UAE’s hospitality and travel sectors primed for bounce back

UAE’s hospitality and travel sectors primed for bounce back

Collinson’s research found that travellers would be willing to pay for additional services that improve their airport experience and wellbeing: 37 per cent of travellers in KSA would pay for airport lounge access, and 30 per cent of travellers in the UAE would be willing to pay for a quiet place to sit and relax.

“This bodes well for the travel and tourism sector, especially as the necessity of some business travel is coming under scrutiny, which will reduce a significant revenue source,” Gerstle said.

Loyalty, he added, is going to be “central” to recovery efforts. “Loyalty has already played a vital role during the pandemic, namely securing the viability of many companies, particularly in the airline sector. Customer expectations in terms of personalisation, service quality, and digital footprint have grown steeply in recent years. Not many loyalty programs in the travel space have caught up yet, and there is significant scope to improve program delivery to match what customers expect.”

Diamond Fares, founder and MD of Onpoint, said that, as one of the key countries in the Gulf region, the UAE plays a significant role in the hospitality and entertainment industries.

“The hospitality sector has witnessed an upward spiral in the use of