News 01.05.2025

Need to Know

A daily recap from the Arabian Travel Market show, Future Days Festival 2025 and the African countries accelerating the region’s AI adoption.

Arabian Travel Market 2025: Connected transport and cruise tourism

Arabian Travel Market, Dubai
Arabian Travel Market, Dubai
Arabian Travel Market, Dubai

UAE – Day three of Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2025 cast a spotlight on the evolving role of connected transport and the booming cruise sector in shaping the next era of Middle Eastern tourism.

Dave Goodger, managing director EMEA at Tourism Economics (Oxford Economics), revealed that cruise tourism in the region is not just growing, it’s outpacing global travel trends. Mashhoor Baeshen, executive director, commercial and business development at Cruise Saudi, stated: ‘Cruise tourism will be pivotal in our efforts to boost GDP under Saudi Vision 2030.’

Shorter 3–4-night cruises are being positioned as strategic introductory experiences to attract new consumers and build brand awareness in emerging cruise markets.

Angelo Capurro, executive director at MSC Group’s Cruises Division, highlighted the sector’s diversity, noting travellers from over 150 nationalities, including new markets such as Central Asia. Capurro went on to explain that cruise projects such as Aman at Sea (an ultra-luxury yacht experience to be launched in 2027) and expanded port development across Kuwait, Sharjah, Ras Al-Khaimah and the Red Sea, will transform the region’s travel landscape. Discussions also highlighted the potential of a GCC unified cruise visa, which could drive up to 40% growth in regional travel.

Later, a panel entitled The Role of Ground Transportation in Connected Travel Strategies, moderated by conference chair Alexandra Topalian, explored the convergence of data, mobility and sustainability.

Ahmed Arab, head of business development in the MEA region at Uber, explained how ground transport is becoming ‘not just an enabler of the travel experience, but an integral part of it’. The company’s vision to go fully electric and become a net-zero platform by 2040 will rely on policy reform, infrastructure and AI-driven super-apps that unify trip-planning across modes.

Jehan de Thé, group public affairs director at Europcar Mobility Group, highlighted the rapid growth of shared mobility and car-sharing, particularly in cities like Montreal, where 12% of the population now use shared cars. ‘The future of mobility lies in shifting from car ownership to car usage,’ he said. The panel also spotlighted regional innovations, such as autonomous buses on Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island and creative multi-modal solutions in Kigali, Rwanda.

Explore our Mobility section and Cruise Ship Market report to understand the innovative trends, tastes, experiences and behaviours that are set to dominate industry thinking over the coming decade.

Strategic opportunity

Tap into the region’s cruise boom by curating short-stay, experience-led itineraries that appeal to new-to-cruise audiences. Focus on wellness retreats, cultural stopovers and luxury at sea to meet demand for high-value, condensed escapes

Future Days 2025: How TimeOut turned a magazine into a destination food market

Portugal – Just days after a climate-induced power outage plunged Portugal into darkness, Lisbon emerged as a beacon of resilience and innovation with the opening of Future Days 2025. This year’s event, themed Towards Symbiotic Futures, brought together global thinkers and local innovators to explore regenerative models of living, working and consuming.

Day one of the summit started with a city-scanning experience through the heart of the capital that led us to the iconic TimeOut Market Lisboa

Ana Alcobia, director of TimeOut Market Lisboa, shared the transformation story of the TimeOut brand – from publishing house under financial strain to global gastro-cultural tastemaker. It now boasts 11 markets worldwide with a 12 set to launch in Budapest. The secret? Editorial curation as commercial strategy. Journalists who once reviewed restaurants are now instrumental in selecting the chefs and concepts featured at each location. The result is a market experience that transcends street food, spotlighting tasting menus from Michelin-starred local chefs to immersive culinary workshops.

Tapping into Future Day's central theme, Alcobia outlined how sustainability is baked into TimeOut Market Lisboa’s infrastructure. All meals are served on high-quality Portuguese ceramic tableware – a deliberate departure from single-use culture. Behind the scenes, a closed-loop cleaning system keeps waste to a minimum. But the market isn’t just about green practices, it’s a hub of cultural continuity and local empowerment.

Stay tuned for LS:N Global’s daily coverage of Future Days 2025.

Future Days, Lisbon, Portugal
TimeOut Market Lisboa TimeOut Market Lisboa

Strategic opportunity

Legacy media brands can evolve their cultural authority beyond print by curating physical experiences – turning editorial credibility into immersive, consumer-facing environments that bring content to life

Stat: Kenya and Egypt lead Africa’s accelerating AI investment race

Google DeepMind, Global Google DeepMind, Global

Africa – New research from cybersecurity company Fortinet reveals that 85% of African businesses across five key markets plan to invest in AI within the next five years. A survey of 750 executives across South Africa, Kenya, Egypt, Morocco and Algeria highlights a growing appetite for AI, particularly in cybersecurity.  

While South Africa is typically regarded as the continent’s digital leader, it trails behind Kenya and Egypt in both current and planned AI adoption. Egypt tops the list, with 24% of firms reporting advanced AI use in cybersecurity, followed by Kenya at 17%. Meanwhile, 72% of South African respondents consider AI crucial to digital strategy, compared to 85% in Kenya and 82% in Egypt. This pattern continues in future investment plans, with Kenya (90%) and Egypt (89%) leading in committed AI investments over the next three to five years, while South Africa trails at 83%. 

Our upcoming report, Emerging Youth: Kenya, explores the emerging opportunities in the country’s youth culture. Head to our Artificial Intelligence topic to find out more about the latest AI developments.  

Strategic opportunity

Collaborate with universities, tech hubs and training programmes in Egypt and Kenya to build AI skills pipelines. Brands that help close regional capability gaps will gain an advantage in shaping emerging digital economies

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