900 investment experts at AHIC

The Arabian Hotel Investment Conference (AHIC) 2019 has unveiled its programme for the 15th edition of the forum, which will bring more than 900 hotel investors, owners and operators together at the AHIC Village in Ras Al Khaimah.

TT Bureau

Jonathan Worsley, Chairman of Bench Events and Founder of AHIC, said, “This year’s programme has been painstakingly developed in consultation with hotel owners, investors, operators and consultants from across the region. Time and again, they have told us that amid challenges of new supply, more needs to be done to educate the market and synchronise the efforts of all stakeholders. The agenda is designed around our theme ‘Synchronised for Success’, with content streams targeted specifically for hotel developers, owners, and investors.”
Programme highlights include the Official Opening by Conference Host and Patron His Highness Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi, UAE Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, a keynote AHIC Talk by Sébastien Bazin, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, AccorHotels, who will address the topic ‘What is Your Compass in Times of Disruption, Innovation and Global Turmoil?; and Jay Rosen, Head of Investment & Finance at The Red Sea Development Company, who will be speaking on ‘Sustainable Investment Tourism Development for the Future’. Mega Projects in Saudi Arabia such as the Red Sea destination, expected to add $5.86 billion to the Kingdom’s GDP, will form a focus at AHIC 2019, following on from the success of the Saudi Hotel Investment Forum (SHIC) held last month. A dedicated plenary session entitled ‘Uncovering The Kingdom’ will take a deep dive into the KSA market, discussing opportunities for international investors, government support for the industry and how the market is dealing with the increase in supply.
Ahead of the event, Dr Badr Al Badr, CEO, Dur Hospitality, commented, “In Saudi Arabia, all key stakeholders in the hotel investment industry are benefitting from Vision 2030, with the wheels for socio-economic transformation already in motion. This blueprint for economic diversification earmarks tourism as a growth sector crucial to the Kingdom’s long-term success, and savvy hospitality companies are aligning their development strategies to this vision”.
Haitham Mattar, CEO of Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority, said, “We are delighted to be hosting AHIC 2019, bringing together world-class speakers and key players from the hospitality sector to share their insights.”