Guests will be able to enjoy dinner and drinks in a private area on the beach at Shimmers restaurant with spectacular views of Burj Al Arab Jumeirah. The event will be attended by senior digital and travel leaders and will be the perfect occasion to build meaningful business relationships in an informal setting.
Attending both ATM and the Digital Masters Dinner will be Traveltek Chief Commercial Officer, Cressida Sergeant, Head of Sales, UK & MENA, Neil Welsh and Business Development Analyst, Oliver Chesterton.
Commenting on the potential within the MENA market, Cressida said: “The Middle East is one of the world’s most dynamic and rapidly expanding travel markets. IATA’s 20-Year Air Passenger Forecast suggests that the total market size will be 501 million passengers by 2037. Nevertheless, it’s apparent that the technology required to help the travel trade capitalise on this demand is lacking, and that’s where we come in.”
Cressida’s sentiments are echoed by the recent Middle East Consumer Travel Report which revealed that, as recently as 2015, nearly three-quarters of the search and booking activity around travel in the Middle East occurred offline.
Phocuswright’s regional overview highlighted that offline channels still represent the bulk of travel gross bookings in the area which is a result of the prominent role that traditional travel agents play. Personal relationships, language, loyalty programs and a distinct mistrust of online payment methods still influence the UAE and surrounding countries.
However, there are signs that times may be changing, in part driven by the younger generations who are beginning to travel and prefer digital reservation methods. Phocuswright predicts that 41% of travel bookings in the region will be booked online by 2021.
“Traveltek is keen to help the region’s travel companies move in the right direction, offering advanced online B2B and B2C platforms that make selling and packaging leisure travel quick and easy,” explained Neil Welsh, Head of Sales, UK & MENA.
The company’s award-winning dynamic packaging solutions have strong appeal, according to Welsh. The web-based technology empowers agencies and tour operators to hand-pick every component of a complex itinerary – including flights, hotels, tours, transfers, car rental, cruises, attraction tickets and more – and sell it as one package.
“Our technology improves speed to market, supports a multi-channel approach to business, offers multiple currency and language options, and increases reach and distribution at a time when the Middle East travel sector is flourishing,” said Welsh.
Traveltek will be at ATM from the 28th – 1st May. Get in touch at enquiries@traveltek.com or fill out our event form to arrange an appointment.
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