World Travel Essential – Détails, épisodes et analyse

Over 55 Tourism Ministers from all around the world attended the WTTC summit – marking the evolution of the event into being one that represents both the private and public sectors. A number of them were in Riyadh for the first time, taking advantage of the fact of being here in order to forge links with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. One of them was Lennox Andrews – Tourism Minister for the tiny island state of Grenada...

In post-pandemic times, it seems travellers are more and more searching open spaces … and unique experiences. Speaking at the “Cities of Tomorrow” conference at the WTTC Summit, the head of Western Australia’s highly dynamic DMO, Carolyn Turnbull, touted the fact that in Perth and its environs one can find both. We spoke to her at the summit.

Sameer Almakrani has been crowned best tour guide in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia… So who better to talk to about the evolution of the industry? We met with him in Jeddah

The World Expo in Dubai is creating an amazing new dynamic in regional tourism, and it’s an event definitely not to be missed. This week, we talk to Naim Maadad, CEO of Gates Hospitality in Dubai, about the impact of the show, along with his thoughts on the event. He also talks about the long-awaited reopening of his property in Dubai - the Six Senses Zighy Bay. And this week, Mary Gostelow takes us on a new tour of a fabulous classic - Le Crillon in Paris -  Rosewood Hotel.

Jordan’s Tourism Board had a major presence at the recent IFTM Top Resa show in Paris – as the first international trade fair they have attended since the onset of the Covid crisis. This week on World Travel Essential, we bring you the full version of my interview with Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, H.E. Nayef Al-Fayez, published in part in the official show magazine, IFTM Daily. And our special thanks go to the publishers, Cleverdis for the right to reproduce the interview. And luxury travel guru Mary Gostelow takes us on a tour of the Londoner.

The Maldives are hotter than ever as a destination … and this week we talk to Alex Chambers – CEO of Hummingbird Travel – about an enthralling new cultural tour of the islands that has been put together by Tomas Cochrane. Yes, culture and the Maldives CAN go together. And luxury travel guru Mary Gostelow takes us for a close-up and personal tour of the Patina Maldives, Fari Islands. If your clients love the Maldives, you should not miss this episode!

Africa is trending, and Zanzibar is a very cool destination. This week, we are taking a close up look at an amazing resort in Zanzibar – the Tulia – where they’re going more than the extra mile when it comes to sustainability and working with the local community… and luxury travel guru Mary Gostelow takes us to the Big Apple, and one of her very favourite addresses there.

What are the latest trends in outbound high-end tourists from Eastern European countries? We discovered the answer recently at the second annual Luxury Bloc event in Prague, where the opening ceremony also saw an interesting roundtable of regional travel advisors, as well as fielding statistics on what is changing in terms of customer demand in terms of destinations. To get all the details, this week, we are talking to Gabriela Markova of Luxury Bloc. And luxury travel guru Mary Gostelow takes us on a tour of an amazing property in Dorset in the UK.

81% of travelers say heightened risk of cancellation is a barrier to booking travel this year with "refund uncertainty" the top concern. 62% of travelers likely to take-up new ‘Pay when you fly’ options to reduce expo-sure to the refund process. In an exclusive interview this week with Bart Tompkins, the man behind this new initiative from Amadeus, we hear about how this new initiative can help put more “backsides in seats” in planes. And luxury travel guru Mary Gostelow takes us to Gstaad.

Who would have thought you could go deep diving - right in the centre of Dubai. Skiing maybe? Diving … well yes! On top of that’s it’s the world’s deepest man-made pool - at 60m all the way to the bottom. This week in World Travel Essential we talk to the man behind the new project, Jarrod Jablonski, about what is set to be an amazing adventure feature for those visiting the emirates. And Mary Gostelow takes us to Gstaad in the Swiss Alps!