Shift Take

Skift Global Forum East 2024 will be your chance to find out what’s really happening in the region right now.

Josh Corder

Skift Global Forum East returns to Dubai next month — a chance for travel professionals to meet, network and, most importantly, find out what’s really going on.

As a journalist living and born in the UAE, I know that the Middle East has no shortage of tourism success stories, but reporting on them can be challenging as the same narratives repeat themselves. That will not happen at our event.

Bringing together some of the region’s most powerful leaders, Skift doesn’t just give speakers a podium to pitch their brands, we use their expertise to find out what’s next in travel.

Here are five burning questions I have for our range of speakers.

1. What is Dubai’s next move?

By now, everyone knows the travel juggernaut that is Dubai: with a world-class Emirates airline, more luxury hotels than any other city, and a tourism authority fixated on cutting-edge innovation.

What we want to know is, what’s next? Where does Dubai go from here? Issam Kazim, CEO of Dubai Tourism will be on stage with Skift CEO and founder Rafat Ali to discuss Dubai’s evolution and how it can stay on top while the world around it is changing so rapidly.

2. Where is luxury really going?

Luxurious bedding and large pools just don’t cut it anymore. Big-spending travelers want a little more, and the Middle East is waking up to it, offering cooler and hipper five-star stays.

Mark Hoplamazian Hyatt CEO and President will talk about it – as his group is currently on a luxury and leisure run in the Middle East, with development deals being signed in Saudi Arabia and across the region seemingly every month.

Dillip Rajakarier CEO at Minor Hotels and Group CEO at Minor International is also set to talk about his group’s future to become a leader in luxury and what that will look like.

3. How do we make the most of India’s tourism boom?

A running joke among those living in Dubai is that Dubai is one of the best cities in India, the idea being that the relationship between the two destinations is so strong that it might as well be.

India has long been Dubai’s biggest tourism market, and neighboring states such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar have made inroads in capturing more Indian business.

Aloke Singh, CEO of Air India Express will discuss the journey to become a leading carrier in the rapidly expanding Indian tourism market, along with his insights on the key challenges and opportunities for attracting Indian tourists in the future.

4. What is happening to the entertainment sector?

Party hotels, Formula 1 tracks, an Abu Dhabi sphere. The entertainment sector in the UAE and the surrounding region is transforming at a rapid pace. It is undoubtedly one of the hottest trends in travel, but one that is rarely talked about in this part of the world.

Skift is trying to change that with its “How Entertainment is Driving the Future of Tourism” discussion.

5. Is the Middle East still strong?

It is no secret that the wider Middle East is facing a crisis. There are wars going on and executives in the region have openly said it is impacting business in the Gulf.

Lina Annab, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities for Jordanwill talk about how the country keeps its tourism arm nimble and, of course, how it succeeds amid all the tensions that surround it. Varsha Arora Varsha Arora, Skift Senior Research Analyst, will also give a not-to-be-missed presentation on the current state of travel and tourism in the Middle East.