And just like that… World Travel Market 2024 wrapped up on the 7th of November, closing out another year of learning, socialising and partnering.
Around 4,000 exhibitors took part in this year’s Market including many operators, tourism boards and airlines from the Middle East. With an audience made up of delegates from 184 countries, it should come as no surprise that many of these Middle Eastern tourism operators had some good news to share.
From Jordan launching a new campaign to Qatar’s new Travel Agent mega-famil, the announcements were rolling out quick.
In case you weren’t able to make it this year, here are some of the top Middle Eastern tourism news stories out of WTM 2024:
Celestyal Cruises makes a 3-year commitment to Qatar
Ahead of Celestyal Cruises’ inaugural season in the Middle East, the cruise line entered a three-year agreement to promote Qatar onboard its ships.
As part of the commitment, the cruise line will promote Qatar as a key destination amongst its guests and travel agent partners.
Cruise with a Formula 1 driver
Sticking with Celestyal Cruises, when the 1,260-passenger Celestyal Journey docks in the Middle East later this month, it will bring former British Formula 1 driver David Coulthard with it.
The cruise line confirmed Mr Coulthard will be the celebrity guest speaker during the seven-night ‘Desert Days & Double Grand Prix’ cruise, departing 30 November 2024.
Mega-Fam alert! Celestyal x Qatar
Speaking of Celestyal’s Formula 1-themed cruise, Travel Agents will have a chance to go on it!
Celestyal Cruises and Visit Qatar will host 32 Travel Agents from around the world on an Arabian Gulf super famil later this month.
Agents will have the chance to cosy up to Mr Coulthard and of course, experience the best of Qatar and set sai on a Celestyal cruise.
Oman is keeping an eye on AI
Like the rest of the world, Oman is ready to step into the world of AI and is looking at how it will best serve the Sultanate’s tourism industry.
Shabib Al’Maamari, Managing Director of Visit Oman, said B2B is the country’s core business however they are exploring ways that AI and different partnerships can help tap into the B2C.
“As of now, we’re using it (AI) as a trip planner on some of the platforms that we work with,” he said. “It will be interesting to see if it will impact the pricing, the availability, the seasonality. That’s a space that we’re watching right now.”
Oman highlights tourism growth
Omani leaders used their time at WTM this year to highlight the Sultanate’s tourism growth which jumped 36.7% last year with four million tourists! The country’s growth hasn’t slowed, with the head honchos revealing a 3.2% year-on-year arrivals in the first half of 2024 to almost 2 million visitors.
In the hopes of maintaining and building that growth, H E Salim bin Mohammed al Mahrouqi, Oman’s Minister of Heritage and Tourism said he and his team were looking to attract investments, establish new international partnerships and secure agreements to facilitate new tourism projects.
“These efforts are intended to provide a unique tourism experience that aligns with travellers’ expectations, reinforcing Oman’s position as an integrated and sustainable tourism destination,” he said.
Australian fishermen are an Omani goal
A very interesting trend has developed for Australian tourists who are travelling over 24 hours to spend two weeks fishing in Oman.
Yes, fishing. Gotta love those Aussies.
Shabib Al’Maamari, Managing Director of Visit Oman, said that the Australian market is one the Sultanate is looking at very closely at the moment in order to understand their interests.
“We’re trying to digitise the [fishing] experience and make it as easy to book as possible,” he said.
Mr Al’Maamari also highlighted Spain as a market that has recently come online for Oman due to their interest in “heritage, food and culture”, and he emphasised the desire to attract tourists from Asia including Japan, China and Singapore.
NEOM’s Sindalah welcomes its first guests
Saudi Arabia’s northwest luxury island is gearing up for an exciting 2025, following the recent opening of its first ‘destination’, Sindalah.
According to Niall Gibbons, NEOM Head of Tourism, the 440-room and 88-villa escape will welcome its first guests “very, very soon”, each of whom while experience “ the best of Marriott Hotels, a great collection of Michelin-star restaurants and an amazing retail experience.
Saudi’s low-cost carrier talks network growth
Still in Saudi Arabia, the country’s low-cost airline, flynas, used its time at WTM to emphasise its commitment to the European market with plans to expand its network.
Reiterating the airline’s slogan “We connect the world with the Kingdom”, flynas’ bosses said there’s plans to add more routes such as the recently launched three-times weekly flights between Berlin and Jeddah, and Brussels and Jeddah.
Jordan and Saudi team up for tourism
Speaking at WTM, Abdul Razzaq Arabiyat, Jordan Tourism Board’s Director General, revealed that he had recently met with Saudi Tourism Authority’s Chief Executive, to discuss potential tourism collaboration.
Although he didn’t go into specifics, Mr Arabiyat highlighted the long and strong ties between the two destinations. We’ll just have to wait and see what the Kingdom’s have planned.
New campaign to revive tourism to Jordan
Jordan’s tourism leaders are hoping to revive international visitation to the Kingdom with the recent launch of a new campaign.
The new campaign emphasises the safety of Jordan as a tourist destination and easing foreigner’s fears in relation to neighbouring conflicts. The initiative also highlights Jordan’s world-class tourism attractions and promotes upcoming events.
Jordan’s new campaign comes after the Kingdom revealed international visitation had declined by 7% in the first eight months of 2024, compared to the same period last year. Read more here.
Less travelled UAE city leans into tourism
One of the lesser explored Emirati cities, Ajman, is hoping to tap into the potential of tourism through the signing of two new agreements with tourism services provider Coral Touristik and tour operator Vtours.
Signed at WTM, the new agreements highlight the city’s commitment to expanding its alliances with travel and tourism companies outside the Middle East and elevate its place as a tourism destination.
“We are confident that these agreements will play a pivotal role in developing pathways of communication and facilitating exchange of expertise, thus enhancing our capacity to offer exceptional travel experiences and propelling the Ajman’s tourism industry to new heights,” said Mahmood Khaleel Alhashmi, Director-General of Ajman Tourism Development Department.
Conservation is key for Ras Al Khaimah
One of the other up and coming UAE destinations is leaning towards conservation in its tourism planning.
Raki Phillips, Chief Executive of Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority, said there were three areas driving sustainable tourism, particularly to the UAE destination and they are: sustainability of the environment, culture conservation and economic sustainability.
Hear more from Mr Phillips here.
Sharjah shares expansion plans
Over in Sharjah, the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority is ramping up its tourism landscape with the development of new projects including the “Sharjah Safari,” which will be the largest safari experience outside Africa, and the “Moon Retreat,” a desert camping site. The Sharjah International Airport Authority also shared its expansion plans to welcome 25 million passengers annually by 2028.
Abu Dhabi locks in new partners
Keeping with the UAE, Abu Dhabi also signed a few new agreements at WTM in order to strengthen its position as a top global tourism destination.
The city’s newest partners include: Destination2 (UK), Travel Republic (global), Luxury Holidays To LTD (UK), Kenwood Travel (UK), MakeMyTrip (India), Southall Travel (UK), Trailfinders (UK), and We Love Holidays Limited (UK).
