Future for tourism attractions in 2021 and beyond discussed at ATM Virtual 2021

Sustainability in travel and tourism has been a major focus at ATM over the years, but now, more than ever, concerns about the travel industry’s impact on the environment are becoming one of the defining issues for the sector for future generations.

• Arival survey identified key trends such as online bookings, virtual tours, self-guided experience as shaping the future for tours, activities and attractions
• The outlook for the recovery of the sector expected to be hyper-local and specific to destination and segment, according to Arival research
• Emaar Entertainment’s CEO Zeina Dagher shared where attraction development, distribution, and guest experience is headed in 2021 and beyond

Worth $254 billion in 2019, the tours, activities, and attractions segment of travel and tourism is not just the third-largest part of travel; it is why people travel in the first place. During the virtual element of the 28^th edition of Arabian Travel Market (ATM), Arival’s Co-Founder and CEO Douglas Quinby shared exclusive Arival research carried out with 1500 respondents on the outlook for tours, activities, attractions, and key trends shaping the sector’s revival post-COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the research, although Global Gross Bookings in tours, activities, and attractions in 2020 were down by 80%, which is hardly a surprise, the impact of the downturn was uneven with mixed experiences across regions and variations from market to market.

Arival’s research identified that almost all operators (99%) implemented health and safety measures and that in a sector that previously lagged 10-15 years behind the travel and tourism industry in digitization, there has been rapid adoption of technologies for online booking. Virtual tours were also a popular way for platforms to try and stay connected to their customers and generate some revenue. However, only 16% of operators tried to launch virtually, with mixed results. The research also found that as travel resumes, self-guided tours and experiences will become a viable alternative to large group experiences.

Addressing delegates online during ATM Virtual 2021, Quinby said: “This sector of travel will come back, as will the rest of the travel and tourism industry. However, as much as the impact of the downturn has been uneven for the sector, so will the recovery. What we expect to see is that recovery is hyper-local and very specific to destination and segment.”

Meanwhile, Emaar Entertainment’s CEO Zeina Dagher, who is responsible for the strategy of some of Dubai’s top attractions, including the Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo, KidZania, and Burj Khalifa, shared how attractions have adapted to the downturn and where attraction development, distribution, and guest experience is headed in 2021 and beyond.

“2020 has been a year of unexpected change and the unknown. However, as an organization, we have come out of it stronger and ready for 2021 and beyond,” Dagher said. “The speed at which we came together as a team to tackle the crisis was instrumental to our recovery. We have had to completely shift the way we work in terms of marketing, operations and pricing to offer much more value from our attractions and also to ensure the health and safety of our guests. Our diversity now is our strength, and our focus is more on our domestic tourism market and the residents of the UAE.”