A virtual discussion is in progress.

Staff Reporter, Gulf Today

The hospitality industry is recovering at a pace faster than expected in the Middle East region with Expo 2020 serving as a strong catalyst for the remarkable rebound of the sector. Leading hotel experts came together in a virtual roundtable ‘The Great Hospitality Reset’ in Dubai to discuss the future of hotel business and the industry outlook while catering to the changed mindset of travellers. Together they hailed the Expo 2020 Dubai for accelerating the hospitality industry’s path to recovery.

The webinar, organized by EVOPS Hotel Development Consultancy, in association with The House of ARY, BEE Global, Sabre, and Travel and Tourism News (TTN), was moderated by Natalie Nasser.

Talking about the industry outlook, Tina Haller, Director, Deal Advisory – Real Estate & Hospitality, KPMG, said, “The MENA region is doing pretty well with individual markets performing relatively better. Looking  at the entire region we expect the full recovery in 2022 with occupancy reaching back to 2019 levels. Although international travel is yet to come back, mega events such as the Expo 2020 Dubai and FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 have supported demand for the region.”

Michel Noblet, Executive Chairman, ATECA Holding, stated, “We all know the business landscape is changing. There is a difference between running a business and growing a business. Collaboration is critical to success, and we are seeing that a lot at the Expo 2020 Dubai. At ATECA Hotels we have recently joined the BEE Global programme by ARY which is an international business enhancement ecosystem of business success partners connecting humanity for prosperity.”

Laurent A. Voivenel, Senior Vice President – Operations and Development, Europe Middle East, Africa and India; and Senior Vice President – Group Human Resources and Talent Development, Swiss-Belhotel International, said, “Corporate business is changing with the change in the corporate travellers’ habits and expense of travel. Less people are travelling for business with longer stays.”