Industry

SAUDI ARABIA TO HOST WTTC’S 22ND GLOBAL SUMMIT END OF 2022

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) announced that its 22nd Global Summit will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, at the end of 2022.

Saudi Arabia has been leading a new global approach to “redesign tourism” and this summit in Riyadh will see industry leaders gathering with key government representatives to drive support for the sector’s ongoing recovery, moving it to a safer, more resilient, inclusive and sustainable future. The event in Saudi Arabia will follow the next highly anticipated Global Summit, which is taking place in Manila, Philippines, from March 14-16, 2022. His Excellency Al Khateeb, minister for tourism for Saudi Arabia, said: “I welcome the decision to choose Saudi Arabia as the host country for the next WTTC Global Summit in 2022. This is a critical forum for the private sector and government to come together to redesign tourism for the future, and it is fantastic to hold this event in the kingdom. This is recognition of Saudi leadership to help the global tourism sector recover and, importantly, become more sustainable. I look forward to welcoming all WTTC Members next year.” wttc.org

HN EXCLUSIVE: MUZZAMMIL AHUSSAIN, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, SEERA GROUP

The world is eager to reignite travel and tourism post-pandemic, and the region is no different. HN spoke with Muzzammil Ahussain, executive vice president of Saudi Seera Group, the new name for Al Tayyar Travel Group, one of the largest travel and tourism groups in the MENA region, to highlight the upcoming travel trends.

How is Vision 2030 boosting travel and tourism in KSA?

With the focus of Saudi Vision 2030 to unlock the true potential of the kingdom’s tourism industry by promoting inbound, domestic and outbound travel services, Saudi Arabia is set to be one of the world’s leading tourism destinations. Our strategy is to entice first-time visitors to discover Saudi and to continue to welcome repeat travelers. The goal of Saudi Vision is to welcome 100 million annual overnight visitors and increase tourism share of GDP to 10 percent by 2030. While the pandemic impacted the tourism sector globally last year, we see strong shoots of revival, especially in terms of domestic tourism. We are confident that with the diverse array of developmental initiatives in the kingdom, we will achieve the goals set by the Vision 2030 strategy for the tourism sector. How do you think Expo 2020 will impact tourism in the MENA in general and in Saudi Arabia?

Expo 2020 is likely to draw significant crowds to the UAE and the Middle East region in general. The event is expected to be a catalyst for tourism. The region will witness higher numbers of first-time visitors, and long-haul travelers will be encouraged to break up their journeys with visits to other destinations nearby. We are currently building dedicated packages, creating a Saudi Arabian experience around Expo 2020. Through our conversations with customers, we have seen a rise in demand and interest in clients visiting Expo to continue their journey in the region by exploring parts of Saudi Arabia, such as Al-Ula. seera.sa HOSPITALITYNEWSMAG.COM

Terminus Group inaugurates its MENA headquarters in Dubai Terminus Group has officially inaugurated its first MENA headquarters in Dubai. The inauguration ceremony connected the MENA headquarters with the Beijing and Chongqing headquarters of the company. In 2020, Terminus Group was announced by Expo 2020 Dubai as one of its Official Premier Partners and the only Official Premier Partner from China. The company’s partnership with Expo consists of two phases. For the first phase, the company has provided Expo with its comprehensive AIoT capabilities and solutions, including 152 programmable robots that will deliver services such as sterilizing and catering. In the second phase, following Expo 2020, the company will work with Expo to build a smart city in the District 2020 special zone, assisting the digital and intelligent transformation of the area. terminusgroup.com

WTTC: tourism and travel jobs to grow by 18 percent next year The travel and tourism sector’s continued sluggish recovery will see its year-on-year contribution to global GDP rise by less than one third in 2021, according to new research from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC). The economic modelling was conducted by Oxford Economics on behalf of WTTC and calculated a baseline scenario based on the current global vaccination rollout, consumer confidence and relaxed travel restrictions in some regions around the world. WTTC said that the recovery of the sector has been hampered by the lack of international coordination, severe travel restrictions and slower vaccination rates in some parts of the world. wttc.org

WEGO partners with Sultanate of Oman to promote destination to GCC travelers Wego, one of the largest online travel marketplaces in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), and Oman Ministry of Heritage and Tourism have signed an agreement to promote Oman’s tourism sites in the GCC region. Oman has opened its borders to visitors from the GCC and recently announced that it is open for Covid-19 vaccine holders from September 1, 2021. The sultanate has eased its travel restrictions but is implementing precautionary measures and following through with the vaccination drive across the country, ensuring safe travel for everyone. Over 550,000 searches were performed on Wego’s platform in Q3 2021 from the GCC to Oman. Out of these searches, 34 percent were from KSA, 27 percent from UAE, 16 percent from Kuwait, 14 percent from Qatar and 10 percent from Bahrain. wego.ae