Let's talk training

Greenwood suggested these organisations work with DTTAG and pay higher membership fees to provide funding for training.

Senior added: “We would need to see the money was going towards training and DTTAG was a platform for Oman Tourism to market their products and services direct to the travel trade.”

To be such a platform, it was acknowledged that DTTAG needed to increase its membership and to do so would require support from the Dubai Chamber of Commerce.

For this to happen, the organisation needed to demonstrate its role as a facilitator to the trade and acknowledged that offering training was the first step.

The panel and audience recognised the ‘catch 22’ situation presented to them, which came down to a lack of funding, but as the debate drew to a close there were some conclusions made.

DTTAG said it would continue to seek increased support from the Dubai government and demanded “less lip service” and more action. 

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Dnata claimed to already view training as an investment and said it was willing to work with more suppliers, and Alpha Tours GM Fabian Fernandes arranged to meet TRS Consulting to discuss a possible partnership.

D’Souza suggested partnering with DTTAG to offer the use of Kanoo Travel’s training centre facilities to more agents, hoping to set a trend for more suppliers — particularly airlines — to follow.

Marmoush and Senior both professed to be “open to suggestions” and suggested coordinating efforts to create an institute to provide training; a goal in which the Arabian Travel Market training seminar was possibly the first step in achieving.

The panel

Mark Senior, GCC representative, Oman Tourism

Nick Sheppard, general manager, Dnata Travel Group

Fabian Fernandea, general manager, Alpha Travel

Leo Fewtrell, manager, Dubai Travel & Tour Agents Group (DTTAG)

Sundar Vasudaven, managing director, TRS Consulting

Sunil D’Souza, country manager, UAE and Oman,Kanoo Travel Group

Ibrahim Marmoush, regional training manager, Travelport GDS