[JJ] What has been your most challenging project to-date...what was the case and how did you tackle it?

[Rohit] A client asked us to look at the markets in China and India. We looked both at the evolving situation today and helped them understand how they would need to establish their operations to ensure they are still there in 25 years time. We did a combination of desk research, interviews with key players, looked at the people who influence policy, talked widely to our networks and did a lot of on the ground analysis to help them understand the long term picture, assess the short term opportunity and map out a clear roadmap.

We have just completed the first part of a multi-stage study looking at the future of travel and tourism in the Middle East out to 2020. This has involved looking at both internal issues and external global factors that could shape the sector. We had to look at a mass of data for 13 countries to understand their current plans and then conduct expert interviews and do a lot of ‘what-if’ analysis to understand where the key issues might emerge.

[JJ] What, in your opinion, are some of the most important business trends, countries and people to watch out for in the near future?

[Rohit] Global warming and general environmental pressures are something that across the planet we now need to take into account and ensure that our businesses are operating more sustainably.

Population is increasing globally and the bulk of the rise will be in Asia – by 2050 Asia will have over 5.2Bn - 1.6Bn more people than today – larger than the entire population of North America, South America and Europe combined. The challenge of educating, feeding and developing a global population of 9Bn will be something that we all have to play our part in.

Societies are ageing – especially in Europe and the US – average life expectancy is close to 80 in much of Europe and the over 80’s and the over 100’s are the two fastest age groups in the UK. We have to prepare ourselves for longer lives and think about how we will pay for our old age. At the same time working populations are shrinking as birth rates fall, so we will need to bring in older workers and workers from across the world.

Economic power is shifting eastwards across the planet – the rise of China and India is creating two economic powers of over 1Bn people each that need to grow at over 8% just to keep unemployment in balance – this is forcing us to rethink the old tools of economic analysis. Countries like Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Korea could also become major economic forces in the next 20 years.

Across the Middle East we see countries and states making big efforts to diversify away from energy and into other sectors – the region could have a major economic impact globally in the next 20 years.

Knowledge flows freely across borders, shortening flight times are collapsing geographic boundaries and markets across the globe are increasingly accessible to anyone with the courage to explore them.

New technologies and scientific advances and continuing to blur the boundaries between science fact and fiction and push what we can achieve. Virtual worlds now enable us to live simulated lives in an online environment, social networks enable us to connect with communities of over 10 million globally and the advances in genetic medicine will help us target and cure a wider range of diseases, extending our lives still further and enabling us to lead more active lives. We have the potential to be highly connected globally and physically active for far longer. Businesses will need to become much more agile and responsive and develop people’s ability to live with uncertainty, solve problems and adapt to changing circumstances.

[JJ] Tourism and Hospitality...what broad trends do you foresee?

[Rohit] This is a growth market. As the world gets richer, more people will have the capacity to travel internationally. More and more locations want to move their propositions upmarket. We will see more and more upmarket properties – for example Iran is building three 7-star developments. The competition between destinations, properties and brands will increase across the sector. At the same time concerns over climate change could limit business and leisure travel. Players in the sector will need to take it seriously and drive down their ‘environmental footprint’ so that guests don’t have to worry about the impact of their stay.

China is expected to become the largest inbound destination and the largest source of outbound visitors – India will follow on it heels. Asia as a whole will see a boom and we could see a rise in travel to Africa if the region’s current economic resurgence continues.

Across the world and particularly in the Middle East we are witnessing a massive boom in spending on the sector to create high quality leisure and travel experiences. Our analysis has identified that the Middle East is spending $3.4Tn on travel, tourism and the supporting infrastructure. This will add more than 800 hotels with over 750,000 bedrooms and the region is aiming to attract over 170M tourists a year by 2020. The region is adding 900 aircraft to its fleet and building airport capacity to handle over 320M passengers annually.

Many tourists will choose to stay at home because of concerns over the environment security and airport fatigue. Some analysts are expecting an increasing desire for visitors to want to stay in hub hotels which provide all your leisure and entertainment under 1 roof. However, a strong counter-trend will be those seeking to experience the true culture and character of their destination.

[JJ] India and China are definitely in focus...what about the Middle East?

[Rohit] The region is diversifying and many countries and states have big plans to build modern industrial societies. Saudi is undertaking a number of massive developments of new economic zones and cities and could become a major economic force globally in several sectors. Dubai has long since laid claim to be a miracle in the sand - not a mirage - and continues to surprise us with its futuristic visions and ambitions. It does not see scale as a problem and its economic power is now being felt across the world. Abu Dhabi is making major steps to build its industrial and business infrastructure. One of the most imaginative projects is the Masdar green city initiative opening in late 2009. This will create a self-sustaining zero waste, zero carbon, energy neutral science and technology city that will be home to over 1500 companies, 40,000 people and provide work for over 60,000 more.

Whilst political tensions and security concerns are unlikely to disappear overnight, the drive within the region to build its industrial base, diversify and compete on the global stage should help make it a major player in the global economy.

[JJ] What words of wisdom would you have to share with entrepreneurs and business leaders from your own experience & dealings with a wide variety of people and situations?

[Rohit] I believe the key role of leaders today is to help the organisation map a path to the future, ensure that we are creating options for the future and enable good people to line up behind the vision and create strategies that deliver on that vision. To address this, there are three key areas that I focus on most with customers today – (i) market positioning, (ii) future insight, vision and strategy and (iii) how we run the business. The key questions they are looking to address are outlined below:

• Market Positioning Value Adding – Do our customers see our business as a vital partner in their strategic development?
• Agenda Setting – Do customers, suppliers, government and the media look to the business for insights on critical issues?
• Future Insight, Vision and Strategy Insight – Are we scanning the horizon for ‘what’s coming next’ and are we assessing the impact of the key trends, forces and ideas that could shape our environment?
• Scenarios – Have we considered how key trends, forces and ideas might combine to create different possible futures for our business, our customers and their markets?
• Vision – Are we clear on what difference we want to make for our customers? Can our customers and partners see what we can make possible for them? Do our staff understand the kind of organization we need to be if we are to be successful in delivering our vision?
• How we Run the Business Options – Are the decisions we are making creating or taking away future options?
• Responsiveness – How quickly can we respond to new customer requirements?
• Sustainability – Are we operationally, financially and environmentally sustainable?
• Embedding – Are staff constantly assessing the developments in the world around them and asking whether their own actions are taking us towards or away from the vision?
• Learning – Are we constantly looking for new ideas and developments that could affect our customers and the ways in which we could deliver current and new services and products to them?

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About the interviewer: Jitendra Jain (JJ) is the founder of The Talent Jungle (www.thetalentjungle.com), a hotel, hospitality and tourism base created in 2003 for industry professionals, students, educators and alumni, with a focus on sharing best-practices, hospitality education guidance and networking. He is a Business Graduate (specialized in Tourism & Hospitality) from HTW Switzerland and also holds Swiss Higher, Indian and American Diplomas in Hotel Management, with specializations in Rooms Division Management, Food & Beverage Management and Human Resources Management. He is currently engaged with a Global Hotel company as an E-Commerce Manager. Articles by the interviewer: Fancy a career in online marketing for the hotel industry? | Choosing the best hotel management school