the coming days, weeks, or even months, with questions.

Now in a three-month state of national emergency, Turkey is a major tourism destination, attracting 44.6 million foreign arrivals in 2022, according to Turkish government statistics.

Many would-be visitors will have been headed to key resorts and cities, particularly in popular coastal winter sun destinations.

The quake hit near to the town of Gaziantep in southeast Turkey, close to the Syrian border, at around 4.17 a.m. local time on February 6, leading to over 6,000 buildings collapsing.

While international travelers have been advised against traveling to the affected areas, travel to the leading tourism destinations – mostly far from the quake-hit areas – remain unaffected for the most part. But there will inevitably be some impact.

Here’s what we know:

What areas have been affected by the earthquake?

Approximately 10 Turkish provinces were impacted by the quake, which was one of the strongest to hit the region in more than a century – Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kahramanmaras, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye and Sanliurfa.

The ancient Gaziantep Castle, one of the Turkish city’s most renowned landmarks, was severely damaged due to the earthquake.

The city of Aleppo, already ravaged by 11 years of civil war, was among the most affected areas of northwestern Syria, where more than four million people were already relying on humanitarian assistance.

Have flights to Turkey been canceled?

International airlines have been operating flights to and from Turkey as normal since the earthquake.

Three airports – Turkey’s Adana Airport (ADA,) Hatay Airport (HTY) and Gaziantep Oğuzeli International (GZT) Airport – were briefly shut after the quake. However, all have since reopened.

Istanbul Airport, Turkey’s main international airport, has continued to operate as normal.

Turkish Airlines, the national flag carrier airline of Turkey, is allowing passengers to either rebook, or obtain a refund on domestic and international flights to or from “earthquake afflicted areas”on flights scheduled from February 6 to March 31, provided they were booked before February 9, 2023.

How will vacationers be impacted?

There’s no indication that any travel to Turkey’s major tourism destinations has been majorly disrupted and most are able to welcome visitors as normal.

Ali Kutuk from Likya Nature Travel, a travel agency based in Antalya that offers trekking tours, told CNN Travel that the agency had so far had just one group booking cancellation, and one rebooking as a result of the quake.

“We have [had] some impact on recent tours,” he says, before stressing that he is not expecting the situation to affect summer bookings and local people are still making travel plans within the country. “I continue to have reservations for summer.”

Antalya is around 594 kilometers (369 miles) away from earthquake zone city Gaziantep by air. Istanbul is about 850 kilometers (528 miles) away. Other major tourist destinations such as Cappadocia, Canakkle, Bodrum and Marmaris are also far from affected areas.

What is the current advice for international travelers?

While various governments, including the US and the UK, have urged travelers to avoid specific areas impacted by the earthquake, citizens are not being advised stay away from unaffected areas in Turkey at present.

Should tourists visit Turkey now?

Most of Turkey’s leading tourism destinations are continuing to welcome visitors. For many in the country, the recent earthquake has made it more imperative that people continue to travel to Turkey’s unaffected areas for their vacations.

Many people in Turkey are dependent on tourism revenues and, after being affected by pandemic shutdowns in recent years, were banking on a resurgence in visitors until the quake hit.

In 2021, Turkey’s travel and tourism sector contribution to GDP was $59.3 billion, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council.

The World Bank says that the quakes have caused around $34 billion of direct damage in Turkey.

What can I do to help victims of the earthquake?

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) have launched two emergency appeals with a total value of 200 million Swiss francs (around $214 million) to help relief efforts in both countries.

There are many other organizations who are also on the ground responding. You can help by clicking here.

Source: CNN

East Africa Tourist Visa Aims to Boost Tourism in the Region

Travel professionals at ITB Berlin 2023 are informed about the business opportunities and prospects offered in East Africa today.

In the presence of African joint venture partners, including a delegation accompanying the Ethiopian tourism minister, representatives of business and tourism organizations described possible ways in which these countries can profit from the expansion of long-haul tourism.

East African countries have a wealth of tourism highlights. Tourism attractions range from safari tours to gorillas in the wild in Uganda, as well as cultural sites in Ethiopia and the famous Nyungwe waterfalls in the national park of the same name in Rwanda. Kenya and Tanzania, together with the island of Zanzibar, are already popular destinations for German visitors. The majority of tourists use the services of well-known package tour providers, explained Dr. Martin Post from the German Travel Association (DRV). He forecasts a substantial recovery of the long-haul travel market. However, many people make their bookings at short notice, which complicates planning for the providers of such services.

Matthias Lemcke, vice president of the South and East Africa Working Group (ASA), described the advantages of his association, which includes tourism boards, airlines and tour operators. Part of his work involves visits by delegations from Germany to countries that have not had many international tourists. Among the events planned for 2023 is a tour to Angola. As a consultant and ASA member Guido Bürger explained that tour operators with a unique selling point can also find opportunities, alongside established suppliers of package tours, for example by offering bird spotting or culinary events. However, growing numbers of travellers are making their bookings online or, if they are familiar with a country, they put all the components of their trip together themselves. Digitalisation provides an opportunity for small and medium sized businesses, and in some East African countries they can to some extent have access to funding programmes such as those offered by the World Bank or the GIZ.

The East Africa Tourist Visa, known as EATV for short, is designed to make travellers‘ lives easier. So far it is valid for Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda. More countries may be included in the future. All three countries can be visited with one visa, which is valid for 90 days and entitles the holder to multiple entries.

Kenya

Over the past few years, Kenya has slowly but steadily been rebuilding its tourism sector.  Kenya’s major activities include holiday travel at 68 per cent, business travel at 18 per cent and transit at 14 per cent. Tourism arrivals for the year 2018 were recorded at 2.025 million. The challenges for Kenya include globalization which is leading to the creation of uniform standards and protocols, and the heavy taxation of the sector, among others.

Uganda

The country has branded itself as “Gifted by Nature” with many tourist attractions, including wildlife, nature, geography, culture, heritage and good weather all year around. Uganda witnessed a 7.4 per cent increase in international tourist arrivals in 2018, with the numbers growing from 1,402,409 persons in 2017 to 1,506,669 arrivals in 2018.

Rwanda

Tourism revenue recorded a 76 per cent decline from $498 million in 2019 to $121 million in 2020 due to the pandemic restrictions.

In 2021, Rwanda’s tourism revenues were $164 million, a 25 per cent increase from $131 million in 2020. The country welcomed more than 512,000 international visitors in 2021.

Source: FTN News

Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism relaunches Dubai Carbon Calculator

Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) has announced the relaunch of the pioneering Carbon Calculator tool that measures the carbon footprint within Dubai’s hospitality sector. The tool has now been revamped to track real-time data for carbon emission sources, allowing hotels to identify and effectively manage their energy consumption.

The improvements are part of the Dubai Sustainable Tourism (DST) initiative that seeks to contribute to the broader clean energy targets and support the UAE Net Zero by 2050 Strategy, in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) 2030. The initiative also supports the goals of the Dubai Economic Agenda D33, to consolidate Dubai’s status as one of the top three global cities and enhance its position as one of the world’s leading sustainable tourism destinations.

Since its inception in January 2017, Dubai Sustainable Tourism’s Carbon Calculator, part of the Tourism Dirham Platform, has been measuring the carbon footprint of hotels across Dubai. On a monthly basis, hotels are mandated to submit their consumption of nine carbon emission sources, including: electricity, water, district cooling, liquefied petroleum gas, landfill waste, recycled waste, petrol, diesel and refrigerants. This information is aggregated and analysed to provide valuable industry insights on the sector’s collective carbon footprint. In addition, by formulating a baseline along with consistent tracking, this information enables hotels to understand their energy, water and waste consumption and further identify successful cost-saving opportunities.

The data provided helps hotels and resorts implement initiatives to efficiently manage their carbon footprint in line with the 19 Sustainability Requirements put in place to establish a baseline across hotels in Dubai and unify hotels’ environmental practices. The 19 Sustainability Requirements include sustainable management approaches, performance metrics, energy, food and water management plans, guest education, employee training initiatives, the presence of sustainability committees within hotel establishments and corporate social responsibility programmes for local communities. Through improving internal sustainability operations, hotel establishments in turn, will enhance the competitiveness of Dubai’s tourism-linked economy.

Yousuf Lootah, Acting CEO of Corporate Strategy and Performance sector, Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism, said: “We are pleased to relaunch the Carbon Calculator as part of our ongoing commitment to support the UAE Net Zero by 2050 Strategy, and align with the Dubai Economic Agenda D33. The upgraded platform also further aligns with the UAE’s commitment to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly as the city ramps up preparations to host the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) this year.”

Lootah added: “As DET continually strives to further enhance its services to stakeholders and partners, the revamped carbon calculator will provide hotels with a user-friendly experience and enable hotels to make informed decisions. By keeping track of their energy consumption, the data provides a baseline for DET to develop strategies for the sector so that hotels and resorts can effectively manage impact, improve the efficiency of managing carbon resources and identify potential saving opportunities. In addition to supporting hotels and resorts within the city’s tourism ecosystem, this initiative has a larger goal: creating a city that is the world’s most visited and the best place to live and work in, as envisaged by the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan.”

In addition to relaunching the Carbon Calculator, the Dubai College of Tourism (DCT) and Dubai Sustainable Tourism (DST) have upgraded the ‘Dubai Sustainable Tourism’ course available on DCT’s innovative learning platform – Dubai Way. The course offers a broad range of educational and awareness programmes for people employed in tourist-facing roles across the tourism ecosystem.

The newly relaunched module includes educational segments focused on the Carbon Calculator, water and energy saving, how to establish a ‘Green Team’ and implement green procurement strategies. The course reflects the power of education in driving sustainable tourism and encouraging the implementation of environmental practices, while empowering participants with the knowledge to successfully implement ESG principles across the travel and hospitality sectors, thus creating a network of sustainability champions.

Source: Emirates News Agency – WAM

Middle East and Africa region expected to return to pre-pandemic levels of business travel spend by 2024

Business travel in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) is recovering more rapidly than in any other region, according to the most recent Business Travel Index Outlook annual forecast and outlook (2022), from the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), the world’s largest business travel association. MEA business travel achieved 86% of its 2019 levels during 2022, outperforming the recovery in Americas, Asia Pacific and Europe.

The strong performance of the sector and future opportunities will come under the spotlight during Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2023, which takes place at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) from 1-4 May.

Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director ME, Arabian Travel Market, said: “The business travel sector is a key component of the Middle East’s wider travel and tourism industry, and it is encouraging to see that it has bounced back so strongly since the pandemic. The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) will present an in-depth analysis of how technology can support this return to travel and the ways in which this can be done sustainably in two education sessions with key insights from leading industry professionals.”

According to the forecast, business travel spending reached $933 billion globally in 2022, 65% of the USD $1.4 trillion business pre-pandemic travel spend, with the MEA region accounting for $23 billion or approximately 2.5% of overall spending within the sector.

“The MEA region is an important growth market for business travel and benefitted from a prompt Covid-19 vaccination roll-out in key markets such as the UAE and Israel, as well as increased economic activity driven by the rising price of crude oil to accelerate the business travel recovery. The region is expected to return to pre-pandemic business travel spend by 2024 and continue its growth trajectory” said Catherine Logan, Regional Vice President EMEA & APAC, GBTA.

GBTA will be hosting two sessions at ATM 2023. The first entitled, ‘All Hail the Innovators’ will be taking place on the Global Stage, discussing how transformational technologies can be harnessed and incorporated into corporate travel program effectively. High-profile speakers include, James Britchford, Vice President Commercial IMEA, IHG, Jordan Bray, Vice President of Plug and Play, and Mohammed Halawi, Global Travel and Journey Risk Management Director, Firmenich FZ LLC.

The second session entitled ‘Implementing Sustainability in your Travel Program’ will be taking place in the brand-new Sustainability Hub and will feature GBTA’s Catherine Logan, Regional Vice President – EMEA & APAC. Logan will provide insights on how corporate travel programs can become more sustainable.

Aside from restricted travel, an increase in remote working globally has had a dampening effect on business travel growth. However, now that travel is almost restriction-free, employees have revealed an increased likelihood to travel more for work, whether long-term or overnight business trips according to the latest business travel outlook poll from GBTA.

Curtis commented: “After the turbulent period we have experienced over the last two years, it will be very interesting to assess current market conditions and find out how business travel can continue to grow, particularly with the recent relaxation of travel restrictions in China.”

ATM 2023 will explore the future of sustainable travel in line with its theme of ‘Working Towards Net Zero’. Having officially initiated its journey to net zero, the conference programme will explore how innovative sustainable travel trends are likely to evolve, allowing delegates to identify growth strategies within key vertical sectors while providing a platform for regional experts to explore a sustainable future ahead of COP28, which will take place in November 2023 at Expo City Dubai.

The conference will also feature a sustainability category at its annual exhibitor awards for the first time. Exhibiting organisations will be recognised based on the extent to which they have considered the environmental impact of their stands, as well as their efforts to reduce their carbon footprint.

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.

Source: TravelDailyNews

ITB Berlin – Tourism Faces New Risk: Finding Staff

The world’s travel and tourism sector is facing a new risk after Covid 2019: finding staff, revealed a recent study presented during a press conference at ITB Berlin this week.

The news was announced as part of the newly formed Tourism Employment Expansion Mandate (TEEM) project – an initiative of Jamaican Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett and the Global Travel and Tourism Resilience Council, which he co-chairs.

According to data presented at ITB, the travel and tourism industry is facing its biggest challenge yet: finding employees. Indicatively, World Economic Forum data reveals that Covid-19 led to the loss of more than 62 million workers in the sector.

Additionally, according to the first phase of the global survey carried out by Arvensis Search on behalf of TEEM and presented during the Global Tourism Resilience Conference in Kingston, Jamaica last month:

-68 percent of travel and tourism businesses polled said they are currently understaffed.

–88 percent of the industry acknowledges a workforce deficiencies

-62 percent said the 25 to 45-year-olds are the most difficult talent to attract for work in travel and tourism. They are now opting to pursue jobs in technology and pharmaceuticals rather than the in travel

-80 percent of those surveyed said they now leave jobs open for longer periods of time compared to the past and 82 percent leave jobs open overall

-the majority of shortages found are in “critical” roles, including food preparation, technology, AI, sales and reservations

-according to TEEM, tourism and travel will require 8.4 million new recruits by 2025 who must be more specialized in areas such as data analysis, digital marketing and advanced customer service.

According to TEEM, which is global initiative working towards post-Covid recovery of the industry’s workforce, the next step will focus on understanding the talent sentiment and identifying reasons for migration to other industries. The current survey was conducted across Europe, the Americas, Australasia, Asia, the Middle East and Africa, and included professionals from tour agencies and operators, airlines, airports, cruise lines, and hospitality companies.

“Resilience is not a destination…it’s a journey. We all must be on this journey together in collaboration with each other to ensure that economic parameters and the social conditions are improved, while climate and the environment are addressed. Resilience means we prepare for crises rather than react to them,” said Bartlett.

In mid-June last year, tourism businesses in Greece were still short of staff with at least 2,430 job openings listed on the Public Employment Service (DYPA) portal open to all jobseekers.

With the slogan “Open for Change”, the world’s leading travel trade show ITB Berlin opened its doors on Tuesday for the first time after a three-year hiatus caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. ITB Berlin wrapped up on Thursday.

Source: GPT

Air India to Bid Goodbye to Vistara Brand in Airline Merger

It’s still way too early to tell whether it was the right decision to nix the Vistara brand, but Air India clearly has its work cut out for itself as the brand name also comes with a lot of baggage.

The Tatas will let go of Indian full-service carrier Vistara as they look to merge the airline with the more “internationally-recognized” Air India, Air India CEO Campbell Wilson said on Monday.

Wilson told news agency Press Trust of India that efforts would be made to retain some of the “Vistara heritage in that new manifestation.”

He added that the process of Vistara’s integration with Air India is awaiting regulatory approval from the Competition Commission of India.

AirAsia India will also be merged with Air India Express. “In the next couple of months we will start deploying more public facing steps that will indicate the coming together of these two airlines,” the Air India CEO said.

Once completed, the Tatas will end up with one full service and one low-cost airline, Wilson said, while reiterating the aspiration of attaining that 30 percent aviation market share objective in India both domestically and internationally.

Calling it an amalgamation of the existing assets, Wilson said, “We are picking the best from each of those airlines to carry forward and using the combined economies of scale and combined knowledge to elevate the proposition beyond what’s offered by any of the existing airlines currently.”

The mergers would also help the group to tap a market segment that it previously hasn’t been quite equipped to take full advantage of, according to the CEO.

Air India’s Record Aircraft Orders

While there have been talks of Air India’s record order of 470 aircraft from Boeing and Airbus, Wilson said the task is more than just buying aircraft. “It’s the absolute and complete transformation of Air India,” he said speaking to Indian media.

With the Tatas taking over Air India, the erstwhile Indian state carrier, in 2022, the transformation has been focusing on three phases, Wilson said.

In the current take-off phase, Wilson said they have been putting a comprehensive effort to address some of the issues that have accumulated over many years of underinvestment, addressing system shortages and restoring aircraft to flying service.

Wilson said despite the challenges the airline has so far announced 16 new international routes and capacity has been increased on nine others.

United Arab Emirates’ national carrier Emirates is also reportedly looking at a codeshare pact with Air India, according to reports in Indian media.

Having already put significant capacity into North America from both Delhi as well as Mumbai and some from Bengaluru, the airline has also added capacity into Europe — Milan, Copenhagen, Vienna, and now has 12 services into Gatwick.

The airline is also looking to establish direct connectivity with New Zealand. No airline currently offers direct flights between the two countries. 

The Investments

The Tata Group is not shying away from investing in the Indian aviation sector, Wilson said. “The aircraft order requires a significant sum and how that will be funded is a matter of internal deliberation but there are many sources.”

The group plans to fund its $70 billion order for a record 470 aircraft with internal cash, equity and through sale-and-leasebacks, according to a Reuters report.

The group has also committed $400 million in refurbishing the existing aircraft and more than $200 million in upgrading and improving the IT systems, according to Wilson.

He said the group is also investing significantly in a training academy and is in deep discussions with a number of potential partners to set up what will be one of the world’s largest training academies in India.

“As time progresses, we can build our own talent pipeline clearly for Air India as the first priority. But secondly, and perhaps more significantly, for India as a whole,” he said.

And with all that investment, profitability is definitely an objective for the group. But Wilson said the group is not putting any time to any milestones, as it is a work in progress.

“There’s a lot of growth that we need to invest in, a lot of capabilities that we need to strengthen and deploy,” he said.

Source: Skift

Business Travel Poses Biggest Challenge Globally for Hoteliers — Survey

Hotels have mixed feelings about business travel in 2023.

On one hand the corporate travel and groups segment is the main area of focus for hotel revenue teams this year.

But rather than staffing issues, business travel also represents their biggest challenge, according to a new Outlook & Trends 2023 Survey from revenue management software company Duetto.

When hoteliers were asked how they planned to optimize business mix in 2023, the top responses were group business (59.5 percent) followed by corporate business (51.9 percent).

Channel management (48.1 percent), online travel agencies (38 percent), then tour operator, wholesale and fully independent travelers (30.4 percent) followed.

Business travel is returning this year, but Duetto believes the fact it’s unlikely to return 2019 levels weighs heavily. for example, only half of companies located in North America are seeing international bookings recover to their pre-pandemic levels according to the Global Business Travel Association.

When it comes to the challenges hotels face in 2023, business travel came top at 60.8 percent.

Staffing followed at 55.7 percent, ahead of increased costs, government restrictions, lead times and cancellations.

As expected, seeking out sales digitally is a priority when it comes to channel management efforts — but revenue execs could be focusing on the wrong channel if they want to boost their business travel bottom line.

Their top focus for channel management in 2023 are metasearch websites such as Google, TripAdvisor or Kayak. This came out highest at 75.9 percent.

Other areas including loyalty (57 percent); online agency (55.7 percent); “own website” (54.4 percent); and global distribution systems (53.2 percent). Yet it’s these global distribution systems that are commonly used by corporate travel agencies.

Duetto’s survey was carried out from Dec. 1, 2022, to Jan. 16, 2023.

Respondents worked in leisure hotels, business hotels, casino resorts and hostels. Geographically they came from North America (39.5 percent), Europe (21.1 percent), Latin America (21.1 percent), Asia Pacific (14.5 percent), and the Middle East & Africa (3.9 percent).

Source: Skift