
Arabian Travel Market 2025 to Explore AI's Impact on Tourism
Artificial Intelligence (AI) will be a key focus at Arabian Travel Market 2025, taking place from 28 April to 1 May at the Dubai World Trade Centre. The global travel event will highlight how AI is transforming the travel industry, improving efficiency, and enhancing the overall customer experience.
Travel and tourism professionals from around the world will attend to learn how AI is being used in both leisure and business travel. From smart planning tools to advanced resource management, AI is playing a bigger role in how travel services are delivered.
Recent data from Statista shows that AI and machine learning have driven nearly two-thirds of global tech investment deals in the travel and mobility space since 2020. The technology is now used across all levels of the industry—from personalized guest services to backend operations.
Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director ME, Arabian Travel Market, said ATM 2025 will offer valuable insights into the latest tech trends. She noted that attendees can expect sessions on real-world AI use cases, ethical questions, and data-driven tools. The event will also showcase new solutions that help travel companies make informed decisions and improve performance.
One of the highlights will be a keynote by Cassie Kozyrkov, CEO of Kozyr and former Chief Decision Scientist at Google. She will lead a session titled 'AI Adoption: From Buzzwords to Business Strategy.' Kozyrkov will explain how travel companies can identify real opportunities with AI and avoid common pitfalls.
She is known for developing the field of Decision Intelligence and has advised major organizations like NASA, Spotify, Gucci, and Meta. Speaking ahead of Arabian Travel Market, she said her goal is to help people understand how AI can improve business outcomes while also having a positive impact on everyday life.
Other sessions will also explore AI's role in the future of travel. Futurist John Duffield will speak about how AI enables more personalized travel experiences. He will also discuss challenges such as data privacy and resistance to change.
On 30 April, Robin Lawther, VP at Expedia TAAP, will join a panel to discuss human-centric technology and the importance of maintaining the human touch as AI becomes more common in travel.
Dorothee Anjos, General Manager at Multilem Middle East, will talk about how AI is changing event planning. She will explain how combining technology and human connection can create better experiences.
Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports, will share insights on how AI is changing aviation. His session will look at operational improvements, predictive maintenance, and passenger services.
Also on 30 April, Graham Pope, VP at Cvent, will lead a session on business and MICE travel trends. He will explain how AI supports event strategy, data analysis, and long-term planning.
Arabian Travel Market 2025 is organized in partnership with Dubai World Trade Centre. Strategic partners include Dubai's Department of Economy and Tourism, Emirates, IHG Hotels & Resorts, and Al Rais Travel.
As AI continues to shape the future, Arabian Travel Market offers an ideal platform to explore its impact on global tourism. Attendees will gain actionable insights, see the latest innovations, and connect with industry leaders driving the change.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Zawya
an hour ago
- Zawya
Moro Hub seals strategic resellers agreement with OpenText
Moro Hub, a subsidiary of Digital Dewa, the digital arm of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, announced a strategic agreement with OpenText, the global leader in Information Management solutions. The agreement empowers Moro Hub to resell OpenText's comprehensive portfolio of AI-enabled solutions and services across the UAE, reinforcing both companies' commitment to driving digital transformation in alignment with the 'We the UAE 2031 Vision, said the statement from Dewa. Through this collaboration, Moro Hub will offer public and private sector organizations access to OpenText's best-in-class technologies, including solutions for Content Services, Digital Experience, Security, and advanced Analytics. These offerings will enable customers to modernize operations, enhance data-driven decision-making, and meet the growing demands of a digitally connected world, it stated. "We are excited to work with OpenText, a global leader in information management, to enhance our portfolio and extend even greater value to our customers," remarked Mohammed bin Sulaiman, the CEO of Moro Hub. "This agreement not only strengthens our service offering but also contributes directly to the UAE's smart infrastructure development, setting new benchmarks in efficiency, security, and sustainability," he stated. With AI adoption in the Middle East expected to contribute over $320 billion to the regional economy by 2030 (PwC), this partnership positions Moro Hub and OpenText at the forefront of innovation, enabling the delivery of secure, intelligent, and scalable services to businesses and government entities. Harald Adams, Sales Vice President of Emerging Markets at OpenText, said the partnership with Moro Hub reflects its shared vision to empower organisations in the UAE to drive innovation through AI-powered technologies. "Together, we aim to support national digital transformation efforts and deliver secure, intelligent solutions that enable future-ready operations. Moro Hub is a key digital transformation enabler in the UAE, and we are proud to collaborate with them to help customers modernize and achieve better outcomes," he added.- TradeArabia News Service Copyright 2024 Al Hilal Publishing and Marketing Group Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (


Gulf Business
an hour ago
- Gulf Business
SME story: Rentify co-founders Rajneel Kumar and Rashed Hareb on AI, flexibility and redefining rentals
Image: Supplied The UAE's rental market is ripe for disruption, and Fresh off a $500,000 funding round, they share their vision for scaling operations, bridging gaps in the traditional rental process, and positioning Rentify as the region's go-to rental ecosystem. The UAE rental market has a variety of platforms — what makes Rentify stand out, and how do you see yourselves positioning differently from existing competitors? The UAE rental space is active and evolving, but many platforms still focus primarily on listings or offer limited digital layers over traditional processes. Rentify takes a different approach—we're a fintech platform built to address the core financial pain points of the rental experience. Our RNPL model helps tenants pay monthly while landlords receive their rent upfront, easing the cash burden on tenants and providing certainty to landlords. With an integrated rewards program, we're building a smarter, more trusted rental ecosystem, one that moves the industry forward. How does the AI-powered aspect of your platform enhance the user experience for both landlords and tenants? Could you share more about its role in predictive analytics, automated rent collection, and other functionalities? AI isn't just a buzzword for us; it's embedded into how we operate. We use machine learning models to pre-screen tenants, forecast payment risk, and dynamically adapt approval limits. For landlords, AI automates rent collection reminders, tracks portfolio risk, and flags anomalies. For tenants, it means faster approvals and more flexibility. It's not just smarter — it's proactive. We believe that in a few years, the majority of rental underwriting will be AI-driven. We're just ahead of the curve. Rentify recently secured $500,000 in funding — what are your key goals with this investment, and how do you plan to use it to scale operations in the UAE and beyond? The $500,000 was a strategic injection to validate market fit, test underwriting logic, and onboard early units. Our immediate focus is scaling to over 4,000 units, locking in partnerships with real estate groups, and building our credit facility for RNPL. Long-term, our model expands into transaction-based revenues and third-party bill payments. Given the challenges in the region's traditional rental process, why did you decide to create a tech-first solution? What gaps were you specifically aiming to fill? The rental experience in the UAE still relies heavily on outdated systems — paper cheques, informal communication, and limited payment flexibility. At Rentify, we saw an opportunity to modernise this journey. Our platform is designed to streamline access, reduce friction, and foster trust between tenants and landlords. Tenants seek flexibility and transparency; landlords value predictability and lower vacancy rates. We built a tech-first solution that addresses the needs of both, end-to-end. Rent is the largest monthly expense for most households — it requires infrastructure that reflects that significance. Can you share more about your strategic partnerships, such as the Rentify Rewards programme, and how these collaborations are driving business growth? We're in talks with major real estate groups, banks, and telcos to plug Rentify into broader ecosystems. Our Rentify Rewards programme lets tenants earn points on rent, which they can use for bill payments, lifestyle benefits, or even savings. It's the first rent-linked rewards programme in the region. Strategic partners help us scale quickly and layer value across multiple verticals. As the UAE's rental ecosystem continues to evolve, where do you see Rentify in the next five years, and what major innovations can we expect from your platform? In five years, Rentify will be the operating system for residential What are some of the tangible benefits for tenants and landlords using Rentify, and what are the key areas covered within the UAE? For tenants: no upfront annual rent, access to credit, and rewards. For landlords: upfront rent payments, lower risk, faster occupancy. We cover all seven emirates and are actively onboarding properties across Dubai, Sharjah, and Abu Dhabi, with strong traction from both institutional landlords and independent owners. It's a win-win system that eliminates inefficiencies at both ends. What are some of the trends you are seeing impact the rental market? We're seeing a surge in tenant demand for flexibility — monthly payments, digital leases, and faster move-ins. At the same time, landlords are becoming more data-conscious and want performance dashboards, risk assessments, and liquidity options. The era of static, offline renting is ending.


The National
an hour ago
- The National
You can't force workplace change – but you can inspire it
Change fatigue is the defining challenge of the post-pandemic workplace. Employees have faced a non-stop carousel of directives: 'Work from home. Return to the office. Go hybrid. No, back to five days. Use Zoom – no, Teams.' In response, many companies are defaulting to the old playbook – not because it works, but because it's familiar. Employees around the world are exhausted by constant shifts – and they're showing signs of resistance. According to Gartner, the average employee went through 10 major workplace changes in 2022 – up from just two in 2016. No wonder burnout and disengagement are rising. Between 'Quiet Quitting' and 'Bare Minimum Mondays', a deep sense of disengagement has taken hold – just as organisations need agility most. And it's not just policies or preferences that are shifting – it's the tools of work itself. AI is no longer emerging; it's embedded. From intelligent recruiters and automated onboarding to generative design and real-time feedback systems, AI is rapidly transforming what jobs look like and how people perform them. It's not an add-on. It's foundational. That's because workplace transformation, whether welcomed or not, can no longer be avoided. AI recruiters, decentralised working environments and virtual offices are just a few examples. Think XR training, gamified workdays or even AI-driven wellness. These aren't experiments – they're now the new normal as we know it. These are just a few of the trends that the future foresight team I lead identified in the recently published Emerging Trends Report in Talent Management (2024 to 2040), which was compiled following extensive research by the Department of Government Enablement – Abu Dhabi. To make change stick, organisations need more than memos – they need emotional buy-in. That means showing, not just telling. Be candid about challenges. Share real feedback. Show employees how their work connects to what matters, why it's imperative for survival or why it benefits both them and the company. I'd argue that work should trigger an emotional response. It should feel relevant and real. It's not about more dashboards and KPIs. It's about having purpose and meaning. Take Lego, for example. After competitors such as Tamagotchi, PlayStation and Game Boy dominated the market in the 1990s, the toymaker faced near-bankruptcy. Reducing costs and improving margins were initial priorities for their chief executive. But they were only one part of the turnaround story. It rebuilt its reputation brick by brick by rolling out the now-famed 'Ideas' platform, which crowdsourced design suggestions from fans. Its creative teams – reeling from layoffs – were handed real customer ideas and challenged to bring them to life, not just to innovate, but to help save the company. Within a decade, Lego went from near collapse to being named the world's most powerful brand. By 'showing' employees what customers wanted, Lego provided a tangible example of how change could benefit its entire operation. This was complemented with logical reasoning and open invitations for staff to provide feedback and input, successfully instilling a more inclusive mindset instead of a 'do as we say' approach. Another example can be found in Timpson, a family-run retail chain in the UK. In the late 1990s, chairman John Timpson sought to fend off an aggressive takeover plot by, and in his own words, doubling down on what made them unique: their people. The shoe repair and key-cutting store adopted an 'upside-down management' style. Timpson flipped its organisational chart, putting frontline workers at the top – with management serving to support them, not command them. They don't tell staff what to do, he said, they empower them to make decisions and support their journey. At the summit sit the thousands of customer-facing employees, who are given full autonomy of running each retail outlet with only two rules: they must present themselves and the shop properly and they must 'get money in the till'. They can set their own prices and opening hours, try new services and products, and they can resolve problems as they see fit. Why does it matter? During a spot visit at one store in 2003, Mr Timpson and his son James found one staff member doing something he thought he shouldn't be. When the pair asked what he was doing behind the till, the staff member, slightly embarrassed, apologised and admitted he was fixing the watch of a paying customer. However, instead of challenging him, giving him a warning or worse, they agreed it aligned with their only two rules and sent the employee on a watch repair course. Rather than punishing him, they trained him. That one action eventually became Timpson's most profitable service offering in its stores. Companies must nurture a culture of lifelong learning, equipping employees with the skills and tools to adapt or break out of a stagnant routine Employees will respond to change differently – some resist, some embrace it, but most wait and see. The key is to win over the persuadables. Positive communicators are powerful, and they can influence their colleagues in much more effective ways than a team leader or boss. Build trust by involving employees early. Share the challenge, ask for input and act on it. Spell out the problem the company is facing – costs, staffing resources, communication inefficiencies, newer and cheaper technologies, face time with clients – and invite employees to address the issues and provide solutions themselves. This isn't a token gesture – it's a shift rooted in shared ownership. And when those solutions are identified and agreed upon, we should all expect adoption and implementation to take time – expecting instant results is unrealistic. At Lego and Timpson, progress came year by year through trust and trial. Take change step by step. That's how confidence grows – not from pressure, but from progress. Along the way, companies must nurture a culture of lifelong learning, pushing employees to venture beyond their comfort zones and equipping them with the skills and tools to adapt or break out of a stagnant routine. Most importantly, they help them to prepare for what's next. Because the next wave of transformation is already here: AI is reshaping how we operate, collaborate and deliver value. When used thoughtfully, these technologies don't need to pose a threat – they don't replace people, they amplify their potential. I'll leave you with a closing thought: the question isn't if change happens. It's how we lead through it. Lead with trust. Lead with purpose. Connect through meaning. That's how real change takes root.