On the sidelines of the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) in Dubai, Mabrian Technologies and the Almawave Group co-hosted a roundtable focused on the transformative role of data intelligence, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Generative AI (GenAI) in the travel and tourism sector.
The session created by the Global Travel and Tourism Resilience Council brought together 20 senior executives and thought leaders from across the public and private sectors for an invitation-only dialogue on the future of intelligent travel solutions.
Moderated under the theme “Successful Market Strategies With AI and Data Intelligence” covered insights and strategies for impact through harnessing AI and Data Intelligence for smarter tourism. The 90-minute roundtable explored how data-driven insights and cutting-edge technologies are already reshaping destination management, travel planning, and strategic execution across the industry.
Participants agreed that while technology is rapidly advancing, the real differentiator lies in leadership, vision, and the ability to operationalize insights across departments and decision-making layers. “The purpose of this roundtable underscored the importance of building bridges between innovation and implementation, as well as the need for sector-wide collaboration to maximize the value of data and AI in travel,” shared Laurie Myers, Global Strategist for the Resilience Council.
“It has been great to see the growing interest in travel intelligence here in the Middle East,” highlights Mario Pucciarelli, Director of Sales & Business Development at Almawave in Dubai. “What we are building with Mabrian, together with the broader Almawave, is not only resonating with travel industry, but also is a key part of our wider AI vision — bringing real, actionable insights to destinations and industry players,” he says. “With our regional offices in place, weare here to stay and fully committed to working alongside local partners to grow a meaningful and long-term data ecosystem that benefits travel & tourism in the Middle East.”
Carlos Cendra, Partner and CMO at Mabrian Technologies stated, ”We wanted to run this Roundtable so we could have a cross sector honest, thought-provoking discussion with these destination experts to understand how we can provide better solutions for our partners. We were also eager to show the extent to what data-driven insights can enhance travel and tourism strategies and development and contribute to address key issues that destinations and companies are facing around the world”.
Representatives from key tourism bodies and projects—such as Visit Oman, Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Authority, and NEOM—as well as global travel organisations like the Pacific Asia Travel Association and the Egyptian Hotel Association, joined renowned consultancy firms including McKinsey & Co., BCG, and Roland Berger to share their vision on how technology and data-driven insights are shaping strategic developments across the Middle East’s travel and tourism sector.
Key discussion topics included:
- The evolution of destination management strategies over the past decade through the integration of data-driven insights based in AI, and whether GenAI represents the next major paradigm shift.
- Real-world examples of how public and private organizations are using data intelligence to address operational challenges, seize market opportunities, and sharpen their competitive edge.
- The internal and structural hurdles many organizations face when adopting data-driven approaches and AI-based solutions—ranging from staff upskilling and technical readiness to cost and cultural resistance.
- Collaborative models between DMOs, travel providers, tech firms, and analytics companies, and how to foster more integrated, insight-led ecosystems in tourism.
