Government initiatives at a glance- the tourism industry contributes up to 12% of the GDP of these countries.
The tourism and hospitality sector that added joy and adventure to our travel experience, connected us globally and created working opportunities is now badly hurt and will take time to recover.
But the support from all stakeholders including governments, management companies, developers, owners, employers and employees has also been remarkable.
We chose to look forward to a strong and safe come back... we should prepare for the future traveller needs and understand how these unprecedented times will impact their behaviour and preferences.
Stay tuned for more thoughts and opinions on the future of the industry.
Hala Matar Choufany is the President for HVS Middle East, Africa & South Asia and Managing Partner of HVS Dubai.
Hala is an experienced Managing Partner and Hospitality Advisor with a demonstrated history of working in the hospitality industry. Skilled in Contract Negotiation, Feasibility Studies, Development Recommendation, Valuation, Asset Management, and Strategic Advisory; she has advised on more than 2,500 hospitality and mixed-use projects in the last 15 years across Europe, MEA and Asia. Hala has in-depth expertise in regional hotel markets and a broad exposure to international markets and maintains excellent contacts with developers, owners, operators, investment institutions and government entities. Hala speaks frequently at investment coneferences on a range of topics including asset valuation, management issues and women leadership.
Hala completed Executive Education at Harvard Business School. She also holds an MBA in Finance and Strategy from IMHI (Essec- Cornell) University, Paris, France and a BA in Hospitality Management from Notre Dame University, Lebanon. Hala is fluent in English, French and Arabic.
Hala is a board member of Harvard Business School club of the GCC and is a mum of three. Born in Beirut, Hala lived and worked in a number of cities across Europe, Asia and Middle East.
For more information, contact Hala at hchoufany@hvs.com
Irmak Sen is a research analyst at HVS Dubai. Irmak is bilingual in Turkish and English, and obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in International Hospitality Management from Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne with concentrations on Hotel Developement and investments. Prior to joining HVS, Irmak has held various operational and administrative internship positions in hotels and hospitality-related sectors across Europe, Asia and Middle East. For more information, please contact Irmak at isen@hvs.com
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