Virtual reality will change travel and tourism for the better

Government understands the value of travel and tourism to the greater economy

Dubai: The World Economic Forum’s Summit on the Global Agenda 2015 which opened in Abu Dhabi on Sunday is discussing means to collectively develop solutions to address the most pressing issues shaping the global, industry and regional agendas. Gerald Lawless, CEO, Jumeirah Group addresses some of the key issues faced by global hospitality industry and the outlook for the industry in the UAE

26 October 2015

What will be the big global trends and technological disruptions shaping travel & tourism in the next five years?

I think the disruptive online facilities such as Airbnb and Uber will continue to proliferate and I am sure that they will have lots of competition in the near future. What would be very interesting to see is if the hotel industry can come up with its own concepts in order to take on the likes of Airbnb on a competitive basis. Not all technological disruptions will be detrimental to our business and I certainly see that the ongoing development with fossil-free fuels and perhaps even cheaper fuels, especially through hydrogen, will have a big impact on the cost of travel over the coming years, hopefully in a positive sense.

What more should the industry be doing to help build inclusive, sustainable growth?

It is the responsibility of the industry to develop sustainable growth. To do so, we must be aware of the fact that as a tourism industry we are encouraging people to travel, we are encouraging people to see the beautiful heritage sites of the world. In doing so, we could also be accused of endangering these sites. Therefore it is imperative that we understand our role in the ecological cycle and we should do everything possible to enhance and preserve the various heritage sites, be they actual monuments or, indeed, cities such as Venice.

In tourism we continuously promote the beauty of various locations in terms of pristine beaches and beautiful scenery and therefore we should also ensure that we continue to preserve these sites. In doing so, we will continue to preserve the very product that we are promoting.

What has been the innovation in your industry that has impressed you most in the past 12 months?

I think the most innovative products that are coming and have started to develop in the travel and tourism industry in the past twelve months will be the virtual reality tours of locations and hotels particularly using the oculus devices. Ultimately we can see these devices becoming very small and rare but giving the guest the opportunity to have an almost complete experience before actually visiting a location. Many say that this will discourage people from travelling but I believe the opposite is the case as the planning of travel is almost as pleasurable as actually doing it and I am sure that this will encourage more and more people to travel in the future. I also believe that it is a great opportunity for the industry to be able to promote their products through these virtual reality start-ups.

What is your outlook for the tourism industry here in the UAE?

I am very optimistic with regards to the tourism industry here in the United Arab Emirates. We are already close to 20 million visitors a year and I am sure that it will continue to grow over the coming year. The support and encouragement to the tourism industry from the authorities within the UAE is an example for other countries. For many years now in this country and particularly in Dubai, the Government has understood the value of travel and tourism to the greater economy. Therefore, with the encouragement of the Government and the participation of the private sector I believe that the UAE and, in particular, Dubai and Abu Dhabi will develop their products to encourage a broader range of tourism especially with the addition of Theme Parks both in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and the Northern Emirates. The UAE has also become one of the major aviation hubs of the world. Therefore airlift to Dubai through Emirates and to Abu Dhabi through Etihad will ensure the successful expansion of our tourism industry in the UAE.

What are you hoping to achieve this week in Abu Dhabi?

By participating this week in the Summit on the Global Agenda in Abu Dhabi, I hope to continue to underscore my commitment to the process of the World Economic Forum. I believe that through the Global Agenda Councils we can get a voice for our industry within the wider economy to ensure that it is appropriately recognised for its value to society and to global economic success.

It is also always a great pleasure and opportunity to meet with so many wise and knowledgeable people not only within our industry but in fact throughout all the different sectors and segments of the GAC community.