The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) has announced the line-up of industry experts who will be appearing at the inaugural Abu Dhabi Tourism and Data Analytics Forum, which will take place on 15 December at Manarat Al Saadiyat.

The first event of its kind in the region, the Forum will gather more than 100 leading experts in Abu Dhabi to discuss the latest trends in the tourism and analytics industry, with representatives from global giant Google, as well as participants from TripAdvisor, Visa, Al Dar, Du STR, Skift and J.L.L., among others.

The event will bring together top data scientists, researchers and industry experts to share the latest advances in tourism analytics and data analysis to support Abu Dhabi as it develops further into an innovative tourism capital.

Key sessions at the forum will include ‘Predictive Analytics in Abu Dhabi Hotel Markets’, ‘F&B and Retail Analytics’, ‘Economic Modelling and Forecasting Methods’, a session from Etihad Airways entitled ‘Customer Segmentation Analytics’ and a session entitled ‘Unlocking Transformation: Building the Future of Travel Through Data and Technology’.

There will also be sessions on ‘Connecting Cultures and Building Consumer Trust Through Personalised Travel Experiences’, ‘Visitor Journey and Profiling Using Telecom Data’ and ‘Forecast of Tourism Data and Outlook Post Expo 2020’.

“The Abu Dhabi Tourism and Data Analytics Forum reflects the emirate’s commitment to reinforcing its position as an innovative tourism capital, by harnessing the very latest technology to provide the industry with solutions to support a sustainable future," said HE Nawal Al Hassani, Executive Director, Strategy & Planning Sector at DCT Abu Dhabi. “We are looking forward to the forum identifying responses to challenges in the tourism sector in Abu Dhabi by connecting leading data experts with tourism stakeholders to exchange ideas, innovations and experiences.”

“Travel is the world’s largest sector — but you wouldn’t know it based on how hotels, airlines and others fail to use data,” said Rafat Ali, Founder and CEO of Skift. “That’s why Skift will be joining the conversation with top industry leaders at the Forum in December. This exciting, interactive day-long showcase will demonstrate why data is key to unlocking travel’s future — and how the smartest minds are driving that forward today.”

The Abu Dhabi Tourism and Data Analytics Forum will take place at Manarat Al Saadiyat on 15 December. For more information, please visit https://adtdaf.com/.