‘2030 will be the Golden Age of Travel in the Gulf'says industry expert at Global Travel Week Middle East
Press release: March 2022
In a keynote talk at Global Travel Week Middle East delivered to travel industry leaders and decision-makers from around the world, Connecting Travel Editorial Director Sarah Hedley Hymers revealed why the GCC countries are set to enter a Golden Age of Travel in 2030
Connecting Travel, the Middle East’s leading travel and hospitality B2B media platform and flagship brand of Jacobs Media Group in the region, delivered a keynote presentation at Global Travel Week Middle East revealing why 2030 would be the Golden Age of Travel for the GCC countries.
Connecting Travel Editorial Director Sarah Hedley Hymers said: “The GCC countries are about to enter a Golden Age of Travel. By 2030, each GCC country’s tourism vision will be coming to fruition, bringing some of the world’s most rewarding and ambitious tourist offerings to the market.”
Hymers highlighted Oman’s development of 14 tourism hubs around the country, from the dazzling Musandam coastline to the Frankincense Trail in Dhofar, as well as projects in the pipeline across the rest of the GCC, from Qatar’s cruise port development to Saudi Arabia’s upcoming mega-resort, The Rig.
Hymers added: “The GCC is at the crossroads of East and West, with two thirds the world’s population within an eight-hour flight or less, making GCC countries easily accessible. This is compounded by exciting developments in visa eligibility and air connectivity, with new flight paths opening all the time.”
By the year 2030, four of the six GCC countries have committed to the goal of attracting the following number of visitors:
Saudi Arabia: 100 million | UAE: 51 million+ | Qatar: 6 million | Oman: 5.8 million
Taking place from 27 to 29 March across Shangri-La Muscat and W Muscat, Global Travel Week Middle East powered by Connections Luxury, is a trade event aimed at luxury travel buyers and suppliers, connecting the GCC and international markets.
In addition to each country’s tourism visions, geographical location, visa eligibility and air connectivity, Hymers listed safety among the top five reasons 2030 would be the Golden Age of Travel for GCC countries.
She said: “Safety is the biggest luxury travellers desire today and GCC countries consistently rank among the world’s safest. The UAE ranked as the 2nd-safest country in the world in 2021, according to an index of 134 countries, while the other Gulf countries all ranked within the top 25. Qatar was 3rd, Bahrain 12th, Kuwait 18th, Saudi Arabia 19th and Oman 25th. Meanwhile, in the Numbeo Crime Index, Qatar capital Doha has ranked either 1st or 2nd safest city in the world for the past five years.”
Hymers also addressed the safety afforded by low Covid-19 rates of infection and high rates of vaccination, commending the leadership of GCC governments for their handling of the pandemic, successfully guiding the region to its post-pandemic phase.
Both Connecting Travel and Connections Luxury are part of Jacobs Media Group, headquartered in London with offices in Dubai.
Opening Global Travel Week Middle East, Jacobs Media Group chairman Clive Jacobs said: “The past two years have challenged us in the most unimaginable ways and yet again, we have shown the resilience of our industry and I believe we emerge from this stronger and more focused. As the global voice for the travel and hospitality industries, Jacobs Media Group offers an unrivalled multimedia portfolio, which connects, informs and inspires these dynamic and evolving sectors. In September of last year we launched a completely new concept, Global Travel Week, a brand-new annual travel trade event, an event conceived in our darkest hours and designed to help rebuild our sector. Following its success, we created this special luxury edition, which is based on our highly successful Connections model whereby we bring together key decision-makers in a way that is targeted, time-efficient, meaningful, stimulating and fun, and leads to building long-lasting business relationships.”
Addressing the conference as the guest of honour, His Excellency Ibrahim Al Kharousi, Undersecretary for Heritage at the Sultanate of Oman Ministry of Heritage and Tourism said: “Global Travel Week will undoubtedly be a valuable addition to the travel and tourism industry. The Sultanate of Oman, ever welcoming, is a magnificent, beautiful country, with incredible attractions and sustainable travel choices. Our assets are our people, our majestic heritage and our natural beauty. The Ministry of Heritage and Tourism has taken several steps to boost tourism in the Sultanate of Oman and is currently implementing six key pillars to accelerate further growth for the sector. Each of the pillars aims to build a diversified and integrated tourism sector that benefits the historical, culture and natural heritage, and attract more investment to develop the tourism sector.”
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About Global Travel Week Middle East
Following the success of the inaugural Global Travel Week in London, Jacobs Media Group hosted a special edition of the show in the Sultanate of Oman in partnership with the Oman Ministry of Heritage & Tourism. Designed exclusively for decision-makers, the event welcomed luxury buyers from GCC, Indian subcontinent and around the world to meet with leading Oman and international suppliers. Connections facilitated one-to-one meetings with key travel buyers and suppliers to establish long-term meaningful relationships between international and GCC markets. Connecting Travel, the Middle East flagship brand of Jacobs Media Group, offered insight in a focused seminar outlining the future of travel in the GCC.
About Jacobs Media Group
Jacobs Media Group (JMG) is the global voice for the travel and hospitality industries, offering an unrivalled multimedia portfolio that connects, informs and inspires these dynamic and evolving sectors on an international scale. JMG has developed a market-leading portfolio of brands with a truly multinational footprint spanning five continents. In 2020, JMG was awarded a Queen’s Award for Enterprise in recognition of outstanding short-term growth in overseas sales, having grown its global business in the previous three years by 50%.
About Connecting Travel
Connecting Travel provides news, special reports, features, video content and creative solutions that inform, inspire, support and connect travel professionals at all levels throughout the Middle East with global markets via our websites and newsletters, provided in both English and Arabic. Connecting Travel is a division of the award-winning global Jacobs Media Group.
About Connections
Connections is the international private community for senior executives in high-end travel with a focus on luxury, meetings & incentives, wellbeing, adventure and weddings. The brand brings together the industry’s most respected travel agents and suppliers throughout the year, in destinations across the world. Connections is the next generation of doing business.
Connections has pioneered the Connections Way - a proven series of proprietary methodologies and approaches designed to create long-lasting business relationships between its members. Since its inception in 2014, Connections has hosted 50 global events, giving decision makers the opportunity to meet through memorable experiences and educational debates.