The 2026 U.S.-Iran conflict caused a sharp, rapid disruption to GCC hospitality by collapsing aviation capacity and traveler confidence. While flights began recovering after April, hotel demand lagged. Internationally exposed markets like the UAE were hit hardest, while Saudi Arabia showed resilience due to domestic and religious demand. Recovery is expected to be gradual, driven more by confidence than connectivity.

In Focus: Singapore provides an overview of Singapore's tourism landscape and hotel market performance, infrastructure developments, hotel transactions and investments in 2025, an in-focus topic on wellness within the hospitality sector, as well as an outlook.

Global travel is being reshaped once again, as the Middle East crisis disrupts aviation networks and reshapes how and where people choose to travel, but demand rarely disappears, it simply evolves. For India, this moment presents a strategic opportunity to capture shifting flows, strengthen domestic leisure, and position itself as a safe global destination. Read more to find out.

The MEA hospitality sector is shifting toward diversified, leisure-led, and ESG-driven investments. AI and digital tools enhance forecasting, asset management, and valuation, but human expertise remains crucial. Sustainability is now integral in design, operations, and governance. Success hinges on adaptive, experience-focused offerings, stakeholder collaboration, and leadership that balances analytics with empathy to drive profitable, purposeful, and resilient growth.

HVS MEA has appointed Bhavna Bhatia as Partner – Executive Search, recognising her two decades of shaping senior talent across MEA and India. Known for her strategic insight, sound judgement, and calm handling of high-stakes mandates, she has been central to strengthening the firm’s leadership advisory. Her promotion reflects her impact, expertise, and strong client relationships.

Experience-led tourism presents an opportunity to develop conservation-driven hunting reserves in the Middle East. Success depends on balancing exclusivity with accessibility, embedding sustainability, diversifying experiences beyond hunting, and offering strong F&B and wellness programs. Transparent conservation funding and operational efficiency will be key to creating a new, credible nature-based hospitality segment.

Immigration policy is reshaping how hotels find and keep talent. This article explores why U.S. hospitality’s heavy reliance on foreign-born workers makes visa caps, enforcement shifts, and processing delays critical business issues – and shows how forward-thinking operators are diversifying recruitment, strengthening internal pipelines, and building resilience to protect service quality and profitability.

Africa’s tourism is surging past pre-pandemic levels, with strong growth and rising investor interest. Yet risks of overtourism, seen in Europe, are emerging in hotspots like Serengeti, Cape Town, and Botswana. A sustainable path requires balancing people, planet, and profit to safeguard heritage, communities, and long-term economic gains.

Today’s travelers are prioritizing their health and wellbeing more than ever before, triggering the rapid development worldwide of dedicated resorts and driving mainstream hotels to expand their facilities. Hala Matar Choufany, president of HVS Middle East Africa, drills down into the numbers and explains why health-related resorts offer significant potential for regional developers.

Africa’s hotel pipeline is expanding, but delivery challenges persist. The Future Hospitality Summit Africa highlighted issues like misaligned financing, FX volatility, and policy fragmentation. While investor interest is strong, success now hinges on execution, local expertise, and viable delivery models.