The 11th edition of the Arab Aviation Summit (AAS) concluded in Ras Al Khaimah, highlighting the imperative for strategic investments in technology, sustainability, and a skilled workforce to ensure the aviation industry’s resilience and growth in the face of evolving challenges.
Themed ‘Exploring the Future of Travel’, the two-day summit brought together key stakeholders from the aviation and tourism sectors to deliberate on pressing issues and opportunities shaping the Middle East aviation market, known for its rapid expansion.
Discussions at the summit revolved around sustainable growth, technological innovations, and the role of aviation in economic development. Participants emphasized the importance of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) in steering the industry towards a greener future and addressed the critical need to bridge the skills gap amid soaring travel demands.
Day 1 focused on emerging technologies driving aviation transformations and the potential for advanced air mobility to enhance tourism experiences in the MENA region. Additionally, experts underscored the influential role of Middle Eastern airlines in setting global trends and reshaping consumer travel behavior.
Raki Phillips, CEO, Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority, highlighted Ras Al Khaimah’s emergence as a tourism hotspot, attributing its success to investments in air connectivity, tourism infrastructure, and sustainability initiatives. He emphasized the significance of the Unified GCC Tourist Visa in promoting seamless travel experiences.
Recent data reveals that over 30 per cent of Indian travellers prefer Middle East destinations, with the UAE and Saudi Arabia topping the list. India stands as Dubai’s primary source market, with 1.9 million visitors recorded in the first 10 months of 2023. Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, aims to welcome 7.5 million visitors by 2030.
Adel Ali, CEO, Air Arabia, stressed the aviation and tourism industry’s pivotal role in economic growth and job creation, calling for collaborative efforts to address sustainability challenges. Abdul Wahab Teffaha, Secretary General of the Arab Air Carriers Organisation, underscored the need for supportive policies and digitalisation to foster industry resilience.Julia Simpson, President & CEO, World Travel & Tourism Council, urged stakeholders to prioritise sustainability and regulatory frameworks conducive to sustainable aviation. The panel also discussed the importance of aircraft leasing in driving sectoral growth and financial flexibility.
Hosted in collaboration with Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority and supported by global industry partners, AAS 2024 provided a platform for dialogue and collaboration to navigate the aviation industry’s future challenges and opportunities.
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In a bid to foster cultural exchange and boost tourism ties between Maharashtra and Japan, a state tourism delegation, led by Girish Mahajan, Minister for Tourism, Maharashtra, visited Japan. The delegation’s activities in Japan included participation in the India Mela at Kobe, along with meetings and road shows across Shirahama, Okayama, and Osaka from October 7 to 11, 2023.
The India Mela at Kobe, organised by the Indian Consulate in Osaka-Kobe, Japan, served as the stage for Maharashtra Tourism to showcase the state’s rich heritage and culture. The event garnered significant interest, attracting over 3,000 Japanese visitors. Promotional material further piqued curiosity, with many expressing their intent to visit Maharashtra in the near future.
On October 9, 2023, a discussion took place in Shirahama, where the delegation engaged with local officials, including the Vice President of the Wakayama wrestling association and the local MLA of Shirahama. The focus of these discussions was the exchange of wrestlers between Wakayama and Maharashtra, with the goal of boosting sports tourism in the state.
The delegation also visited Adventure World in Shirahama, engaging in a significant meeting with Takahama, Chief Manager of Adventure World. The aim was to gain insights into the operational model of the park with the potential of developing similar theme parks in Maharashtra.
For the next year, Peru has set targets to receive at least 50 percent more tourists. To achieve the goal, its official tourism promotion board, PROMPERU, is holding a two-city roadshow in Delhi and Mumbai, engaging about 14 Peruvian companies with a minimum of 50 potential Indian travel companies in each city.
A strategic meeting followed on October 10 held with Kishimoto Shuhei, Governor of Wakayama Prefecture, to further strengthen the cultural, tourism, and economic ties between Maharashtra and Wakayama, building upon a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) previously signed.In another meeting with the Mayor of Okayama city, the Maharashtra Tourism Delegation extended an invitation for the forthcoming Mumbai Festival in January 2024. They also engaged with the Councillors of Okayama City, who expressed interest in sending a delegation to attend the festival and explore new avenues of economic collaboration within the tourism sector.
The roadshow in Okayama on October 11, 2023 was also organised where Chamber of Commerce members, industrialists, and tourist companies gathered. Followed by an address from Minister for Tourism, Maharashtra, Dr. B.N. Patil, Director, Directorate of Tourism, Maharashtra and Radhika Rastogi, Principal Secretary Tourism, Govt. of Maharashtra delivered presentations highlighting Maharashtra’s diverse tourism prospects. A similar road show in Osaka targeted travel agents and tour operators, introducing them to the offerings of Maharashtra and throwing open opportunities for potential partnerships.
As per the tourism officials, the delegation, through these meetings, aimed to build upon these foundations and usher in a new era of collaboration to boost tourist traction and investments in Maharashtra.
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Tamil Nadu has set the ball rolling to attract investments of `20,000 crore in tourism in the next five years. Its first policy on tourism, unveiled a fortnight ago, declared tourism an ‘industry’ to ease the way for investments. While the move to leverage tourism to help achieve Tamil Nadu’s target of being a $1 trillion economy by 2030 has cheered industry, stakeholders underscore a slew of initiatives the government needs to focus on to make this a reality. These range from marketing the state’s diverse tourism offerings to roping in national and international tour operators to developing infrastructure.Shankar Vanavarayar, chairman, CII Tamil Nadu, says, coastal, cultural, medical and wellness, religious, and MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) tourism are the key sectors the policy should target to bring investments into the state. “And for this, tier-2 cities such as Madurai, Coimbatore and Trichy should also be considered,” he says.
Medical and wellness tourism, among the 12 focused themes in the policy, is expected to further boom. Revenue from medical tourism is projected to hit $13 billion by 2026 in the country, and Tamil Nadu has a 40% share, according to industry estimates. The state’s multi-speciality and super-speciality hospitals attracted 1.5 million patients globally for medical diagnosis and treatment last year and this is expected to grow, says CII’s Tamil Nadu chapter. Patients from Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, Iraq, Afghanistan, Oman, Maldives and Bangladesh choose Tamil Nadu for medical treatment and surgeries. And there is a steady flow in from other states.
FICCI Tamil Nadu state council chairperson G S K Velu says the thrust should be on promoting made-in-Tamil Nadu products. “The government should work closely with private institutions and reputable industrialists to position Tamil Nadu as the numero uno tourist destination with clean infrastructure and 100% safety,” he says. Tourism benefits several ancillary industries and generates employment in various sectors, he says on the benefits of `20,000 crore in investments over the next five years.
Tamil Nadu topped the country five times in attracting the highest number of overseas travellers between 2014 and 2020, while securing second position in the other two years. It had 17% to 21% of the total number of foreign tourists visiting India. While Tamil Nadu came second in the domestic tourism segment with 218.6 million visitors to the state in 2022, it went down to the sixth position in foreign tourist arrivals last year.
The decision to designate Manama as the capital of Gulf tourism for 2024 underscores Bahrain’s contributions to the growth of the Gulf tourism sector. Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority works closely with its partners to achieve the tourism goals outlined in the 2022-2026 strategy. In the previous year, the Kingdom welcomed 10 million tourists, showing a 20 per cent increase.
M K Ajit Kumar, president, Asia Pacific Tours, says Tamil Nadu’s tourism policy can help replicate Kerala’s success. “To attract both foreign and domestic investments for the tourism industry and allied activities, TN should focus on creating an investor-friendly environment through streamlined regulations, incentives and infrastructure development. Moreover, a substantial part of the investment should be used for creating world class convention centres to tap into the cycle of large international conferences, which are organised worldwide,” he says. The presence of corporate giants in Chennai provides a solid foundation for hosting large-scale conventions and conferences, attracting global participants, he adds. State director of tourism and TTDC managing director Sandeep Nanduri says for the first time, private tourism projects will be eligible for incentives under the industrial and MSME policies of the government. “Three categories depending on the quantum of investments — under `50 crore, `50-200 crore and above `200 crore — have been created for providing incentives,” he says.
The policy recognizes the value of private sector investment and expertise and aims to strengthen public-private partnerships to further Tamil Nadu’s tourism development.
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