The milestone edition of the annual MALT Congress held in Dubai on the 30th and 31st of March 2022 witnessed a great attendance of more than 200 buyers. Providing a platform for buyers and suppliers to connect and form relationships, there was no better place for the industry stalwarts to understand the current market.
There has been a significant disruption in the travel and tourism market. People are itching to travel more after the pandemic. The forecasted increase in outbound travel is primarily attributed to increased personal wealth and growing demand for business, leisure and religious travel.
Dolores focused on The Big Shift: Travel Industry landing back to Reality where she covered topics like:
* The state of the travel industry: Key lessons learned in unprecedented times
* The Key to Travel Rebound: A traveler-centric mindset
* 5 Steps to effectively join the digitalization of the travel industry.
* Travel Flexibility at an all-time high: what does it mean for the industry?
What does that mean for the future of travel? Despite the turbulence, Dolores is seeing the blue skies. Read on as we further interview her on her thoughts on the changing scenarios of the GCC luxury travel market.
What trends do you foresee in luxury outbound travel in GCC post-pandemic?
Picturing the accurate scenario for travel in the post-COVID-19 era will be a farfetched assumption, but a few trends have already started to be adopted by companies to build the future of travel in the new normal.
“The prolonged state of travel uncertainty has deeply damaged travelers’ trust. Shorter booking windows, high demand for wellness and wellbeing experiences, and above all, flexibility are the key trends that we will unfold in the luxury segment post-pandemic.”
What are the biggest changes in the travel industry according to you?
If things go well, we might be at the threshold of a new age of travel where flexibility will take the center stage while crafting new policies for travel. “The travel industry mirrors the changes happening across the consumers’ spectrum. Consumers have changed the way they prioritize, budget, and experience their travels. As a result of this chain reaction of changes, the travel industry today is more agile, perceptive, and keen to listen to travelers’ needs.”
What can the industry do to rebuild the confidence of visitors to travel abroad?
Wherever in the world you look, you’ll see people craving to travel. For travelers who are hesitant to make travel plans due to health and hygiene concerns that have taken center stage during the pandemic, travel companies are devising strategies to rebuild customer confidence.
“Travel confidence can be rebuilt, but only through a collective approach to the recovery of the tourism economy. This requires strategic participation and long-term commitment, not only by the private sector but also by the institutions. The private sector alone can only go this far, but all efforts will be in vain if the authorities don’t take collaborative actions aligning the destination efforts to the demands of the market.”
What’s your key reason to participate in the 10th MALT Congress and how does it help to rebuild the Luxury Travel & Tourism Industry?
“Sharing knowledge and expertise about tourism and travel recovery with key industry stakeholders enables the whole industry to restart on a stronger note. This is why I am delighted to join the Congress and I am committed to enabling the attendees to shift their recovery strategy approach to a traveler-centric as opposed to product-centric.”
To know more visit: www.maltcongress.com
