Following Ethical Tourism Brands will Become a Major Trend, says Arabian Travel Market
Hotels, airlines and resort destinations will have to live and breathe their brand values
- Feedback from 2021 responsible tourism seminar identifies potential market trend with sustainability and social awareness at its heart
- New Google listing will make hotels verify their environmental credentials
RX Global, organiser ofArabian Travel Market (ATM),has revealed that 2022 could witness a resurgence in brand-conscious travellers, following commentary it received from delegates attending its 2021 in-person and virtual seminars about responsible tourism.
"The feedback we received, has enabled us to identify a particular profile of traveller, that now actively looks for ethical brands to follow and wants to see tangible evidence of that brand practicing what it claims to be."
"This potential vertical shows a combination of characteristics attributed to outdoor adventurers, wellness, eco-tourists, digital nomads on workcations, experiential tourists and socially aware travellers,"saidDanielle Curtis, Exhibition Director ME, Arabian Travel Market.
"Naturally we will be showcasing this emerging trend during our 2022 hybrid event which takes place live and in-person at the Dubai World Trade Centre on 8-11 May 2022, with a virtual edition on 17 and 18 May 2022."
"Our conference programme for ATM 2022 is still being created but already we have sessions that will address the challenges facing airlines, hotels and other destinations, in the near future, such as health and safety, technology and equity in health, education, and economic opportunity,"added Curtis.
During our aviation seminars at ATM 2021, experts felt that it would be short haul leisure breaks, favouring low-cost operators would be the first to recover in the wake of the pandemic. Although that may still seem to be the case, this emerging market segment certainly wont be confined to one location, will likely choose longer haul destinations and stay over a longer timeframe, interspersed with periods of work.
"The bottom line here is very similar though. These tourists will still want to see brands committed to health and safety and tangible evidence of a sustainable strategy such as certification with an independent organisation,"commented Curtis.
To underscore that demand, according to market data on Statista, 81% of 29,349 adults surveyed earlier this year, across 30 countries confirmed that they would like to stay in a sustainable resort, at least once in the 12 months ahead. Five years ago, only 62% of respondents, made the same claim.
Indeed, Google found that the search term"green hotel,"had increased fourfold over the past 18 months in terms of volume. So, to help eco-tourists, Google will now accredit hotels with a green eco-emblem next to their name during a routine search. It will also add details of the propertys specific sustainability policy and procedures and activities. To qualify, hotels must have their achievements audited by a credible third-party.
"This will provide more transparency for potential guests and help to reward hotels with genuine environmental achievements,"said Curtis.
Now in its 29thyear and working in collaboration with the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) and Dubais Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing(DTCM), the event, show highlights in 2022 will include, among others, destination summits focused on key source markets Saudi, Russia, China and India.
Travel Forward, the leading global event for travel technology which puts a spotlight on the latest, next generation technology for travel and hospitality, ATM buyer forums and speed networking events, as well as ARIVAL Dubai @ ATM. Through a series of webinars this dedicated forum covers current and future trends for tour operators and attractions with a focus on growing business through marketing, technology, distribution, thought leadership and executive level connections.
ATM 2022 will also host dedicated conference summits on the Global Stage, covering aviation, hotels, sports tourism, retail tourism and a special hospitality investment seminar. The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), the worlds premier business travel and meetings trade organisation, will once again be participating at ATM. The GBTA will deliver the latest business travel content, research and education to drive the recovery and support growth in business travel.
ATM will play an integral role in Arabian Travel Week, a festival of events dedicated to travel professionals from all over world, to collaborate and shape the recovery of the Middle East travel industry, through exhibitions, conferences, breakfast briefings, awards, product launches and networking events.
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About Arabian Travel Market (ATM)
Arabian Travel Market (ATM), now on its 29th year, is the leading, international travel and tourism event in the Middle East for inbound and outbound tourism professionals. ATM 2021 showcased over 1,300 exhibiting companies from 62 countries across nine halls at Dubai World Trade Centre, with visitors from more than 140 countries over the four days. Arabian Travel Market is part of Arabian Travel Week. #IdeasArriveHere
Next in-person event: Sunday 8 to Wednesday 11 May 2022, Dubai World Trade Centre, Dubaihttps://www.wtm.com/atm/en-gb.html
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About Arabian Travel Week
Arabian Travel Weekis a festival of events taking place within and alongside Arabian Travel Market 2022. Providing a renewed focus for the Middle Easts travel and tourism sector, it includes ATM Virtual,ILTM Arabia, Arival Dubai, Influencers events and activations, as well as Travel Forward. It also features the ATM Buyer Forums,ATM Speed Networking Events as well as a series of country summits.
https://www.wtm.com/arabian-travel-week/en-gb.html
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About RX (Reed Exhibitions)
RX is in the business of building businesses for individuals, communities and organisations. We elevate the power of face-to-face events by combining data and digital products to help customers learn about markets, source products and complete transactions at over 400 events in 22 countries across 43 industry sectors. RX is passionate about making a positive impact on society and is fully committed to creating an inclusive work environment for all our people. RX is part of RELX, a global provider of information-based analytics and decision tools for professional and business customers.www.rxglobal.com
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RELX About RELX
RELX is a global provider of information-based analytics and decision tools for professional and business customers. The Group serves customers in more than 180 countries and has offices in about 40 countries. It employs over 33,000 people, of whom almost half are in North America. The shares of RELX PLC, the parent company, are traded on the London, Amsterdam and New York Stock Exchanges using the following ticker symbols: London: REL; Amsterdam: REN; New York: RELX. The market capitalisation is approximately 33bn, 39bn, $47bn.*
*Note: Current market capitalisation can be found athttp://www.relx.com/investors
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About World Travel Market
World Travel Market(WTM) Portfolio comprises leading travel events, online portals and virtual platforms across four continents, generating more than $7.5 billion of industry deals. The events are:
WTM Virtual,is the WTM Portfolio virtual platform, created to offer global delegates the chance to arrange one-to-one virtual meetings, to do business, attend conference sessions and roundtables, take part in speed networking and more. WTM Virtual embrace the global leading travel shows in one platform.
WTM London, the leading global event for the travel industry, is the must-attend three-day exhibition for the worldwide travel and tourism industry. Around 50,000 senior travel industry professionals, government ministers and international media visit ExCeL London every November, generating over 3.71 billion in travel industry contracts.
Next live event: Monday 1 to 3 November 2021 at ExCel London
Next WTM Virtual: Monday 8 to 9 November 2021 Virtual
WTM Latin Americatakes place annually in So Paulo and attracts around 19,000 tourism professionals during a three-day event. The show offers qualified content, as well as networking and business opportunities. In its ninth edition the first 100% virtual WTM Latin America followed its focus on effective business generation and reached the milestone of 4,200 meetings held between buyers, travel agents and exhibitors.
Next event: Tuesday 5 to Thursday 7 April 2022 Expo Center Norte, SP, Brazil
WTM Africalaunched in 2014 in Cape Town, South Africa.More than 6,000travel industry professionals attend Africas leading inbound and outbound travel and tourism market. WTM Africa delivers a proven mix of hosted buyers, media, pre-scheduled appointments, on-site networking, evening functions and invited travel trade visitors.
Next event: Monday 11 to Wednesday 13 April 2022 Cape Town International Convention Centre, Cape Townhttp://africa.wtm.com/
Aashif Shaikh
Mumbai, India