Long weekends fuel regional getaways for Asian travellers
Hoteliers advised to take advantage of additional public holidays to maximize occupancy and revenue
Asia’s diverse and regular stream of public holidays is proving to be a boost to the Asia Pacific (APAC) travel industry as Asian tourists look to maximize their leisure time. Digital travel platfo [...]
Dubai plots its course to 2033 as a next-gen destination for global citizens
Dubai is doubling down on its ambition to become one of the world’s top three cities to live, work, invest and travel in – and tourism lies at the heart of that plan.
At WiT Phocuswright Middle East 2025, Hoor Al Khaja, Senior Vice President of International Operations at Dubai’s Department o [...]
How AlUla is tackling seasonality and storytelling
“If you had told me a year ago that Banyan Tree and Habitas would be running 70-80% occupancy in April, I’d have laughed.”
That was Melanie de Souza, Executive Director of Destination Marketing at the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU), reflecting on what she now sees as a turni [...]
Japan’s strong rebound, Singapore’s softer inbound, and other trends driving tourism in APAC
Mastercard Economics Institute on Travel in 2025: Tokyo and Osaka top the list of summer hot spots while Nha Trang makes its debut, currency fluctuations are a key consideration for travellers
Asia-Pacific is home to eight of the world’s top 15 trending summer travel destinations, according to Tr [...]
Timothy Hughes, the “Cranky Optimist” on travel, tragedy and comedy | Conversations On Turning 20
When you get to the ripe young age of 20, you’re bound to collect lots of stories – not only about the past but lessons for the future.
As WiT marks its 20th year in 2025, we turn the spotlight on our community, our tribe pioneers and leaders, to tell their stories and share their views on th [...]
Story of RAK: Marketing for the Social Generation
“Tom Hardy, please come to RAK”
In a travel world defined by five-second attention spans, DMOs can no longer afford to simply “broadcast and hope.”
Speaking at Phocuswright WiT Middle East, Alka Winter, Vice President of Destination Marketing & Communications at Ras Al Khaimah Touris [...]
Women travellers in Asia driving new hospitality trends in 2025
Agoda recently unveiled the top women’s travel trends in Asia revealing that women across Asia are charting a different course than their male counterparts when it comes to holiday plans.
From a stronger appetite for new destinations to a preference for traveling with family and friends, wome [...]
Reflective and inventive: Lessons from a mirrored monument in the desert
In the heart of the Ashar Valley in AlUla, Saudi Arabia, rises something extraordinary: Maraya, the world’s largest mirrored building. From afar, it appears almost unreal – shimmering like a desert mirage, warping and dissolving into the rocky landscape. Up close, it reflects the sandstone clif [...]
Laura Houldsworth on Corporate travel, AI and Taggable Tourism | Conversations on Turning 20
When you get to the ripe young age of 20, you’re bound to collect lots of stories – not only about the past but lessons for the future.
As WiT marks its 20th year in 2025, we turn the spotlight on our community, our tribe pioneers and leaders, to tell their stories and share their views on th [...]
Letter from AlUla: In a land of stories, the real influencers rise
On my flydubai flight to AlUla, at the unearthly hour of 6:50am, I felt like my Instagram feed had come to life.
As it turns out, I’d arrived in this ancient desert kingdom in Saudi Arabia at the same time as 50 influencers gathering for the first-ever Instagram-AlUla Summit. This, I discovered [...]
