Following an intense week of consultation with key stakeholders in its Dubai event, scheduled for April 7, WiT has decided to move its Middle East edition to November 24.
The uncertainty over the developing Covid-19 situation in the region had made it hard to plan for the one-day event.
“Our partners were telling us that with the situation so fluid and changing every day, it would be challenging to put on the event in a month’s time,” said Yeoh Siew Hoon, founder, WiT. “It was a difficult decision to reach but given the circumstances and feedback from our partners, it was a necessary one.
“With the industry in damage control mode, and uncertainty over travel advisories and bans by countries and companies, everyone is currently too distracted and we felt we wouldn’t be able to focus on delivering a quality event.
“The good news is, we are staying in the same venue, Jumeirah Emirates Towers, and we to thank our partners for accommodating this change in plans, and we promise we will return stronger. By then, things will be back in full swing and everyone will have great stories and lessons to share.”
Amid the frenzy, it is important not to forget the fundamentals of the Middle East travel market. According to the Phocuswright Middle East Online Travel Overview 2019, the UAE makes up nearly half of EMEA travel revenue; Saudi Arabia is on the rise, with a projected value of $20.4b by 2022; Qatar, Jordan, Lebanon, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman represent over a quarter of travel gross bookings; and in Egypt, tourism revenue is expected to climb around 10% annually to reach $5.6b by 2022, making it the fastest-growing in North Africa.
It’s also a highly dynamic market with a young, social and intensely mobile population.
- Gen-Z and millennials make up almost three-quarters of the region’s population.
- And surprise, surprise, they’re very mobile – by 2022, mobile revenue will double to $12.1b.
- Social media is the single most influential discovery tool for brands and product information – the average KSA millennial can spend anywhere between two and six hours per day on social media.
“We are equally disappointed,” said Ross Veitch, CEO and co-founder of Wego, one of the event’s two Foundation Sponsors. “Things are in a state of flux right now but knowing the Middle East market as we do, we know it will be resilient, and the fundamentals are there for a strong recovery.”
Stuart Crighton, CEO and founder of Cleartrip, Foundation Sponsor of WiT Middle East, echoed his disappointment, saying, “It’s a tough call – it would have been hard to get 100% attention and attendance because of the evolving nature of the problem. We look forward to the return of a stronger WiT on November 24.”
About WiT
WiT Singapore is Asia’s leading online travel conference focused on travel technology, distribution and marketing. WiT has won awards including Most Innovative Marketing Initiative and Trade Conference Of The Year and in 2014, its founder Yeoh Siew Hoon was recognised as Tourism Entrepreneur of The Year in Singapore. Over the past 14 years, WIT Conferences have been organised and held in multiple cities around the world, including Singapore, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Seoul, London, Amsterdam, Sydney, Bali, Jakarta, Ho Chi Minh City, Dubai & Taipei.
In 2020, WiT will hold the following events:
• WiT Indie, Penang (March 13)
• WiT Europe @ Phocuswright (May 18 – 20)
• WiT Africa, Cape Town (May 28)
• WiT Japan & North Asia, Tokyo (July 2 – 3)
• WiT Singapore 2020 (September 28 – 30)
• WiT Seoul (October 29)
• WiT Middle East, Dubai (November 24)
