SxiftX Showcase: Destinations

Saudi Arabia’s giga-project NEOM envisions a revolutionary future for travel — one that blends sustainability, innovation, access to nature, and luxury to redefine the way we explore the world. As its ambitious plans come to life, NEOM could become the world's first destination to establish a groundbreaking standard in immersive, eco-conscious, and transformative travel experiences.

Changing travel patterns offer new opportunities to capture demand, but destinations need to adapt their marketing accordingly. With Abu Dhabi’s new ‘One Summer Isn’t Enough’ campaign, the destination is transforming the UAE’s largest emirate into a year-round destination.

Business travel is back, but managing costs is more and more challenging. As companies work to balance the need to get to in-person meetings with the objective of reducing overhead, a new report from Uber for Business offers a pathway to success.

In this video from Skift Global Forum East, Skift shared findings from its recent trend report in partnership with Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism. The report explored the ambitious strategy Dubai has developed to become more livable, agile, and resilient in an effort to support lasting partnerships and sustainable economic and tourism investments.

In a series of on-stage conversations at Skift Global Forum East 2022, Skift took a closer look at how trends from throughout the global travel industry are converging in Dubai, unpacking the city’s unique position in a 21st Century tourism economy.

As sustainability becomes increasingly vital in the world of meetings and events, planners and destination marketing organizations must adopt a strategic approach to improving their practices. Trends indicate that this work will become more important than ever in 2023.

In this video from Skift Global Forum East 2022, we hear from Annette Gibbons-Warren, cultural planning director, Royal Commission for AlUla, and Melanie de Souza, the company’s executive director of destination marketing, about Saudi Arabia’s ambitious international arts and culture capital of the future.

Now that pandemic-era travel restrictions have been lifted, Abu Dhabi is positioning itself to compete on a larger scale globally. The new “Experience Abu Dhabi: Find Your Pace” campaign seeks to capitalize on growing travel demand by spotlighting the unique and diverse experiences the destination offers.

As the travel and tourism sector charts a new course in the face of shifts in the economy, consumer behavior, demographics, and climate change, Dubai stands out for its bold, integrated strategy to improve quality of life while stimulating both economic growth and a stronger tourism sector. 

As travel returns, Expedia Group’s Traveler Value Index 2023 examines the need-to-know changes taking place within the industry — from the perspective of both consumers and travel professionals — and provides actionable insights to guide decision makers in the year ahead.