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Tourism in the Middle East is distinct and diverse, as are its associated challenges. The purpose of this paper is to examine the various opportunities and constraints facing the Middle East region in developing and promoting its tourism.

Content analysis of the current literature was conducted, and industry white papers and government portals were consulted to identify the historical relevance, current proceedings and future scope of tourism in the Middle East.

Given the diverse attractions, history, heritage and cuisine, the scope and potential to develop tourism in the Middle East region is enormous. However, political turmoil in the past and its stereotypical image emerged as the major constraints. Acknowledging the significance of the tourism sector, the governments of the region are trying hard to improve international arrivals and revenues.

Despite a steep growth in international arrivals, tourism in the Middle East has not been adequately addressed in academia. This paper highlights the region’s tourism-related background, issues and constraints, thus, addressing a critical gap in the literature.

This paper aims to review the contribution made by the theme issue to the body of knowledge on tourism growth drivers and challenges in the Middle East and the subsequent impact of tourism growth drivers in the region in developing and promoting tourism.

A content analysis of the contributing articles featured in this theme issue was undertaken. Additionally, industry white papers and government portals were consulted to identify the historical relevance, current proceedings and future scope of tourism in the Middle East.

This summary article highlights the key outcomes relating to the tourism growth drivers and challenges in the Middle East that will assist in policy and decision-making by the pertinent stakeholders, especially in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Despite steep growth in international arrivals, tourism development in the Middle East has not been adequately addressed in academia. This theme issue highlights the region's tourism-related background, problems and constraints, thereby addressing a critical gap in the literature.

The paper researches the actions taken by United Arab Emirates (UAE) industry stakeholders in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to mitigate impact, ensure continuity and target growth. More specifically, the focus is to investigate innovations adopted across hotel brands, both, local and international, and the UAE Government's policies that have created an enabling ecosystem for such innovations.

Using an exploratory analysis technique, the paper provides a socio-economic, scientific and economic overview of the UAE and then proceeds to highlight the zeitgeist in the context of the hospitality and tourism industry. The impact of COVID on the industry is discussed and stakeholder feedback is solicited and analyzed to gauge the variety of innovations adopted to address the pandemic induced challenges.

A key finding of this research indicates that proactive government policies have enabled the hospitality and tourism industry to stay viable and perform better than their counterparts in most destinations. The “innovate or perish” mindset spurred by the pandemic is evident in the variety of innovations adopted by hotel brands in the UAE. Another key finding is that digital transformation, operational efficiency and sustainability are the innovation drivers in hospitality.

Using the UAE as a case in point, the study highlights the importance of an innovation mindset which the hospitality and tourism industry needs to embrace in order to tide over the crisis triggered by the pandemic.

This concluding paper aims to review the contribution made by this theme issue to the body of knowledge on Dubai as a host city for Expo 2020 and the impact of such mega events overall on the host destinations.

A content analysis of the contributing articles selected for this theme issue was undertaken.

The summary paper highlights the key takeaways relating to Expo 2020 Dubai that will help inform policy making and decision-making for stakeholders in Dubai’s economy.

Retaining and nurturing the vibrancy of Dubai’s cosmopolitan and diverse socio-economic landscape in the run-up to and after the Expo are as much an opportunity as they are a challenge. The outcomes and recommendations emanating from the papers provide stakeholders with the tools to consider and mitigate risks.

This theme issue makes a significant scholarly contribution towards understanding the dynamics of Dubai as a destination on the verge of hosting a mega event and captures the zeitgeist of the pre-event planning and post-event strategies in “connecting minds, creating the future”, which is the theme of Expo 2020.

Expo 2020 is scheduled to open on October 20, 2020, and will be the largest mega-event to-date in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, drawing in up to 300,000 visitors a day, half of them from abroad, in its six months of operation. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview on how the story has evolved in terms of preparation for the event since Dubai won the bid to host Expo 2020 in 2013.

Content analysis of the existing literature was undertaken and industry white papers and government portals were consulted to assimilate knowledge sources and to formulate an informed opinion about the impact of Expo 2020 on Dubai.

The backdrop to Expo 2020 is outlined, followed by an overview of events with the support of literature. The pre-event buildup in terms of policies and infrastructure is assessed and an impact analysis is performed based on the framework of the triple bottom line model. The framework is used to explore post-event challenges, and the steps that will need to be taken by stakeholders and policymakers are also discussed.

There is a dearth of academic literature on Dubai as a destination. This paper brings into focus the importance of Expo 2020 to Dubai's sustainable development and, thus, addresses a critical gap in literature.

This paper aims to provide an overview of how a Dubai-based higher education institution in hospitality management has leveraged the enabling macro-environment for building innovation-centric courses in hospitality pedagogy. The policy-level initiatives focusing on innovation adopted by the UAE, and Dubai, in particular, are analyzed along with their impact on the higher education landscape.

An exploratory research design with an experimental component based on iterative approach has been adopted in this paper.

The synthesis of the exploratory analysis with the outcome of the experiment for developing innovation-centric courses and assessments which integrates elements of sustainability underscores the necessity for a scalable roadmap for developing an innovation-driven ecosystem. Implications for stakeholders in deploying the proposed roadmap are discussed.

The experience curated from the design development and delivery of innovation-focused courses with the mandated framework in a specific geography (in this case Dubai, UAE) attests to the originality. The research adds value by proposing an implementable roadmap for stakeholders to foster an innovation-driven socio-economic ecosystem that encompasses elements of sustainability.

The purpose of this paper is to profile the Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes (WHATT) theme issue “Expo 2020: What will be the impact on Dubai?” with reference to the experiences of the theme editor and writing team.

This paper uses structured questions to enable the theme editor to reflect on the rationale for the theme issue question, the starting point, the selection of the writing team and material and the editorial process.

This paper provides a framework to facilitate discussion between academics and practitioners engaged with Dubai’s Expo 2020, identifies ways of improving competitiveness as an events destination and contributes to thinking about sustainable development before and after the event. The outcomes of a broad-ranging collaboration yield fresh insights, a deeper understanding of the issues and an array of possible responses to the theme issue question.

The theme issue outcomes provide lines of enquiry for others to explore and they reinforce the value of WHATT’s approach to collaborative working and writing.

The collaborative work reported in this theme issue offers a unified but contrarian response to the theme’s strategic question. Taken together, the collection of articles provides a detailed picture of the on-going preparation for Expo 2020 and plans to ensure continued growth in the post-Expo phase.

The purpose of this study is to explore the use of Internet of Things (IoT) in hospitality and examine its relationship with Big Data. Drawing upon theoretical and practical considerations, it lays a foundation for its adoption in practice and future research.

This paper uses a conceptual approach. It demonstrates the use of IoT and its impact on Big Data in hospitality through exemplars. The paper further explores the convergence of IoT, Big Data and hospitality in the context of the literature, value attributes and vendor offerings. Theoretical models from information systems and business are used to support the concepts proposed.

The study compiles and contextualizes the applications of IoT in hospitality by applying an input–process–output model, demonstrating the link to Big Data. The resulting value dimensions are represented by the IoT–Big Data triple impact intensity model.

An outlook toward the future trajectory of IoT adoption is provided by proposing to extend the prevalent social, mobile, analytics and cloud framework with an IoT component.

Practical implications of the use of IoT and Big Data in hospitality on information technology infrastructure, business models, security and standardization highlight the scope for further empirical research.

By synthesizing IoT applications in hospitality and by bringing to light their relationship with Big Data, the study demonstrates how IoT, Big Data and hospitality converge – a synthesis that has thus far been largely unexplored. This study lays the groundwork for increased deployment of IoT and Big Data in hospitality and future academic research in this area.

本论文开发了酒店管理中的物联网（IoT）的使用, 并且检验了其与大数据的关系。根据其理论和实际考虑, 这方面的科技缺乏应用理论基础和未来研究方向。

本论文采用理论讲述的方式, 通过例子来阐述IoT的应用和大数据对于酒店管理的影响。本论文还拓展了IoT、大数据、以及酒店管理在文献范畴、价值属性、以及供应商考量中的认识。本论文借鉴了信息系统和商业管理中的理论模型以支撑提出的理论概念。

本论文综合审视了IoT在酒店管理中的应用, 提出了一个输入-处理-输出的模型, 指出了其与大数据的关联。其相关价值维度通过IoT-大数据三重影响强度模型来显示。

本论文提出了对IoT使用的未来展望, 拓展了著名的SMAC模型（social, mobile, analytics, cloud）, 加入了IoT成分。

本论文对IoT和大数据在酒店IT架构、商业模型、安保和标准化等方面的使用, 强调了其未来应用研究的方向。

本论文通过酒店管理中的IoT应用综述, 以及其与大数据分析的关联, 展示了IoT、大数据、酒店覆盖等概念如何融合, 这方面的研究还未真正被开发。本论文对于酒店领域中的IoT和大数据应用以及相关领域的未来研究, 有着奠基作用。