Cinnamon Future of Tourism: Powering the future through sustainable initiatives and innovative strat

The tourism and travel industry is set to become one of the world’s top industries by 2025. In Sri Lanka, it is among the top three revenue contributors to the economy. Being an industry that needs to continuously come up with innovative methods to reach to customers, it is imperative to identify sustainable initiatives by investing in research on customer behaviour and market trends.

As mentors and strategists in the travel and hospitality industry, Director Research and Innovation Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management Dr. Sanjay Nadkarni, CEO Linser Hospitality Dr. Franz Linser and Twenty31 Consulting Inc. Partner Oliver Martin; will join an expert panel of speakers at the Cinnamon Future of Tourism Summit which will take place in Colombo on 26 September. The trio will focus on driving innovation using customer data and assist Sri Lanka to position itself as a unique destination in the region.

Dr. Sanjay Nadkarni – Director Research and Innovation Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management:

Dr. Nadkarni’s portfolio comprises of academic and applied research, advisory and consultancy assignments for corporate, government and multilateral agencies. In addition, he is the visiting Professorship at Ecolehôtelière de Lausanne (Switzerland), Institute of Systems Science of the National University of Singapore (Singapore) and Faculty of International Tourism Management of the City University of Macau (China). Dr. Nadkarni is passionate about leveraging open data and open source platforms for the benefit of small and micro-businesses and enjoys mentoring students in digital entrepreneurship. 

“In the travel and hotel industry analytics can be used in numerous ways; driving revenue, improving guest satisfaction, improving internal processes and marketing strategies which contributes to the overall growth in industry,” Dr. Sanjaya Nadkarni notes. 

During the summit, Dr. Nadkarni will focus on the ‘Important role of data analytics in driving innovation’. He will share insights on the leading global trends in travel and hospitality, industry best practices to capture and analyse data to drive insights.

Dr. Franz Linser – Founder/ CEO Linser Hospitality:

A sought-after speaker worldwide, Dr. Franz Linser’s passion and innovative visions are widely appreciated in the industry. Working in 10+ European countries, the renowned strategist, mastermind and engineer in pioneering modern day hotel concepts established Austria’s biggest wellness cluster which holds 100+ companies today. Dr. Linser will be speaking about ‘Future of Wellness Travel and opportunity for Sri Lanka’ at the summit. 

Dr. Linser began his career as a sport scientist and was the trainer of the Austrian National Ski Team in the early 1990s. Since 2014 he is on the board of Global Wellness Summit and is leading the Global Wellness Institute’s “Wellness Tourism Initiative”.

Oliver Martin – Partner Twenty31 Consulting Inc.:

To quote from Oliver Martin’s recent thought leadership articles published online “The world is on the cusp of a new era of corporate engagement that will fulfil many of the promises of the business case for corporate sustainability. We have a better understanding of the challenges we face and the actions required to secure a better world.”

An expert in the design and execution of research to identify innovations in marketing, brand and sustainability strategy Martin has worked with over 40 national and regional tourism boards across the globe to benchmark brand positioning and advise on consumer, investment and market selection. He is a recognised expert on the trends shaping the perceptions, attitudes and behaviours of outbound travel consumer markets and directs various brand research consulting engagements including for Banff Lake Louise Tourism, Dubai Tourism and Commerce Marketing, Nepal Tourism Board, Palau Visitors Authority, Tourism Australia, Tourism Ireland and Tourism Toronto.

At Twenty31 he works closely with senior leadership teams to measure competitive performance and brand resonance and navigate the sustainability agenda. Formerly a partner with global reputation and sustainability consultancy GlobeScanMartin led the thought leadership practice working with numerous multinational organisations including Asian Development Bank, BBC World Service, Intel, Rio Tinto and the Walt Disney Company. He was also the co-facilitator of the world’s first major business crowd-sourcing forum, the Unilever Sustainable Living Lab, which identified practical solutions to sustainability challenges.

Martin will moderate the first panel discussion featuring TrendOne’s Rene Massatti& Sebastian Rassmann, Dr. Sanjay Nadkarni, of the Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management and CNN Travel’s Brekke Fletcher.