Destination Saudi — Leisure, Culture and Tourism Potential

There is a positive outlook for tourism in Saudi Arabia, with strong growth forecast and a wave of investment underway. At a total contribution of SAR 190bn in 2015, Travel & Tourism is currently the second highest contributor to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth in Saudi Arabia, albeit from a relatively low base compared to other countries. Inbound tourism is forecast to grow to over 32m trips per annum by 2026, driven primarily by growth in religious tourism. Domestic tourism is forecast to grow to an impressive 66m trips per annum by 2020, driven by growth in both religious and leisure tourism.

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Wind Creek Hospitality

Recognized by Casino Journal magazine as one of the “Top 10 Best Places to Work” in 2015, Wind Creek Hospitality is a family of nearly 4,000 enthusiastic team members across a diverse set of properties in Alabama, Nevada and Aruba.

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Hospitality Management

Big Data In Travel: Triggering Business Transformation

Article | August 28, 2023

Global travel agencies are striving to maintain a competitive edge in the market. They are relying on big data to analyze the current state of the market, automate work processes, and better understand customer needs to streamline their businesses. Big data is now an important part of the future of the travel industry because it helps: Accurate decision-making Customer demand forecasting Service personalization Travel marketing Optimization of pricing strategies How is Big Data Sourced? The following data sources are used to gather big data: UGC Data User-Generated Data (UGC) is the most affordable data to obtain and includes textual data gathered through questionnaires, social networks, and image data. Device Data Device data gives access to GPS data, mobile roaming data, bluetooth data, RFID, WiFi data and more. This data is harder to obtain and is expensive. Transaction Data Web search data, web page visit data, online booking data, etc., constitute transaction data. Advanced web services such as Google Analytics can help collate this data. The sourced data is analyzed using artificial intelligence, machine learning, and natural language processing (NLP). How Is Big Data Changing the Way Travel Companies Operate? With the help of big data, you can increase your performance, get deeper customer insights, and offer an excellent customer experience to travelers. Let us briefly examine how big data can help you achieve all these objectives. Optimize Your Revenue Optimize your costs and accurately predict short-term and long-term revenues. Through customer experience metrics, you can also analyze your profit potential, correctly forecast peak period demand and offer relevant services to customers at the right time. As a result, protect your agency from unexpected expenses and make the most of customer demand. Recognize & Capitalize on Trends Historical, real-time data and a standard analytical approach help you understand the changing trends in the tourism industry. Then, you can swiftly take measures to adapt to these changing trends and capitalize on the ones that contribute to revenue. Bleisure is an excellent example of such a travel trend. Improve Your Marketing Campaigns Big data processes large amounts of information on your target audience and helps you see which marketing campaigns can succeed based on long-term forecasting. Consequently, you can prevent any unexpected losses while executing seasonal marketing campaigns. Additionally, big data collects information on your competitors and target audience in real-time, so you know the kind of marketing campaigns you need to execute to remain ahead in the race. Enhance Brand Reputation Big data considers customer reviews and comments to help you understand which aspects of your business need improvement. Internally collected feedback and big data analysis can create a standard to improve the brand reputation of your agency. Conclusion Big data in the travel industry is more than just a trend; it is a tool for better understanding the market situation and each customer in general (potential and existing). All of this lays the groundwork for a more personalized approach and accurate prediction of what customers want, and contributes to an elevated customer experience and an increase in revenue.

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Hospitality Management

Augmented Reality Transforming the Travel and Hospitality Industry

Article | July 19, 2023

“I believe that augmented reality will be the biggest technological revolution that happens in our lifetimes.” – Tim Sweeney, Founder and CEO of Epic Games Augmented reality (AR) has proved to be a significant concept in tourism and hospitality management in the past few years. It allows us to enhance the physical environment and enhance the experience of exploring the surrounding area. According to Grand View Research, the global market for augmented reality was worth USD 25.33 billion in 2021. From 2022 to 2030, the market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 40.9%. As things keep pace with digitalization and this generation seeks quick and efficient yet reliable methods, every sector widely uses the application of augmented reality. According to Hospitality Tech, the market size of augmented reality will reach $198 billion by 2025, and the hotel business will be one of the key contributors to this income target. Effectively, Starwood, Marriott and Holiday Inn are already making a difference in the travel and hospitality industry by leveraging this technology. An investment in AR brings a lot of change in business revenue for both small hoteliers and prominent hotel tycoons. AR Improve Customer Experience for Travel and Hospitality Redefine the customer experience with augmented reality in the tourism industry. AR-based travel apps help businesses enhance their services and offer personalized experiences to their customers. By adding interactive hotel features that make the space more fun, you can get people to visit nearby attractions. Utilizing CX to maintain and expand a client base produces a terrific asset that positively affects ROI. CX effectively boosts customer lifetime value (LTV), which can become self-perpetuating. Companies that excel at CX and customer-centricity are 60% more profitable and generate 5.7% more revenue than those that don't. Ideas for Implementing AR in the Tourism and Hotel Industry AR is utilized chiefly via smartphones and offers many options concerning interactive experiences. AR in Excursions & Travel Attractions AR technology may be a terrific marketing tool for guiding first-time guests through the hotel and a great way to retain customers and provide more engaging experiences. With the application of augmented reality software, a standard tourist map comes to life. Moreover, AR technology enables clients to examine points of interest, restaurants, and other businesses. Your hotel restaurant may even use augmented reality to let customers explore the menu and ingredients in a new way by showing them 3D versions of the meals on their phones. Transportation If you have a travel mobile app with AR, you can point out the transportation objects to get the best possible directions, travel route, next destination, and places to travel to. Pokemon Go shows one such example of how you can use modern digital technologies to make the travel experience even better. It became the first popular augmented reality game. This AR app brought players out into the street and made them move and travel a lot. Scadi is one such AR app in travel for visitors of Alpine ski resorts. It uses advanced algorithms to create the most comfortable, safe and exciting routes for skiers and snowboarders. Integrates with other technology Using augmented reality in conjunction with other technologies such as beacon technology allows your hotel to more efficiently promote to visitors and upsell through push notifications. For example, through push notifications, hotels may give partner companies special offers or discounts, and vice versa, partner businesses can advertise the hotel. Hospitality Industry Must Make Room for AR for Better ROI In a post-pandemic context, the travel and hotel industries embrace technological advancements that enhance visitor experiences, eventually boosting corporate income and reducing operating expenses. Utilizing interactive technologies like AR, VR, and other interactive technologies increases operational efficiency, productivity, and ROI. By using augmented reality with CMMS (Computerized Maintenance Management System) or EAM, you gain more understanding (Enterprise Asset Management). Augmented reality can assist facility managers in boosting the efficiency of their engineers and reducing the expense of ensuring their safety. AR will assist them in increasing their revenue by reducing their maintenance expenses. Using AR-based product models, the hospitality industry is gaining a significant competitive edge, resulting in faster sales cycles. Case Studies Holiday Inn During the Olympic and Paralympic Games in London in 2012, Holiday Inn introduced one of the first uses of Augmented Reality in a hotel setting. The experiences used picture recognition and chroma video. The program identified hotel locations and activated athlete video footage, merging real and virtual components. This Holiday Inn use case shows how hotels may leverage AR to develop unique guest experiences around local events. In addition, the campaign helped promote the hotel and bolster its status as the official hotel for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Premier Inn The Hub Hotel from Premier Inn, the largest hotel chain in the United Kingdom, is one of the few places to have adopted the AR technology back in 2016. The hotel provided a wall map of the local region in each room. Tourists could use their smartphones to read information about local areas of interest by pointing them at a wall. Conclusion The benefits of augmented reality in the travel and hospitality industries are immense. AR is a potent tool for increasing company potential and returns on investment. Utilizing innovative technology boosts your hotel's exposure and brand awareness while propelling it into the digital age. Augmented reality in the tourism industry truly sets you apart from the competition. FAQ How is augmented reality changing the travel & tourism industry? Augmented reality helps hotels enhance the physical locations they are attempting to attract visitors to, such as hotel rooms and local attractions. What is digital transformation in the hospitality industry? Digital transformation refers to how companies restructure themselves to adapt and modify their corporate culture to empower innovations that utilize technology and propel their enterprises to new levels of growth. What are the benefits of augmented reality? Creates unique customer experiences Reduces cognitive overload Increases engagement

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Hospitality Management

Leveraging AI English Language Training Tools to Address Travel Surge

Article | July 18, 2023

Following the relaxation of travel restrictions worldwide, the travel and hospitality industries are bracing for a surge in demand, which will be exacerbated by the upcoming holiday season. As widespread delays and cancellations become more likely, companies like airlines are looking for new ways to put customer experience first. In a global workplace, not being able to speak more than one language, especially English, can hurt productivity and customer service. For this reason, people who work with customers need to have good communication skills. Investing in AI English Language Training Tools Traditional training for staff in the travel and hospitality industries requires in-person sessions. It can be expensive and impractical because employees have tight work schedules and staff operates in different time zones. AI app-based training alternatives solve these key issues, allowing employees to learn "on-the-fly" whenever possible. Digital training alternatives can provide greater levels of personalization for task assignment and user feedback. This individualized approach to staff development is difficult to replicate in large in-person sessions. Because all tasks are given and done digitally, management teams can track each user's progress and how well training is going for the whole department. Offering Excellent Customer Experience English communication is vital to offering an excellent customer experience and long-term profitability as the travel industry recovers. Artificial intelligence-powered English language training solutions stand out from the crowd. This technology has the potential to constantly advance and improve over time, thanks to its own learning community. Ed-tech learning tools that incorporate future-proofed AI technology will enable providers to confidently invest in training, increase staff engagement, and provide best-in-class customer experiences to global travelers. As a result, companies in the travel and hospitality industries that put communication skills training at the top of their list of priorities and speed it up can increase customer loyalty and stay competitive with other market leaders.

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Business Travel

Travel Managers speak out: 3 business travel topics post-pandemic

Article | June 3, 2021

Despite the global pandemic controlling business travel headlines for the past twelve months, there are quite a few other topics top of mind for travel managers today in North America. Egencia has taken a dive into the other important topics that are weighing on the minds of travel managers, and we’ve taken a look at what’s creating a buzz in the industry and within the Egencia travel manager Connect Community.

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Spotlight

Wind Creek Hospitality

Recognized by Casino Journal magazine as one of the “Top 10 Best Places to Work” in 2015, Wind Creek Hospitality is a family of nearly 4,000 enthusiastic team members across a diverse set of properties in Alabama, Nevada and Aruba.

Related News

Hospitality Trends

Travel + Leisure Launches New Branded Products For At Home And The Road

Travel + Leisure Group, Sobel Westex | August 27, 2021

The growing suite of consumer products and services developed by Travel + Leisure will soon include at-home luxury inspired by the world’s best destinations and resorts. Travel + Leisure Group has signed a licensing agreement with Sobel Westex – the leading provider of luxury hotel bedding, pillows and linens for the home that offer all of the comfort of a deluxe hotel room – to produce an exclusive collection of luxury linens and accessories. The company’s new product line also includes the Travelpro® x Travel + Leisure luggage collection, which recently extended its retail footprint into several Bloomingdale’s flagship locations, as well as the luxury retailer’s online store. “Travel + Leisure has been the tastemaker authority on travel and lifestyle for 50 years,” said Noah Brodsky, president of Travel + Leisure Group and chief brand officer for Travel + Leisure Co. “We are incredibly excited for our experts to collaborate with Sobel Westex and other trusted partners to help people live the Travel + Leisure lifestyle with their favorite goods, whether on a dream vacation or relaxing at home.” Travel + Leisure has partnered with Travelpro, the most trusted luggage brand, to craft the perfect luggage collection — sleek, but with every bit of the functionality for the discerning traveler. From the spacious interior pockets that zip to enclose each side of the suitcase to the deceptively lightweight hard shell exterior, every product detail in the collection is considered with avid leisure travelers in mind. The Travelpro x Travel + Leisure luggage collection is available for purchase online and exclusively at several flagship Bloomingdale’s retail locations through 2021, with plans to expand into additional stores by the fall. Travelpro x Travel + Leisure luggage can be found in Bloomingdale’s stores at 59th Street in New York City; Aventura Mall in Miami, FL; South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, CA; Tysons Corner in Tysons, VA; and Bergen Shops at Riverside in Hackensack, NJ. Consumers can expect to see the Travel + Leisure linens collection from Sobel Westex available for purchase next year. The new retail offerings are a part of the group’s larger mission to take the Travel + Leisure brand beyond inspirational content and bring it to life through a curated suite of consumer products and services. In less than a year, the company has already launched an online travel gateway and will soon offer a new subscription travel club, among other new product offerings. About Travel + Leisure Group Travel + Leisure Group offers travelers a way to turn vacation inspiration into exceptional experiences through the top online and print travel content, online travel subscription and booking services, and branded consumer products all together in one place. About Sobel Westex Sobel Westex is the leading textile supplier in both US and Global textile markets with capabilities that extend beyond the ordinary. Sobel Westex is known for its designs, manufacturing and distribution globally, while being a trusted supplier to world class brands and strategic partners for over 30+ years.

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The 2021 It List of Best New Hotels has been Announced by Travel + Leisure

TRAVEL + LEISURE | April 21, 2021

Travel + Leisure, a subsidiary of Meredith Corporation, has released its annual It List of the best new hotels of the year, highlighting the 73 most impressive new and recently renovated properties around the world. The hotels on this 16th annual list, selected by the editors of Travel + Leisure, have experiences that are sure to encourage wanderlust, giving travelers even more excuses to get up and go. The It List for 2021 can be found in the May issue of Travel + Leisure. According to Jacqui Gifford, Editor in Chief of Travel + Leisure, "It's a pleasure to recognize each of these exceptional new properties, that provide travelers with so much to look forward to. In a year when hotels were forced to reconsider their approach to nearly everything, the industry forged ahead. Our portfolio of properties covers the world, demonstrating sustainability, commitment, and hope for the future. The It List for 2021 reminds us of so many of the joys of travel, and the new crop of openings is as thrilling as any we've seen in the It List's 16 years of its existence." The hotels are located across 29 countries and six continents, and they vary in style from safari lodges and luxurious beach resorts to trendy city escape wellness retreats, and nature-inspired getaways. The It List contains 30 properties in the United States, including six in California and five in New York state, as well as properties in Denver, Des Moines, Chicago, Boston, Scottsdale, Austin, New Orleans, Charleston, Palm Beach, and other locations. ABOUT TRAVEL + LEISURE Travel + Leisure is the preeminent voice for the sophisticated traveler providing expert insight and the most engaging travel lifestyle content available. Travel + Leisure catches the joy of exploring the world's cultural delights—from art and architecture to shopping and style to food and drink—and provides convincing reasons to get up and go. The Travel + Leisure media portfolio includes the U.S. flagship magazine, travelandleisure.com, blogs, the Let's Go Together podcast, the World's Best Awards franchise, an extensive social media footprint, and regional editions in China, India, Mexico, and Southeast Asia, with an audience of more than 30 million. The U.S. version of Travel + Leisure, which was launched in 1971, is the country's only monthly consumer travel magazine. Travel + Leisure is owned by Travel + Leisure Co. and is part of Meredith Corporation's Luxury Group of best-in-class brands.

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This $60 Pass Lets Your Kids Fly Frontier With You for Free All Year Long

Travel + Leisure | January 29, 2019

Taking a family vacation can be a wonderful thing. However, for many people, escaping it all for a bit of fun with the fam can be cost prohibitive. One airline is hoping to change all that by letting children fly for free. Yes, for free. On Monday, Frontier Airlines announced its new Kids Fly Free program. And they aren’t just talking about little ones. According to the airline, children 14 years old and younger are eligible to fly free when they travel with an adult. “Kids Fly Free shows our continued commitment to being America’s affordable and family-friendly airline,” Barry Biffle, President and CEO of Frontier Airlines, shared in a statement with TravelPulse. “We’re the only airline going all out for families in this way—it’s exactly what we mean at Frontier by 'Low Fares Done Right.'” Of course, there is one small catch: Families must be enrolled in the airline’s Discount Den, which comes with an annual fee of $60. However, after enrolling, users will gain access to to the airline’s lowest available fares as well as the kids fly free program. According to the website, "On valid Kids Fly Free flights, one kid under 15 can fly for free for every adult Discount Den fare purchased," According to TravelPulse, The Discount Den membership works for up to six people on a single family itinerary. Families with young children will also gain access to priority boarding following zone one loading. To book, parents simply need to find qualifying flights and book via "The Works bundle." This also allows families to make changes to existing itineraries and even cancel flights with a refund.

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Hospitality Trends

Travel + Leisure Launches New Branded Products For At Home And The Road

Travel + Leisure Group, Sobel Westex | August 27, 2021

The growing suite of consumer products and services developed by Travel + Leisure will soon include at-home luxury inspired by the world’s best destinations and resorts. Travel + Leisure Group has signed a licensing agreement with Sobel Westex – the leading provider of luxury hotel bedding, pillows and linens for the home that offer all of the comfort of a deluxe hotel room – to produce an exclusive collection of luxury linens and accessories. The company’s new product line also includes the Travelpro® x Travel + Leisure luggage collection, which recently extended its retail footprint into several Bloomingdale’s flagship locations, as well as the luxury retailer’s online store. “Travel + Leisure has been the tastemaker authority on travel and lifestyle for 50 years,” said Noah Brodsky, president of Travel + Leisure Group and chief brand officer for Travel + Leisure Co. “We are incredibly excited for our experts to collaborate with Sobel Westex and other trusted partners to help people live the Travel + Leisure lifestyle with their favorite goods, whether on a dream vacation or relaxing at home.” Travel + Leisure has partnered with Travelpro, the most trusted luggage brand, to craft the perfect luggage collection — sleek, but with every bit of the functionality for the discerning traveler. From the spacious interior pockets that zip to enclose each side of the suitcase to the deceptively lightweight hard shell exterior, every product detail in the collection is considered with avid leisure travelers in mind. The Travelpro x Travel + Leisure luggage collection is available for purchase online and exclusively at several flagship Bloomingdale’s retail locations through 2021, with plans to expand into additional stores by the fall. Travelpro x Travel + Leisure luggage can be found in Bloomingdale’s stores at 59th Street in New York City; Aventura Mall in Miami, FL; South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, CA; Tysons Corner in Tysons, VA; and Bergen Shops at Riverside in Hackensack, NJ. Consumers can expect to see the Travel + Leisure linens collection from Sobel Westex available for purchase next year. The new retail offerings are a part of the group’s larger mission to take the Travel + Leisure brand beyond inspirational content and bring it to life through a curated suite of consumer products and services. In less than a year, the company has already launched an online travel gateway and will soon offer a new subscription travel club, among other new product offerings. About Travel + Leisure Group Travel + Leisure Group offers travelers a way to turn vacation inspiration into exceptional experiences through the top online and print travel content, online travel subscription and booking services, and branded consumer products all together in one place. About Sobel Westex Sobel Westex is the leading textile supplier in both US and Global textile markets with capabilities that extend beyond the ordinary. Sobel Westex is known for its designs, manufacturing and distribution globally, while being a trusted supplier to world class brands and strategic partners for over 30+ years.

Read More

The 2021 It List of Best New Hotels has been Announced by Travel + Leisure

TRAVEL + LEISURE | April 21, 2021

Travel + Leisure, a subsidiary of Meredith Corporation, has released its annual It List of the best new hotels of the year, highlighting the 73 most impressive new and recently renovated properties around the world. The hotels on this 16th annual list, selected by the editors of Travel + Leisure, have experiences that are sure to encourage wanderlust, giving travelers even more excuses to get up and go. The It List for 2021 can be found in the May issue of Travel + Leisure. According to Jacqui Gifford, Editor in Chief of Travel + Leisure, "It's a pleasure to recognize each of these exceptional new properties, that provide travelers with so much to look forward to. In a year when hotels were forced to reconsider their approach to nearly everything, the industry forged ahead. Our portfolio of properties covers the world, demonstrating sustainability, commitment, and hope for the future. The It List for 2021 reminds us of so many of the joys of travel, and the new crop of openings is as thrilling as any we've seen in the It List's 16 years of its existence." The hotels are located across 29 countries and six continents, and they vary in style from safari lodges and luxurious beach resorts to trendy city escape wellness retreats, and nature-inspired getaways. The It List contains 30 properties in the United States, including six in California and five in New York state, as well as properties in Denver, Des Moines, Chicago, Boston, Scottsdale, Austin, New Orleans, Charleston, Palm Beach, and other locations. ABOUT TRAVEL + LEISURE Travel + Leisure is the preeminent voice for the sophisticated traveler providing expert insight and the most engaging travel lifestyle content available. Travel + Leisure catches the joy of exploring the world's cultural delights—from art and architecture to shopping and style to food and drink—and provides convincing reasons to get up and go. The Travel + Leisure media portfolio includes the U.S. flagship magazine, travelandleisure.com, blogs, the Let's Go Together podcast, the World's Best Awards franchise, an extensive social media footprint, and regional editions in China, India, Mexico, and Southeast Asia, with an audience of more than 30 million. The U.S. version of Travel + Leisure, which was launched in 1971, is the country's only monthly consumer travel magazine. Travel + Leisure is owned by Travel + Leisure Co. and is part of Meredith Corporation's Luxury Group of best-in-class brands.

Read More

This $60 Pass Lets Your Kids Fly Frontier With You for Free All Year Long

Travel + Leisure | January 29, 2019

Taking a family vacation can be a wonderful thing. However, for many people, escaping it all for a bit of fun with the fam can be cost prohibitive. One airline is hoping to change all that by letting children fly for free. Yes, for free. On Monday, Frontier Airlines announced its new Kids Fly Free program. And they aren’t just talking about little ones. According to the airline, children 14 years old and younger are eligible to fly free when they travel with an adult. “Kids Fly Free shows our continued commitment to being America’s affordable and family-friendly airline,” Barry Biffle, President and CEO of Frontier Airlines, shared in a statement with TravelPulse. “We’re the only airline going all out for families in this way—it’s exactly what we mean at Frontier by 'Low Fares Done Right.'” Of course, there is one small catch: Families must be enrolled in the airline’s Discount Den, which comes with an annual fee of $60. However, after enrolling, users will gain access to to the airline’s lowest available fares as well as the kids fly free program. According to the website, "On valid Kids Fly Free flights, one kid under 15 can fly for free for every adult Discount Den fare purchased," According to TravelPulse, The Discount Den membership works for up to six people on a single family itinerary. Families with young children will also gain access to priority boarding following zone one loading. To book, parents simply need to find qualifying flights and book via "The Works bundle." This also allows families to make changes to existing itineraries and even cancel flights with a refund.

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