2017 Spring Edition
CONTENTS
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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS
EVENTS
- 20+ MINISTERS GATHER @ ATM
- ILTM ARABIA LAUNCHES IN 2017 AS OUTBOUND TRAVEL MARKET SET TO BE WORTH $165 BILLION BY 2025
- WORLD TOURISM FORUM – LUCERNE
- HITEC 2017
- UNWTO SECRETARY-GENERAL:THE RACE IS ON
ELITE TRAVEL TRENDS
- IT’S ALL ABOUT RETURN ON LIFE Matthew D. Upchurch, Chairman and CEO, Virtuoso
- IN THE FIELD WITH EVELYNE GAUDIN – WINE & GASTRONOMY TOURISM
- WHEN PACIFIC CULTURE MEETS FRENCH SAVOIR FAIRE
- A CULINARY JOURNEY IN THE MOST BEAUTIFUL GARDENS OF AIX EN PROVENCE
- GASTRONOMY BRINGS TRAVELLERS INTO CLOSER CONTACT WITH LOCAL TRADITIONS AND CULTURE
- FEELIN’ GREAT – IN THE SUNSHINE!
- THE TRUE POLYNESIAN EXPERIENCE
MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA
- Air Transport
- TIMES CHANGING FOR M.E. AIRLINES
- EMIRATES ANNOUNCES A380 SERVICE TO THE FRENCH RIVIERA
- ABU DHABI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT VOTED BEST AIRPORT IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND MOST IMPROVED AIRPORT: MIDDLE EAST FOR 2016
- NEW EHANCED BOOKING SYSTEM FOR ETIHAD
- Middle East & Africa Inbound Tourism:
- TRENDS & FIGURES
- 10.4% GROWTH IN ARRIVALS FOR KENYA
- ABU DHABI: EVER MORE DIVERSE AND EXCITING
- ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXCAVATIONS CAST NEW LIGHT ON ABU DHABI’S EARLIEST INHABITANTS
- Trending Hotels
- ACCORHOTELS EXPANDS LUXURY FOOTPRINT IN AFRICA WITH FAIRMONT ROYAL PALM MARRAKECH
- EXPERIENCING ONE OF MALAWI’S LAST TRULY UNEXPLOITED WILDLIFE AREAS
- PEMBA ISLAND & THE AIYANA HOTEL COMPLEX
- Middle East & Africa Outbound Tourism
- TRENDS & FIGURES: MIDDLE EAST OUTBOUND TRAVELLERS
- FRANCE DEVELOPS NEW TOOLS FOR TAS & TOS IN MEA… AND BEYOND
- UNTAPPED RESOURCES Dr Irfan Ahmad, CEO and Founder, Irhal.com
INNOVATIONS & TECHNOLOGIES
- HOTEL TECHNOLOGIES: CURRENT “BURNING ISSUES”
- GAZING INTO THE CRYSTAL BALL: WHERE WILL WE BE IN FIVE YEARS’ TIME?
- INTERNET OF THINGS (IOT)
- ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) + MACHINE LEARNING
- ROBOTICS
- SAMSUNG: A MAJOR PARADIGM CHANGE
- IN THE FIELD WITH DAVID ESSERYK: Streaming content versus direct integration
Editorial: THE TALE OF THE NEW WORLD
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness”: Perhaps these lines from the Tale of Two Cities seem even more applicable today as the world comes into a time of fundamental change, than for the period for which they were written – just before the French Revolution. Indeed, the world is getting smaller each year, but the challenges appear to be looming bigger as well.
With this backdrop, the tourism industry forges ahead – piloted by the World Tourism Organisation, and with leading events such as this month’s Arabian Travel Market, World Tourism Forum and HITEC show helping guide the way. Industry growth is very much dependent on the brilliance of those in leading positions, and in this edition of the SMARTreport, we highlight more than one example. Indeed, our interview with Arne Sorenson, President & CEO of Marriott International – now the biggest hotel group in the world, celebrates his being given the Lifetime Achievement award by IHIF.
On a different level, as Taleb Rifai, Secretary-General of the UNWTO, steps down in 2017, he talks to us about his final year, and we also take a close look at all the new candidates for the position – and each of their platforms. The CEO and President of the world’s most prestigious group of travel advisors – Virtuoso – Matthew Upchurch – is back in this edition with another exceptional interview. And in the field of technology and innovations, we gather together some of the world’s top tech brains to paint a picture of what the industry will look like in five years’ time. All in all, we’re really “taking it from the top”.
We hope you get some mileage out of this edition and that it lives up to all your expectations. Happy reading!
- Richard Barnes – Editor-in-Chief