The Mediterranean Hotel & Hospitality Forum, scheduled on November 19 at 12:00 at Casa Llotja de Mar, as part of Medaweek Barcelona 2021, has an extensive programme offering the latest insight and market intelligence, highlight solutions and initiatives already available, as well as discussing innovations that will drive the sector forward. It is the must-attend event for those looking to develop green hotel policies, projects and technologies or looking to make their existing operations more sustainable.
The Meda Hotel & Hospitality Forum has been running for over 4 years and is renowned for attracting the highest calibre of international hospitality representatives and companies. It connects business leaders from the international and the Mediterranean market with the aim of boosting cooperation, investment, infrastructure and hotel development across the Mediterranean.
This event be held in a hybrid format to continue bringing together key team players in the sector and providing the space to make meaningful connections. It will also offer information about the industry latest trends and will be an occasion to meet potential projects online.
The hotel industry has been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic since the first quarter of 2020, leading to the cancellation of reservations and events and the restrictions imposed on travel. Support is needed to keep the industry afloat, but the most important goal is to create a resilient and sustainable hotel industry that is capable of withstanding future major crises.
The Mediterranean region has 20% of the hotel accommodation capacity worldwide. The 24 Mediterranean countries have 10,000 destinations, some 100,000 hotels and around a million restaurants in total. The vulnerabilities exposed by the pandemic, such as the oversupply of hotel capacity, bureaucracy, the lack of flexibility and innovation and the inadequate collaboration between all the actors involved, present an opportunity to reinvent the sector.
The hotel industry of the future needs support. In addition to providing crisis relief for companies in the sector, a cooperative business environment has to be created for all stakeholders. It is urgent to promote a new and more efficient operating model by implementing the latest technologies, innovation and digitization, while maintaining safety and well-being standards for the local communities where they are based. Without a comprehensive plan that consolidates its leadership, recovery and long-term sustainability, this sector is in jeopardy.
As a consequence, it is essential to develop a future tourism ecosystem in a careful and considerate way that provides the right products and experiences to meet the demand of future visitors. The path is clear: promote cooperation and coordination of a coherent, modern and efficient Mediterranean tourism market, a profitable sector that generates not only income but also jobs and benefits the entire population, and moreover a sector prepared for climate change and aligned with the UN Development Sustainable Goals.
