Industry

FIVE MINUTES WITH AMFORHT’S PRESIDENT PHILIPPE FRANÇOIS

Philippe François, an international expert in tourism, specialist in sustainable development for the hotel industry and president of AMFORHT, gives us an overview of the future of tourism and his role at the non-governmental organization.

What role does AMFORHT play?

Created 53 years ago by UNWTO, AMFORHT is an NGO recognized by the United Nations. With around 700 members from 78 countries, our goal is to promote training and education by bringing together hotel schools, universities and hotel groups. What are some of AMFORHT’s major achievements and what do you have in store for 2022?

Every week, we receive copies of agreements between hotel schools all over the world: student exchanges, research projects, partnerships with hotel groups and so forth. Our forum will take place in Switzerland in October, and we invite everyone to be part of it. When do you believe tourism will bounce back?

Tourism is one of the most robust industries in the world; it is slow to start and is just as slow to stop. All economic indicators, and especially sociological ones, place the sector in good stead for the relaunch of activities. amforht.com

Read the full interview on hospitalitynewsmag.com

EMPOWERING WOMEN THROUGH COOKING WITH DINA SAOUDI

Dina Saoudi, the cofounder of Seven Circles, co-developed Empowering through, a model that adopts an ecosystem approach, encouraging stakeholders to work together to empower the individual both economically and socially.

Why did you embark on this particular project?

I started this project to feed people and give them the necessary tools to feed themselves and their loved ones.

What can you tell us about the Empowering Women through Cooking books?

Empowering Women through Cooking are cookbooks that belong to Empowering through. Since 2017, we have been creating an impact in more than 10 countries, with a portion of the proceeds from every cookbook going toward the UN World Food Programme. Do you have any new books in the pipeline?

The Jordan and Lebanon cookbooks have been published, while the Egypt, Turkey and UAE versions are in the works. Next year, we hope to have books for South Africa, KSA and elsewhere, but I don’t want to spoil the surprise. We also publish books that focus on painting, healthy living, parenting and much more. empoweringthrough.com HOSPITALITYNEWSMAG.COM

IATA: accelerating easing of travel restrictions is a must The International Air Transport Association (IATA) urged governments to accelerate the relaxation of travel restrictions as Covid-19 continues to evolve from the pandemic to endemic stage. IATA called for the removal of all travel barriers, including quarantine and testing for those fully vaccinated with a WHO-approved vaccine. iata.org

Corporate travel will attract more investment this year Business travel expenditure in the Middle East is forecast to rise by 32 percent this year, according to a report by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC).

The WTTC report Adapting to Endemic Covid-19: The Outlook for Business Travel was compiled in collaboration with McKinsey & Company and draws on research, analysis and in-depth interviews with travel and tourism business leaders to enable organizations to prepare for corporate travel in the post-pandemic era. wtm.com/atm

World’s largest safari outside Africa is now open in Sharjah, UAE Sharjah Safari, the largest safari in the world outside of Africa, recently opened its doors to the public. Located in Al Dhaid region, the safari includes 12 different environments inspired by different parts of Africa, and extends over an area of eight square kilometers. Work on the project began five years ago. It cost approximately one billion dirhams and has provided 300 job opportunities for the region’s workforce.

UAE Iceberg Project will change the map of water distribution around the world The National Advisor Bureau Limited announced that the UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has patented its “Iceberg Reservoirs” invention. The patent marks a significant development for the “UAE Iceberg Project,” which is expected to change the map of water distribution around the world.

The patent was granted to Emirati inventor Abdulla Alshehhi, founder of the UAE Iceberg project, which will boost investor confidence in the concept’s technical and economic feasibility. The invention, dubbed one of the most significant inventions of the century, will use an advanced technology to tow the icebergs to the coasts of the UAE.