Travel Tech Leaders Agree: Artificial Intelligence Will Transform Tourism

On September 27th, UN Tourism celebrates World Tourism Day. In 2026, it will centre on how digitalization and Artificial Intelligence are redesigning tourism. To mark the date, Belvera Partners, a PR firm exclusively focused on supporting B2B travel technology companies, has brought together thought leaders across the travel technology ecosystem to explore the opportunities, challenges, and responsibilities associated with the rapid adoption of technology, in general, and AI, in particular, acro

The travel industry turns its attention to the Maldives on 27 September 2026 as the World Travel Awards Asia, Oceania & Indian Ocean Gala Ceremony 2026 brings leading names from across the three regions to CROSSROADS Maldives.Now in its 33rd year, World Travel Awards recognises organisations and destinations across aviation, hospitality, tourism, travel services, cruise and visitor experiences. The regional ceremony provides a snapshot of an industry that continues to evolve through new open

Kamil Al-Awadhi occupies one of aviation’s most consequential intermediary positions. As the International Air Transport Association’s regional vice president for Africa and the Middle East, he represents airlines across a region of global hubs, fast-growing markets and persistent structural constraints. His task is not to run a carrier but to improve the conditions in which many carriers operate, making the case for regulation, infrastructure and charges that support safe, competiti

Christoph Mares did not arrive at Boutique Group to build another collection of luxury hotels. He arrived to help define a new category. The Public Investment Fund-owned company is converting former royal palaces into ultra-luxury hospitality assets, a task that demands commercial discipline, conservation judgement and a service culture capable of making monumental buildings feel personal. Since taking the chief executive role in January 2025, Mares has become the operator charged with turning t

JS Anand founded LEVA Hotels in 2019 after more than 25 years in hospitality, including experience with Hilton, Marriott International and other major operators. The first flagship, LEVA Hotel Mazaya Centre in Dubai, established a contemporary, accessible lifestyle proposition. From that base, Anand has expanded through the Middle East, Europe and West Africa.
LEVA now operates through four hospitality sub-brands: LEVA Hotel Residences, LEVA, EKONO by LEVA and ZEN by LEVA. The architecture allow

Muin Serhan became chief executive of Amsa Hospitality in 2024, bringing about 25 years of international hotel experience to a Saudi company founded in 2020. Amsa’s mission is to invest in and manage hotels that support the Kingdom’s tourism growth while preserving cultural identity. By mid-2025, it operated three hotels and had 20 in the pipeline across Saudi Arabia.
Serhan’s career with leading hotel groups gave him a grounding in global brand standards and multi-market opera

Carolyn Turnbull became chief executive of Nammos Hotels & Resorts in June 2025, taking responsibility for a brand born from a famous Mykonos beach club and now backed for global growth by ADMO Lifestyle Holding. Her brief is to preserve the energy, social confidence and Mediterranean identity that made Nammos desirable while building the systems, service and owner credibility of an ultra-luxury resort operator.
Turnbull brings more than two decades of international experience. Her career ha

Ralph Porciani became chief executive of JA Resorts & Hotels in 2024 with more than 40 years in luxury hospitality behind him. Roughly a third of that career was spent in leading central London hotels, followed by two decades at Scotland’s Turnberry resort. There he helped guide the property to Forbes Five-Star status, mastering the complexities of a destination combining hotel, golf, food, heritage and international reputation.
That experience is well suited to JA, a home-grown Dubai

Mohamed Awadalla is co-founder and chief executive of TIME Hotels, a UAE-born operator established in 2012. The group has grown to 17 hotels and around 4,000 keys across seven countries, using a portfolio of hotel and apartment brands aimed at market segments often overshadowed by the Gulf’s luxury openings.
Awadalla’s hospitality career spans more than 30 years, including experience with Mövenpick, Hilton and Rotana. In 2007 he joined a private investment company in the UAE, wh

Ahmad Abu Ghazaleh has led International Wings Group since 2003, building a portfolio that includes Royal Jordanian Air Academy, Arab Wings, Queen Noor Technical College and Gulf Wings. The structure reflects a systems view of aviation: aircraft operations depend on pilots, engineers, training, regulation and specialist services developing together.
Arab Wings gives the group an operating presence in business aviation, while the Royal Jordanian Air Academy and Queen Noor Technical College addres

Hadi Mouawad has led ExecuJet Middle East since 1999, when Dubai’s private-aviation market was still nascent. The company became the city’s first private aircraft operator and fixed-base service provider, giving Mouawad a pioneering role in the infrastructure that now supports one of the world’s busiest business-aviation destinations.
Over more than a quarter century, he has developed operations at Dubai International and Al Maktoum International, providing ground handling, lou

Stefan Leser leads Adeera Hospitality with a mandate that is both commercial and national. The Public Investment Fund-owned company is building a Saudi hotel-management platform with home-grown brands designed for different market segments. In a country attracting virtually every major international operator, Adeera’s purpose is to ensure Saudi Arabia also develops its own hospitality intellectual property, operating capability and leadership pipeline.

The Maldives is preparing to welcome travel and tourism leaders from across the region for the World Travel Awards Asia, Oceania & Indian Ocean Gala Ceremony 2026, powered by Bank of Maldives. The ceremony will take place at CROSSROADS Maldives on Sunday, 27 September 2026, coinciding with World Tourism Day.The evening will bring together leading travel, tourism and hospitality brands from across Asia, Oceania and the Indian Ocean to celebrate excellence across a wide range of categories, in

The Maldives’ Fari Islands archipelago came alive from 13–15 August as the second edition of the Fari Islands Festival unfolded across Patina Maldives and The Ritz-Carlton Maldives. Guided by its ‘One Festival, Every Sense’ philosophy, the festival welcomed an international community of artists, cultural voices, chefs, musicians, wellness practitioners and conservationists, including headline contributor Rosamund Pike and acclaimed designer Sean Wotherspoon.

The China Pavilion at this year’s WTM London will be almost 22% bigger than last year, with the stand configured to combine live cultural experiences, destination discovery and high-value business networking across all the three days of the world’s most influential travel and tourism event, powered by RX Global.The expanded footprint reflects the importance China places on rebuilding international tourism links through WTM London, while deepening cooperation with the UK and wider glo

Pioneering the next era of personalized hospitality, Accor, a world-leading hospitality group, today announces the full launch of its ALL Concierge. Following a successful pilot phase, this launch constitutes a major development in Accor’s AI strategy and is the first time a hospitality group has undertaken a large-scale roll-out of a fully conversational AI companion.Providing a continuous and intelligent presence across every touchpoint, this next-generation interface is a major evolutio

Beyond Lithuania’s cities lies a landscape of quiet drama: ancient forests, misty bogs, glacial lakes and dunes shaped by the Baltic winds. Best explored on foot, these wild places offer a different side of Europe — one where you can walk for hours through seemingly untouched landscapes and still be back in town by evening.The Baltic nation is attracting growing international interest with an impressive 74% of visitors. Beyond its historic cities, cultural attractions and increasingl

Etihad Guest, the award-winning loyalty programme of Etihad Airways, the national carrier of the UAE, signs a new partnership agreement at Arabian Travel Market with Maldivian, the national airline of the Maldives.Etihad Guest members will soon be able to redeem Etihad Guest Miles for flights across Maldivian’s network, giving them a new way to reach the Maldives’ outer islands and regional destinations beyond Malé. The partnership will extend the value of Etihad Guest Miles f

For Oktoberfest 2026, the crews of the traditional flights will be dressed in a new look for the Octoberfest season. The collection was designed by Lower Bavarian traditional fashion manufacturer Spieth & Wensky and combines Bavarian tradition with elements of Lufthansa’s design for the first time: the crane from the brand logo, for instance, adorns the buttons of the ladies’ and men’s knitwear. The characteristic “Wing Pattern” — a special Lufthansa desig

Emirates is once again celebrating Oktoberfest this year with a seasonal culinary offering on flights between Dubai and Munich, Frankfurt, Düsseldorf and Hamburg, as well as in the Emirates Lounges at the four German airports. From now until the 4 October, customers across all cabin classes can enjoy a selection of Bavarian-inspired dishes. The seasonal offering is complemented by snacks in the A380 Onboard Lounge, an Oktoberfest movie snack in First Class as well as special food and bevera

Scenic Group has announced a strategic partnership with Assam Bengal Navigation (ABN), marking its expansion onto the Brahmaputra River and a commitment to have two ultra-luxury Scenic river ships operating in India by 2029–30.The long-term agreement marks a significant next step in Scenic Group’s expansion within the India market and will bring together ABN’s more than two decades of experience, operating river cruises on the Brahmaputra and Ganges. This will align closely wit

Located within 160 acres of private polo fields and surrounded by lush greenery, Meliá Desert Palm offers a serene retreat just twenty minutes from Downtown Dubai. Combining boutique luxury with a tranquil countryside setting, the resort provides a welcome escape from the city, where expansive grounds, wellness experiences and relaxed dining come together to encourage guests to slow down and reconnect.From 23 September, Meliá Desert Palm introduces a new Daycation experience, invit

Following its first anniversary on 3 September 2026, Suan Dusit Arun – the 11,200 sq m public rooftop park at Dusit Central Park in the heart of Bangkok – has released its first set of visitor, community, and environmental performance data. The figures demonstrate strong public demand for accessible green space in the Thai capital, with an average of 2,621 unique daily visitors during the 12-month reporting period.

The Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) will lead Saudi’s participation at Monaco Yacht Show 2026, showcasing the Saudi Red Sea diverse destinations, experiences and opportunities emerging along Saudi’s western coastline.
Representing an expansive coastline spanning multiple destinations, Saudi Red Sea brings together a diverse portfolio of coastal destinations and experiences, including AMAALA, The Red Sea, and Jeddah. Together, these destinations offer a distinctive proposition for the g