REGULARS FEATURES All

22 THE DESERT’S SECRET

AlUla’s hospitality, transport and cultural ecosystems are working in tandem to create new experiences in Saudi Arabia

26 A BALANCING ACT

Can the world’s largest hotel franchising company expand responsibly and sustainably?

38 RISKING IT IN REYKJAVIK

Wild beauty and a sense of danger are now attracting groups to explore Iceland’s sustainable MICE o erings

42 NAVIGATING OSLO

Striking architecture, magni cent museums and glorious gastronomy in the Norwegian capital

How Abu Dhabi is rapidly transforming itself into a regional MICE powerhouse

46 WINTER ESCAPES e hidden appeal of the Indian Ocean’s islands of Seychelles and the Maldives

50 STEP INTO TOMORROW

A closer look at Abu Dhabi through the lens of key upcoming projects across its retail, transport, cultural and hospitality sectors

TRIE D & TESTED RESTAURANT 65 iptara, Dubai 3

Abu Dhabi has an abundance of cultural and tourist attractions, but the message that it is increasingly sending out is that it is ready to become a regional hub for the MICE sector too. The capital of the UAE has developed a robust infrastructure to augment its case. In 2019, Abu Dhabi licensed over 13,000 events in the city with an estimated total of 23,700 speakers. Now, with lockdowns and travel restrictions fully lifted in most countries, the emirate seems poised to build on its pre-pandemic efforts as it strives towards its Abu Dhabi Vision 2030 goals. To better understand how different entities within the emirate are working cohesively to realise that vision of growing Abu Dhabi into a leading MICE destination, turn to our cover story (pg16).

Also in this edition, we take a look at updates from AlUla in Saudi Arabia which has seen high-profile hospitality projects recently open at this UNESCO World Heritage Site (pg22), as well as speak with Wyndham’s Dimitris Manikis (pg26) who explains the plans that the world’s largest hotel franchising company has for the Middle East – 25 additional properties to its existing number of 67, if you were wondering.

Looking beyond the Middle East, we have a few stories for outbound travellers such as exploring a rather unconventional city for MICE – Reykjavik (pg38) – as well as things to do when you head to Oslo and Tel Aviv. Finally, if you are already pining for a short winter break amidst a hectic first quarter of this year, turn to our winter escapes feature (pg46) to see how the Seychelles and Maldives will be able to remedy your travel blues.

Enjoy your upcoming business, leisure – or even bleisure –trips, enjoy the issue.

THIS ISSUE’S PICKS

Business Traveller Middle East is jointly published by Motivate Media Group and Panacea Media Ltd

MOTIVATE MEDIA GROUP

Editor-in-Chief Obaid Humaid Al Tayer

Managing Partner and Group Editor Ian Fairservice

Editor Varun Godinho

Art Director Clarkwin Cruz

Editorial Co-ordinator Londresa Flores

Contributors Gemma Greenwood, Hannah Brandler, Amy Sessions, Melanie Swan, April Hutchinson

General Manager – Production S Sunil Kumar

Production Manager Binu Purandaran

Production Supervisor Venita Pinto

Chief Commercial Officer Anthony Milne

Group Sales Manager Chaitali Khimji

Senior Sales Manager Murali Narayanan

PANACEA MEDIA LTD

Managing Director Julian Gregory

Associate Publisher Middle East Rania Apthorpe

Global Editor-in-Chief Tom Otley

A Balancing Act

Inside Wyndham’s plans to expand sustainably within the Middle East (Page 26)

Explore Tel Aviv

Discover the city’s stunning art, architecture, and coastline views (Page 34)

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Winter Escapes

The Seychelles and Maldives offer more than just picture-perfect views (Page 46)

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