Thailand’s Prime Minister, His Excellency Mr. Anutin Charnvirakul met with Dave Geer, Chief Commercial Officer of Virgin Atlantic in London, just weeks before the airline launches its first-ever direct non-stop service to Phuket marking an important new chapter in air connectivity between the UK and Thailand. The meeting took place during the Prime Minister’s visit to London following his attendance at the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York, as part of a programme of meetings with key UK trade, investment, industry and tourism partners.

Lobby, the Artificial Intelligence (AI) platform that automates complex booking operations across suppliers of travel, hospitality and experiences, has carried out several analysis of reservation workflows that reveal a consistent pattern and challenge some common assumptions within hospitality. For years, hotels have focused on reducing reservation response times and on increasing conversion rates, as well as operational efficiency. According to Lobby’s analysis, the actual weaknesses in this part of the process are related to information, guest intent and the commercial opportunities lost between request and booking.

dnata, a leading global air and travel services provider, is participating in Ru’ya Careers UAE at Dubai World Trade Centre from 28 to 30 September, highlighting career opportunities for Emirati talent across its diverse operations. dnata continues to invest in attracting, developing and advancing national talent. UAE Nationals hold 111 different roles across the company, from travel services and frontline airport operations to specialist and leadership positions, reflecting the breadth of career paths available within the organisation.

The world is not moving towards a single artificial intelligence future. The United States, Europe, China, the Middle East and India are developing distinct systems shaped by different approaches to innovation, sovereignty, trust, data and scale. On 28 and 29 October, the Global Resilience Network (GRN) will bring those five pathways into one room at the Global Travel Futures Forum in Paris and test what they mean in practice for the global travel economy.

There are cities that reveal themselves slowly, street by street and neighbourhood by neighbourhood, and then there is Shanghai — a city best understood from above. At the 2026 World Travel Awards Asia, Oceania & Indian Ocean Gala Ceremony, held yesterday at CROSSROADS Maldives, that elevated perspective took centre stage as The Stage Observation Deck Shanghai was named Asia’s Leading Tourist Attraction 2026. The prestigious award was presented as travel and tourism leaders from across Asia, Oceania and the Indian Ocean gathered in the Maldives for one of the most anticipated nights of the regional tourism calendar. The ceremony, held on 27 September to coincide with World Tourism Day, brought together representatives from more than 40 countries at CROSSROADS Maldives.

As some of the world’s leading figures in hospitality investment prepare to gather at Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai tomorrow for Future Hospitality Summit – FHS World 2026, investors have set out their views on the trends and strategies that are shaping the future of hospitality investment. Widely regarded as the Middle East’s leading hospitality investment forum, FHS World will welcome more than 200 investors representing over USD$ 5 trillion in assets under management. Some 25 percent of those investors are attending for the first time, and 40 percent are travelling from outside the GCC.

The Caribbean Tourism Organization’s (CTO) State of the Tourism Industry Conference (SOTIC) 2026 heads to Georgetown, Guyana from Oct. 5-9 under the theme “Tourism Futures: Smart, Sustainable and Inclusive.” Guyana President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali will deliver the keynote address as tourism leaders, industry partners, researchers, media and students examine the forces shaping Caribbean tourism.