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MEA expected to return to pre-pandemic levels of business travel by 2024
Business travel in the Middle East and Africa ( MEA ) is recovering more rapidly than in any other region , according to the most recent Business Travel Index Outlook from the Global Business Travel Association ( GBTA ) – one of the world ’ s largest business travel associations . MEA business travel achieved 86 % of its 2019 levels during 2022 , outperforming the recovery in the Americas , Asia Pacific and Europe . to return to pre-pandemic business travel spend by 2024 and continue its growth trajectory ,” added Catherine Logan , Regional Vice President EMEA & APAC , GBTA
Danielle Curtis , Exhibition Director ME , Arabian Travel Market , said : “ The business travel sector is a key component of the Middle East ’ s wider travel and tourism industry , and it is encouraging to see that it has bounced back so strongly since the pandemic .”
According to the forecast , business travel spending reached US $ 933 billion globally in 2022 , 65 % of the US $ 1.4 trillion business prepandemic travel spend , with the MEA region accounting for US $ 23 billion or approximately 2.5 % of overall spending within the sector .
“ The MEA region is an important growth market for business travel and benefitted from a prompt COVID-19 vaccination roll-out in key markets , such as the UAE and Israel , as well as increased economic activity driven by the rising price of crude oil to accelerate the business travel recovery . The region is expected
E-signature is an important entry point to digitalise business operations says new research
With the shift to remote and flexible work here to stay , organisations are expected to offer enhanced digital , self-serve experiences , including using e-signatures for important business contracts .
At the onset of remote work , many organisations rushed to adopt digital ways of doing business . However , shifting the culture from email and paper processing comes with some challenges , and users need to be educated about using the technology securely . To help IT teams support organisations in fully adopting and adhering to the best practices for using digital signatures , Info-Tech Research Group has released a new blueprint , Adopting e-Signature .
E-signatures enable organisations to replace paper-based processes and the energy-dependent activities traditional processes require , such as physical document storage and delivery . Digital in nature , this type of signature is simple to use and more secure than traditional paper documents because they contain traceable information about who signed them as well as when and where they were signed .
However , despite the many benefits of digital signatures , their adoption comes with obstacles . For example , organisations must be aware that regulations may require physical signatures for certain transactions .
Organisations must also consider if they have the right solution for their cross-functional needs , such as an enterprise e-signature solution or a business solution suite with an integrated e-signature feature .
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