Action Global Communications, an integrated international communications network spanning three continents, is expanding its dedicated Action Travel division into the MENA region.
Tapping into 50 years of global expertise in travel and tourism communications, Action Travel lands in the MENA region in time for this week’s Arabian Travel Market 2021 (ATM) in Dubai – the first major live travel and tourism industry event in 18 months – and follows the division’s successful global launch at the recent ITB Berlin.
Action Travel’s MENA expansion will see Action UAE – the agency’s regional hub – leverage the parent group’s global integrated marketing and communication experience in travel, tourism and destination promotions to pivot game-changing creative campaigns for regional clients operating in the travel, tourism and hospitality sectors.
Russia study shows enduring appetite for UAE market
The launch follows a joint study conducted by Action Travel and the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) which highlighted the growing consumer demand for travel to the UAE. The research, which polled 115 tour Russian operators, showed that the booking window in 2021 has decreased and is, on average, just three weeks from the booking date. For the UAE specifically, this booking window has decreased from 65-70 days to 60-70 days.
The duration of inbound Russian tours in 2021 remains at 9-12 nights on average, although operators who served the premium segment in the pre-pandemic period note approximately 15 per cent of regular customers are opting for 15-20 night stays this year. Simultaneously, traveller preferences when choosing accommodation have clearly changed with all tour operators noting a 35-40 per cent increase in the share of 4* and 5* hotels compared to bookings in 2019 and the first quarter of 2020.
Harnessing the region’s inbound and outbound potential
Through Action Travel, the group aim to target industry visitors from across the world at ATM and help unlock Middle East business potential for inbound and outbound tourism professionals attending the market-leading, international travel and tourism event. Featuring an exhibition, conferences, breakfast briefings, awards, product launches and networking events, ATM 2021 takes place at Dubai World Trade Centre from May 16-19.
Bolstered by its rich history of overseeing integrated travel communications in regional markets, Action UAE has a MENA legacy dating back to 1994. The agency’s in-market offices in Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, the GCC and Levant regions have delivered numerous award-winning, border-spanning campaigns in multiple markets.
“With the UAE’s successful vaccination programme empowering the country’s contribution to a global travel sector bounce-back, the region’s travellers – notable for their high-end luxury experience preferences – are a key source market for global travel, tourism and hospitality industry players eyeing immediate recovery,” said Euan Megson, Managing Director, Action UAE. “In expanding Action Travel into MENA, our bespoke regional offering leverages a half-century of travel communications expertise, cutting-edge tools and next-generation channel optimisation tactics that can help industry players navigate and adapt to a constantly evolving global travel sector.”
The UAE’s expert Action Travel team currently provides 360 strategic communications, public relations, digital marketing, stakeholder engagement, travel trade relations, event management, crisis comms and strategic counsel to some of the world’s most renowned brands within travel and tourism, aviation, and hospitality industry.
Clients include the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, the German National Tourism Office – GCC, Cathay Pacific, Zabeel House The Greens by Jumeirah, Souk Madinat Jumeirah, Jumeirah Beach Residence and more. The global Action network also provides a wide range of communications services to Vietnam Airlines and Etihad Airways, The Monaco Tourist Authority, Visit Dubai, The Singapore Tourism Board and Kanika Hotels & Resorts, to name but a few. Action Global Communications also provided strategic communications services to British Airways for 48 years.
Action Travel comms experts enjoy close working relationships with international travel agencies and tour operator associations, as well as influencer access across the board, wide access to global travel data and specialist on-the-ground insights, with the team closely monitoring new trends and industry nuances in each target market.
“As an agency that takes pride in innovation and creating new meaningful connections for our clients and their audiences, we are continually diversifying our offering and embracing change,” said Chris Christodoulou, CEO of Action Global Communications. “Although the travel and tourism industry has had to pivot in the last year, we admire the resilience of brands, as they look forward with strategic and creative thinking. The travel industry will come back in force, as most of us are life-long travellers who really miss it. Some are coining it ‘revenge travel’ and we want to help our clients prepare for this.”
