WTM is back with new exciting features
Middle East halls at WTM, which are located in the middle of the South Hall, have some of the big ME players (Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Qatar, Oman, Jordan, Bahrain…). We are back to a fully live format. We have four stages and many new exciting features, over 75 conference sessions and quite a few celebrity speakers. Ministers Summit of course. WTM brings together the global (leisure) travel community; providing National Tourism Organisations and international travel service providers a place to promote their products and services and do business with world-class travel buyers, as well as a stage to showcase their services to the international media. We have many dedicated VHVVLRQV DQG VSHDNHUV JHDUHG VSHFLÀFDOO\ IRU RXU QHZ JHQHUDWLRQ of travel trade and tourism industry leaders like ITT Future You. 7KHUH DUH H[KLELWRUV FRQÀUPHG RYHU QHZ WR VKRZ H[hibitors and exhibitors from over 100 countries represented.
The Middle East is an important tourism market for the island of Ireland. With numerRXV GLUHFW ÁLJKW RSWLRQV WR Ireland from the UAE, Qatar and Egypt with Emirates Airlines, Etihad Airways and Egypt Air, the island of Ireland is an easy to access destination for Middle East travellers considering a holiday in Europe. Ireland has a superb range of luxury tourism offerings WKDW ÀW SHUIHFWO\ ZLWK WKH QHHGV of Middle East travellers, from boutique hotels, castles, luxury resorts and spas, to our rich culture and heritage, and not forgetting our world-class golf. Ireland was recently named ‘Friendliest Country in Europe’ by Condé Nast Reader’s Choice Awards. This is an ongoing accolade that Ireland is proud to hold. The island of Ireland also has a wide range of Halal friendly dining experiences right across the island, plus food walking tours and unique family friendly experiences in all our cities. UAE nationals do QRW QHHG D YLVD WR WUDYHO WR ,UHODQG 7KLV KDV VHHQ D VLJQLÀFDQW ERRVW in tourism from the UAE to the island of Ireland.
I believe that travellers from GCC are set to become a key market to support post-COVID recovery for European counWULHV :LWK PDQ\ ÁLJKW RSWLRQV and varied tourism products, Europe has many attractive features for GCC travellers. Today, European Tourism Boards generally want GCC travellers to experience the authentic local culture and heritage. It has been observed that GCC travellers have a vital role in tourism recovery. As the UNWTO indicated, GCC travellers spend 6.5 times more than the global average, with 40 per cent of GCC travellers spending more than $9,770 on their last trip to European countries. The Middle East are extremely important for us. In our internal framework they are considered as a priority market, which is the highest tier. We aim for sustainable growth from the region; reaching 1Mio overnights within the next two years. Arabs absolutely love Switzerland. In a Survey of YouGov in January 2022, SwitzerODQG ZDV UDWHG WKH ÀUVW IRUHLJQ destination. And travelling to Switzerland is very convenient, QH[W WR 6:,66 ,QWHUQDWLRQDO $LUOLQHV DOO 0LGGOH (DVWHUQ ÁDJVKLS carriers travel to Switzerland. Switzerland offers everything what is demanded by Arab travellers: luxurious delights, convenience but also personal service surrounded by beautiful nature. Clearly, travel reason number 1 why Arabs travel to Switzerland is nature; and Switzerland has a lot to offer in this regard: green meadows, deep blue lakes, sugarcoated mountains, cosy villages and lively cities. Switzerland has it all. The GCC market is one of our key overseas source markets. From the GCC alone we have witnessed a staggering increase in travellers to Germany LQ WKH ÀUVW KDOI RI FRPpared to 2021. The German National Tourist Board (GNTB) recorded a 318 per cent increase in overnight stays from Gulf QDWLRQDOV LQ WKH ÀUVW VL[ PRQWKV of 2022 when compared to the same period last year. To fur ther attract GCC travellers, we have launched three different campaigns this year aligning with market wants and interests. Our ‘Feel Good’ campaign encompasses a range of guiding tips, highlighting the country’s eco-friendly initiatives that provide conscious tourists with adequate tools and information to reduce their carbon footprint during their travels. Our ‘German.Local.Culture’ campaign drives awareness on the diversity of traditional experiences that Germany has to offer. Our ‘Embrace German Nature’ campaign highlights outdoor, naturefocused activities amid awe-inspiring landscapes. 2020 & 21 were truly shakeup years for our industry. Every destination had to step out of the box and innovate. One common area many worked was Luxury travel and we cannot avoid GCC when it comes to Luxury travellers. Many countries in Europe offer Visa Free or Visa on Arrival to GCC nationals. Also, many European destinations, including small regions’ luxury properties are showcasing their offerings. While travel is gradually opening we could see that almost whole of Europe was mainly aligning to welcome GCC travellers, as they were the ones ready to travel immediately. We could see activity on Social Media and Marketing Communications adapting to Arabic language. Also, the number of travel roadshows conducted in KSA & GCC within last one year by European destinations explains all. Design of economic system in GCC countries will always give clients higher spending power. The GCC is a very important market for Spain. Taking into consideration that Spain had 83 million visitors in 2019, it’s not a big market in terms of numbers, but it is important in terms of quality. Visitors from the GCC are high spenders, who travel throughout the year and to different parts of our country, which helps to implement our sustainable strategy aimed at attracting a more sustainable and quality visitor. In 2022 the trend in the GCC is great, and we are receiving far more guests than in 2019, our record year of tourist arrivals. As an outbound destination, Spain offers security being a safe destination, and with a great health system. Anyone who comes to our country will feel like at home. Our gastronomy is well known, with a wide range of Halal options available and with our awarded Mediterranean diet. Moreover, tourists will be thrilled to discover our huge heritage, history and culture. The Gulf region is an important long-distance market for Austria and travellers from the *&& IRUP D VLJQLÀFDQW SRUWLRQ of visitors to our country and DUH FODVVLÀHG DV ¶KLJK VSHQGLQJ visitors’. Austria is one of the leading tourist destinations for the GCC residents, as it is well known for its myriad offerings when it comes to nature, culture, history and unique shopping opportunities. In the Gulf region, Austria is well known as a popular summer destination. However, the winter season has a lot to offer too. No matter if the travellers prefer an active holiday with skiing, discovering winter wonderland while enjoying dog or horse sledding, visiting the festive winter markets or indulging into the FXOLQDU\ DQG FXOWXUH RI WKH FRXQWU\ WKH\ ZLOO GHÀQLWHO\ ÀQG ZKDW WKH\ are looking for during Austria’s winter. Moreover, there are various ÁLJKWV FRQQHFWLQJ WKH *XOI UHJLRQ DQG $XVWULD (PLUDWHV $LUOLQH 4DWDU $LUZD\V (WLKDG $LUZD\V Á\GXEDL DQG 6DXGLD KHQFH WUDYHOOLQJ to Austria from any state in the Gulf is convenient. Thanks to technologies such as Big Data, which makes it possible to have more and better information on the behavior of travellers, both destinations and suppliers are making great efforts to meet the expectations of their customers by adapting their offer to their needs and preferences. Language is one of them, of course, to facilitate communication and be able to deliver the brand message and experience correctly, but also the design of the spaces, services, food and drink to adapt to their speFLÀF SUHIHUHQFHV 7KH *&& PDUNHW LV YHU\ DWWUDFWLYH IRU DOO (XURSHDQ destinations, as they have a longer stay and higher spending at the destination than other source markets. They are one of the main markets in shopping tourism, and tend to spend large amounts of money on complementary offers. In the case of Spain, most of them come WR VHH WKH $UDELF LQÁXHQFH DQG OHJDF\ WKH\ OHIW LQ WKH SHQLQVXOD