Yango Ads Forum Highlights New Traveller Behaviours And AdTech Trends

Emerging markets are increasingly becoming a focal point for the travel and hospitality industry, with data-driven marketing strategies playing a crucial role in influencing travellers' destination choices.

A recent report by Yango Ads, the AdTech division of Yango Group, presented at their premier event, Yango Ads Live: The Next Destination, revealed that nearly half of the travellers surveyed (48%) are swayed by targeted advertising campaigns when selecting travel destinations.

The study further delves into the technological advancements reshaping the hospitality sector, such as AI-powered recommendations, hyper-localised content, and analysis of real-time search behaviors. These innovations are crucial for hospitality brands aiming to convert browsing into bookings, especially with the winter season on the horizon.

The timing is particularly pertinent for the UAE, a popular destination that welcomed an estimated 5.2 million visitors over a two-week period in December last year. This surge in inbound tourism underscores the need for effective marketing strategies to capture the interest of potential visitors.

During Yango Ads Live: The Next Destination, keynote speakers Malika Kennedy and Jackie Ghazi from Yango Ads MEA shared insights on the travel habits of high-intent tourists from emerging markets.

They pointed out a significant trend: 60% of these tourists plan their trips two to three months in advance, in stark contrast to their counterparts from Europe and the US, who often plan up to a year ahead. This discrepancy highlights the critical timing of advertising campaigns to align with the UAE's peak tourism periods, including Eid, the Dubai Shopping Festival, and various cultural festivals.

Malika Kennedy stated, "At Yango Ads, we demonstrate how our AI-powered insights and precision targeting help hospitality brands deliver the personalised, authentic experiences today's travellers expect, turning inspiration into bookings and loyalty. In the UAE, where tourism contributed 12% to GDP last year, we are empowering our partners with smarter travel marketing in one of the world's most dynamic tourism markets and a top destination for international tourist spending. We are supporting hospitality and tourism campaigns with measurable impact at their core."

The forum also featured a panel discussion titled "The Travel Shift: From Touchpoints to Trust," focusing on building and maintaining traveller trust up to 2025. The conversation covered topics such as key moments of trust, the balance between automation and personalisation, and the influence of content creators in fostering genuine global connections. This session brought together experts from different sectors, including Aysel Kazimova, Laura Eckrodt, and Karthik Priyadarshan from Rixos Hotels.

Anna Yastrebova of Dubai Tourism highlighted the importance of collaboration across the industry, saying, "Collaboration between tourism boards, airlines, hoteliers, and technology partners is essential to maintaining Dubai's position as a global tourism leader.

"Events such as the one hosted by Yango Ads play a key role in bringing these stakeholders together, helping shape strategies that embrace innovation and data-driven marketing. By doing so, we can create experiences that resonate with travellers worldwide while ensuring the region remains at the forefront of tourism growth."