ARABIAN TRAVEL MARKET

Business travel on ATM agenda

The industry’s future will be debated live in Dubai at Arabian Travel Market

GEMMA GREENWOOD WORDS

The future of the business travel sector will be one of the hotly debated topics at this month’s Arabian Travel Market (ATM), the international travel and tourism event now in its 29th year.

Factors to consider when building a sustainable business travel programme will also be discussed by industry professionals from hotels, airlines, travel management companies, and global research firms, as part of the show’s conference programme.

ATM takes place live at the Dubai world Trade Centre (DWTC) from May 9-12, with the business travel sessions, which are being organised by the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), taking place on Wednesday May 11. They will be led by Catherine Logan, Regional Vice President, Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) at GBTA, who will kick-start ‘The Future of Business Travel’ session by revealing top trends and statistics from the 2021 BTI Outlook Annual Global Report & Forecast – Prospects for Global Business Travel 2021 – 2025, released in November 2021 and representing a study of business travel spending and growth covering 73 countries across 44 industries and now in its 13th edition.

Topline findings reveal global business travel activity has started its rebound from the sharp downturn brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. After declining 53.8 per cent in 2020 to $661 billion, the report predicts a 14 per cent rebound in 2021 to $754 billion and a 37.6 per cent hike in 2022 to $1,038.

Full recovery is predicted in 2024 with spend predicted to reach $1,482 billion compared to $1,431 billion in 2019.

The report also notes how business travel recovery has been “extremely divergent”, depending on multiple regional and destination-specific factors. In the Middle East and Africa (MEA), business travel markets picked up by between 15 and 20 per cent in 2021.

Predictions by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) are even more upbeat, with an anticipated 49 per cent increase in business travel expenditure in the Middle East in 2021 and a 32 per cent hike expected in 2022. Interestingly, the increase in business spending for the full year is expected to have outpaced spending on leisure travel by 13 per cent, 10 per cent and 1 per cent in the Middle East, Europe and Africa respectively.

Joining Logan on ‘The Future of Business Travel’ session are Sam Dawson, Commercial Director, MENA, YouGov, who will zoom in on regional trends, as well as Matt Roberts, Vice President Sales, Turkey, India, Middle East, Accor; Shaun Anderson, head of sales, dnata Travel Management; and Matt Raos, Senior Vice President Global Sales, Qatar Airways. The panellists will discuss what business travel might look like in a post-pandemic world.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

e deep dive into business travel forecasts will be followed by a session entitled ‘Building a Sustainable Business Travel Programme’. With corporations across the globe becoming more committed to operating in a more sustainable manner, another panel of industry experts will discuss how they can measure; manage and reduce the environmental impact of their business travel programme. ey include Julien Etchanchu, Sustainability Director, Advito, Martin Drew, Senior Vice President, Sales & Cargo, Etihad Aviation Group, and Philip Halanen, Head of Sourcing & Sustainability, Europe, Middle East, Eurasia, Africa, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, with Chris Pouney, Associate, GoldSpring Consulting, moderating.

A recent report by GBTA found companies want to make their travel programmes more sustainable, with almost half (48 per cent) of those surveyed expecting an increased focus on the social and environmental impact of business travel post-pandemic.

But only 25 per cent cited social and environmental impact as one of their top three priorities and only onethird (35 per cent) have a sustainability programme that includes business travel.

GBTA found the most common practice was to measure the carbon footprint of all travel (58 per cent), but less than a quarter of those surveyed were implementing other sustainable travel measures.

Companies with large programmes were most likely to have a sustainable travel policy and to mandate sustainable suppliers, while those with mid-size programmes were more likely to use data to drive greener decisions.

While sustainable travel and actively seeking sustainable suppliers is not as common practice as it should be, in the GCC, key travel industry stakeholders, including airlines and travel management companies, are doing their utmost to help companies and their employees travel more responsibly and meet their carbon emission goals, as the panel will discuss.

Etihad Airways, for example, which has earned a reputation as a sustainability pioneer in the regional and global aviation sector, has rolled out several groundbreaking initiatives over the past few years, most recently programmes that make it easy for corporates to o set their travel and meet their Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) targets.

SHOW STOPPERS

ATM’s 2022 theme is ‘ e future of international travel and tourism’ and new features at this year’s show is ATM Travel Tech. Previously called Travel Forward, the rebranded and revamped event will feature the ATM Travel Tech Stage hosting seminars, debates and presentations including pitches from nalists in the brandnew ATM Draper-Aladdin Start-up Competition.

Other highlights include summits on two of the region’s fastest-growing markets – the hotel industry and Saudi Arabia – while the opening conference session promises a line-up of industry heavyweights, with entities represented including Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), formerly the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM). e dedicated ARIVALDubai@ATM forum will cover current and future trends for tour operators and attractions, focusing on growing business through marketing, technology, distribution, thought leadership and executive-level connections, while a virtual event will be staged on May 17 and 18 to cater to those unable to travel to Dubai in person. e UAE remains one of the most COVID-secure countries on the planet, with consistently low case rates and robust measures to ensure tourists’ safety at every stage of their visit. Like its neighbouring emirates, Dubai is committed to maintaining the highest hygiene and safety standards. e World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) has endorsed its pandemic management, awarding the city a ‘Safe Travels’ stamp.

ABOUT ATM

Arabian Travel Market (ATM) is the leading, international travel and tourism event in the Middle East for inbound and outbound tourism professionals. ATM 2021 showcased more than 1,300 exhibiting companies from 62 countries across nine halls at DWTC, with attendees from more than 110 countries over the four days. In 2022, the show will feature 1,500 exhibitors from 112 destinations across 10 halls. Arabian Travel Market is part of Arabian Travel Week, a festival of events taking place alongside the show. Providing a renewed focus for the Middle East’s travel and tourism sector, it includes ATM Virtual, ILTM Arabia, ARIVAL Dubai, Influencers’ events and activations, as well as Travel Tech. It also features the ATM Buyer Forums, ATM Speed Networking Events as well as a series of country sessions. wtm.com/atm

DON’T MISS…

The Future of Business Travel

What will business travel look like in a post-pandemic world and as a severely impacted sector, when and how will it recover? This session will look at the mega trends impacting business travel and the median term forecasts for the return to travel. Wednesday May 11, 3pm

Building a Sustainable Business Travel Programme

Corporations across the globe are committed to operating in a more sustainable manner – but where does business travel fit in this picture? This session will look at how corporations can measure, manage and reduce the environmental impact of their business travel programme. Wednesday May 11, 4.15pm