Forward ticket data for July and August 2024 indicates that European travellers are increasingly choosing to venture further afield to explore Dubai with a 11 per cent increase compared to the same time in 2023. Highlighted by forwardKeys, Outbound travel from Europe is displaying clear trends, with year-on-year growth in long-haul travel to a diverse range of Asian markets.

Speaking with TravTalkME on the sidelines of ITB China, Abdelkhalek Mostafa – Regional ecommerce Director Pickalbatros Hotels and Resorts shared that Chinese travellers have become one of the main source markets for their hotels and resorts across Egypt over the past few years. The main attraction of the Chinese is their world renown theme park, the largest by the name of ‘Neverland City’ in Hurghada. Ensuring that the source markets are provided all facilities is a key factor for destinations, hence Pickalbatros Hotels and Resorts too have  introduced many facilities to cater to this important clientele. Ranging from family oriented resorts to adult only resorts, Pickalbatros Hotels and Resorts have established a formidable name with their clientele from across the world.

The global tourism body is forecasting that the sector will grow its GDP contribution to more than OMR 3.3BN in 2024, 7.6% of the country’s economy, and is projected to employ more than 206,000 people across the country, with one in fourteen people working in the sector. Domestic visitor spending is predicted to continue growing, to reach OMR 1.5BN, beating the 2019 level by just over 8%. Although international visitor spending is forecast to still be behind 2019 levels by OMR 142.3MN, it is expected to continue growing through 2024.  The World Travel & Tourism Council’s (WTTC) 2024 Economic Impact Research (EIR) unveiled a promising future for Oman’s Travel & Tourism sector. With strong government support and strategic initiatives, the sector is poised to not only recover but to reach unprecedented heights this year. According to the global tourism body’s latest research, in 2023 the Travel & Tourism sector’s GDP contribution surged by almost 35%, totalling OMR 2.8BN, and is on track to surpass previous records. The sector witnessed a robust job growth of 15%, now employing 191,500 individuals nationwide. Last year, international visitors injected OMR 1.1BN into the economy, a remarkable 69% increase from 2022, while spending by domestic travellers rebounded to OMR 1.4BN. Oman’s status as a top tourist destination in the Middle East is clearer than ever, thanks to strategic government investment and support. These efforts are not only rejuvenating the economy but are also setting the stage for further increases in international travel spending and overall economic contribution from the sector. Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO, said; “Oman’s Travel & Tourism sector is on the cusp of an historic revival in 2024. “The Oman Government is a strong support of Travel …

Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC/ Visit Maldives) participated in the Riyadh Travel Fair (RTF) 2024, organised from 27-29 May 2024. Alongside 17 participants representing 9 companies, MMPRC showcased Maldives as a luxury destination in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). MMPRC’s contribution in the fair was to strengthen the presence of Sunny Side of Life in the KSA market, achieve growth in arrivals, promote segments of tourism, and target affluent travellers in the Middle Eastern luxury segment. Riyadh Travel Fair 2024, convened in the Saudi Capital of Riyadh, is considered as a significant annual event where the leading travel and tourism companies of Saudi Arabia, GCC and other countries gather, with exhibitors representing tourist promotion authorities and tourist companies at the Arab and international levels. RTF is a market for the introduction of tourist products, services, and investments provided by the most significant tourist companies in the world. Corporate travel decision makers, investors, tour operators, travel agents representing VIP clients, and other industry professionals take part in the event every year. At RTF 2024, the Maldives stand offered visitors a glimpse of the Sunny Side of Life. The stand was thoughtfully curated to showcase the diverse segments of the Maldives’ tourism industry, including luxury travel, family holidays, adventure holidays, and cultural experiences. The vibrant and colourful stand featured a range of unique experiences, including a social media contest and a special giveaway. Cultural experiences, such as a Dhivehi Calligraphy Corner, and gastronomy experiences were offered to the visitors, who got a chance to sample Maldivian delicacies. Through the event, Visit Maldives aimed to promote and market the Maldives as the world’s leading destination. It marketed its tourism products, …

IHG Hotels & Resorts signed a management agreement with Urbnlanes Development to bring two new Crowne Plaza hotels to Egypt. The dual signings will see the introduction of Crowne Plaza Cairo New Administrative Capital and the Crowne Plaza New Cairo Yellow. Set to open in 2028, both new Crowne Plaza hotels promise a unique blend of premium hospitality and convenience for guests. True to the Crowne Plaza brand, the new-build hotels are set to deliver exceptional guest experiences rooted in blended travel that cater to both leisure and business guests, enabling effortless flexibility and balance between work and life. Located in the iconic Levels Towers in the heart of the New Administrative Capital, Crowne Plaza Cairo New Administrative Capital is set to offer excellent accessibility to business guests looking for proximity to the nearby government ministries, administrative institutions, embassies and finance houses. The hotel will offer three dining options, including a sky bar, and will also hosts five well-appointed meeting venues to cater to the needs of corporate guests. Crowne Plaza New Cairo Yellow, will be nestled within New Cairo’s main arteries. Part of the ‘Yellow’ mixed-use development project, the hotel will be located within short distance from business parks and Cairo International Airport. Along an all-day dining restaurant and a Club Lounge, Crowne Plaza New Cairo Yellow will feature five meeting and events venues including a ballroom. Haitham Mattar, Managing Director, India, Middle East & Africa, IHG, commented: “Signing of two new Crowne Plaza hotels in Egypt represent a significant vote of confidence and trust in IHG and the appeal of the brand. We are excited to be an integral part of these major new developments and look forward to …

Speaking on the current trends of the Chinese outbound travellers, Xiong Xing, COO of Trip.com Group speaking on the topic, “Insights into the 2024, civil aviation market.” He introduced the data from Trip.com’s FlightAI market insight platform, which shows that as of 19 May, China’s cross-border flight capacity has recovered to 71% in 2024 compared to the same period in 2019, while the outbound travel search index for 2024 has risen by 63% compared to 2019, with travellers experiencing high demand for travel. “The concentrated release of travellers’ demand for travel has accelerated the pace of the industry’s recovery, and the hotly heated cross-border market is also showing new changes and trends.” Xiong Xing said. Although post-80s and post-90s travellers accounted for 53% of outbound travellers, post-2000s travellers have become the group with the fastest increase in share. From the perspective of travelling groups, parent-child family users are the absolute main force of summer outbound travel. In addition, the continuous growth of silver-haired travellers also injected new vitality into the travel market. It is worth noting that, under the strong recovery of outbound tourism, inbound tourism is also accelerating the recovery trend with the help of visa-free policy. Xiong Xing introduced that among inbound travellers in 2024, the orders of travellers from countries with mutual visa exemption for ordinary passports will grow the fastest compared to 2019.

Accor announced the launch of HERA, Accor Travel Advisor Program – a new worldwide loyalty and rewards program exclusively for travel advisors. Available now at HERA.Accor.com, the new program includes more brands, more features, and more capabilities as well as an enhanced digital experience with easy and efficient online tools for booking, tracking and reviewing activity. Other key features of HERA include informative and educational resources on Accor’s participating luxury and luxury lifestyle brands and hotels – including those sitting within the global lifestyle collective Ennismore. The new program generously rewards travel advisors for bookings while allowing them to increase their productivity, performance, and client satisfaction. “We are beyond excited to introduce HERA, a competitive and differentiated program that delivers the capabilities, personalization and rewards that the travel advisor community both needs and wants,” said Pascal Visintainer, Senior Vice President Global Sales, Luxury & Lifestyle, Accor. “Our aim is to inspire loyalty among leading travel professionals, by equipping them with all the resources they need to seamlessly create bespoke luxury travel experiences for their clients and granting them valuable Reward Points to use freely on their own time. With easy-to-use tools for travel planning, an efficient booking system, and plentiful rewards, we are confident that HERA, and therefore participating hotels sitting within Accor’s Luxury & Lifestyle division, will be a top choice of travel advisors around the globe.” HERA takes Accor’s ability to support and recognize travel agents up a notch and replaces the Group’s former Famous Agents program, with all previous travel advisor data, history, and Reward Points seamlessly migrated to the new platform. Using their personalized HERA member ID, travel advisors will earn Reward Points with each room …

The Maldives’ President Dr Mohammed Muizzu is taking part in the The Fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS4). SIDS4 is scheduled to be held from 27 to 30 May 2024 in St. John’s, Antigua and Barbuda. This year’s theme for the conference is “Charting the course toward resilient prosperity”, discussing the various development challenges faced by small island developing states. Small Island Developing States (SIDS) were recognised as a distinct group of developing countries facing specific social, economic and environmental vulnerabilities at the United Nations (UN) Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), also known as the Earth Summit, held in June 1992 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In essence, they were formally recognised as a special case both for their environment and development. This was when the SIDS programme was established within the UN. Today, SIDS comprise a distinct group of 37 UN Member States and 20 Associate Members of the UN Regional Commissions spread across three geographical regions. His Excellency President Dr Mohammed Muizzu engages in the interactive dialogue under the theme “Revitalising SIDS Economies for Accelerated and Sustainable Growth” along with Anders Adlercreutz, Minister for European Affairs and Ownership Steering of Finland. Maldives’ Foreign Minister Zameer will deliver closing remarks at the Private Sector Roundtable on 28 May 2024 while Environment Minister Thoriq and Housing Minister Haidar will be delivering interventions at the interactive dialogues. Both the Environment and Housing Minister will also participate in a number of side events. The majority of SIDS member states depend on the tourism industry as their main economic backbone, employment opportunities, and foreign exchange. At the SIDS4 conference, significant discussions will be held focussing on strategies to alleviate …

The Middle East saw the strongest relative growth, with international arrivals exceeding by 36% pre-pandemic levels in Q1 2024, or 4% above Q1 2023. This follows an extraordinary performance in 2023, when the Middle East became the first world region to recover pre-pandemic numbers (+22%). UN Tourism shared that international tourist arrivals reached 97% of pre-pandemic levels in the first quarter of 2024. According to UN Tourism, more than 285 million tourists travelled internationally in January-March, about 20% more than the first quarter of 2023, underscoring the sector’s near-complete recovery from the impacts of the pandemic. In 2023 international tourist arrivals recovered 89% of 2019 levels and export revenues from tourism 96%, while direct tourism GDP reached the same levels as in 2019. UN Tourism’s projection for 2024 points to a full recovery of international tourism with arrivals growing 2% above 2019 levels. In line with this, the newest data released by the UN specialized agency for tourism show that: Yet it also recalls the need to ensure adequate tourism policies and destination management, aiming to advance sustainability and inclusion, while addressing the externalities and impact of the sector on resources and communities Europe, the world’s largest destination region, exceeded pre-pandemic levels in a quarter for the first time (+1% from Q1 2019). The region recorded 120 million international tourists in the first three months of the year, backed by robust intra-regional demand. Africa welcomed 5% more arrivals in the first quarter of 2024 than in Q1 2019, and 13% more than in Q1 2023. The Americas practically recovered pre-pandemic numbers this first quarter, with arrivals reaching 99% of 2019 levels. International tourism is experiencing a rapid recovery in Asia and the Pacific …

Whilst exhibiting at ITB China Shanghai, Yalago – revealed the latest hotel booking trends and the top destinations with Chinese travellers in 2024. In order of popularity, the choices are Dubai (UAE), Riviera Maya (Mexico), Bali (Indonesia), Singapore (Singapore), and Abu Dhabi (UAE). Yalago is recording the UAE as the most popular country for international hotel bookings from China in 2024 so far, with a 11% growth in booking value this year compared to January – May 2023. With 54% of global bookings from Chinese travellers for five-star hotels, its travel experts attribute this growth to the UAE’s access to luxury properties across a variety of landscapes, close to world-class attractions. Astrid Kastberg, General Manager at Yalago, commented: “China represents one of our fastest-growing source markets for international travel. With the luxury segment prominent, we are finding Chinese travellers booking a more extensive range of five-star hotels, including across the UAE’s cityscapes, islands, and beaches. Through our industry experience and global partnerships, we aim to support worldwide travel companies in offering significant savings to customers, with expertise in destinations including the UAE, and Indian Ocean. We are excited to improve the booking process to the Maldives, as we aim to promote this destination for a standalone stay, or as part of a wider trip.” As luxury beach breaks emerge as on trend, Yalago is launching a new system function to improve the booking process for Chinese travellers seeking to experience the islands of the Maldives in 2024. Yalago’s trade partners can now book a travellers’ hotel stay inclusive of its leading rates, alongside the domestic transfers by seaplane or speedboat required for onward travel, all in one sitting. One of …