Outbound Travelers From The Middle East Opt For Personalization And Authentic Experiences

The Middle East is the fastest growing, tourist generating regions in the world, with outbound travel quadrupling in the last 20 years. The Tourism 2020 Vision study forecasts that there will be over 46 million outbound tourist arrivals generated from the Middle East in the year 2020. The global Islamic travel market was valued at $151 billion in 2015, representing around 10% of the global international tourism market and, by 2021, that value is expected to reach $243 billion. Regional outbound travel spend will increase annually by 3.6%, from US$77 billion to US$110 billion by 2025.

The 8th Meetings Arabia & Luxury Travel (MALT) Congress taking place in Rixos Premium JBR, Dubai, UAE on February 25-26, 2020, is all set to bring together leaders in the field of travel for a comprehensive overview of this rapidly expanding Meetings, incentives, Events, Business & Luxury Travel industry. The MALT Congress 2020 will feature expert sessions on creating experiences that matter the most to the new age traveler, forging meaningful supplier relationships, making technology work, whilst helping travel buyers and managers to keep their programs relevant to changing needs. However, the crux of the event lies in sealing business deals and getting the most out of the pre-arranged business meetings.

Capitalizing on the potential of this very important travel market, Leading Tourism Boards and Convention Bureau's such as Korea Tourism Organization, Seoul Tourism Organization, Convention & Exhibition Bureau of Georgia, Abu Dhabi Convention and Exhibition Bureau, Czech Convention Bureau, Czech Tourist Authority - Czech Tourism, Dominican Republic Tourism, Philippines Tourism Promotions Board, Singapore Exhibition & Convention Bureau to Luxury Hotel brands, Cultural Centers, DMC's and global tour operators amongst many others have confirmed their participation to meet handpicked outbound travel decision makers of MICE, business & luxury travel from the Middle East to understand their buying patterns, preferences and mentality in order to offer personalized programs to cater to their needs.

Gearing up for the eighth annual of this 2-day business event, Sidh N.C, Director, QNA International, said "Our advisory board members and speakers come from top corporates, travel agencies, event management companies and also include royalty travel designers and destination wedding planners. They are all geared up to share their insights on the future of global meetings & events - from top trends for 2020 and beyond, organizational best practices on cost optimization strategies for meetings, events & business travel in Middle East, to personalization tips and what's next in luxury travel from the Middle East and much more"

The concept of personalization has changed from its initial avatar in which small but important changes including cuisine offered, services such as check-in times and tailor-made leisure packages were aligned to client preferences. To develop emotional engagement with guests, there is a need for creating rich experiences that tie guests to the destination and is immersive.

Commenting on making travel & event experiences memorable, Mr. Bo Kruger, world's renowned meeting designer and the opening keynote speaker for the congress said, "Great service experiences are mostly forgettable and occasionally remarkable. But how do you design moments that are remarkable and unforgettable, When we're creating experiences, it's natural to think about every single aspect as equally important. We want things to flow smoothly and to make the experience seamless for people. But while seamlessness is convenient, it isn't exactly memorable"

Some of the creative and innovative trends of this burgeoning industry indicate that organizers need to satiate the growing appetite for offbeat, newer incentive travel destinations with more adventure, create unique MICE travel itineraries, include a strong local flavor into the program to experience culture, food and lifestyle of the local communities.

Daniel Ponzo, CEO, Zahid Travels, said "Innovation, creativity and creating value for money experiences is crucial to this industry when we look at return on engagement", and he would be presenting an interesting case study on "Out of the box experiential incentive travel".

"2020 is a very special and exciting time for the Middle East and the global MICE market. Businesses seeking to tap into the Middle East outbound travel market should aim to impress this market segment by respecting Arabian cultural needs, aspiring to exceed expectations through providing high quality and upmarket services whilst targeting evolving market opportunities such as the 'coming of age traveler' seeking cultural adventures." Commented Sidh NC

Apart from the conference & one to one meeting format, the congress will host the MALT Excellence Awards, the regions' one of a kind, most coveted awards ceremony that highlights, honors and celebrates path breaking achievements of top organizations and individuals, who have demonstrated exemplary initiatives in the field of Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, Events (MICE), Business and Luxury Travel from the Middle East on February 26, 2020

The Meetings Arabia and Luxury Travel Congress will take place at the Rixos Premium JBR in Dubai, UAE on February 25-26, 2020. For any media enquiries, please call +971 4388 5545 or email to monica@maltcongress.com