DUBAI; Feb. 13, 2020 – Accenture (NYSE: ACN) today opened the Dubai Tourism Innovation Hub, the company’s first innovation hub in the Middle East & North Africa region.

Located in Dubai Media City, the Dubai Tourism Innovation Hub is an immersive environment that showcases Accenture’s capabilities across a variety of innovative technologies, including extended reality, artificial intelligence, the internet of things, and more.

Through industry-focused demos, co-creation sessions, prototyping, and a startup showcase, the Dubai Tourism Innovation Hub provides a platform for clients and partners to tap into Accenture’s global industry knowledge to ideate and develop smart and scalable innovative solutions that help them transform their businesses in the tourism sector. Joining an extensive global network, the hub is connected to more than 100 Accenture locations around the globe to seamlessly bring the best of the company’s global investments and insights to its clients.

“With tourism development a priority on national agendas across the Gulf Cooperation Council region, we’re excited to launch our very first Tourism Innovation Hub in Dubai,” said Norberto Cibien, managing director and Accenture Products industry group lead in the Middle East. “Attracting more than 60 million visitors annually, the Middle East has become a key market for the tourism industry. Millions of people will visit Expo 2020 Dubai, and with 70 per cent expected to come from abroad, it’s critical to develop a seamless travel experience, which requires bridging disconnected ecosystem players and catering to unique and evolving customer needs.”

Xavier Anglada, managing director and Accenture Digital lead in the Middle East, added, “We are delighted to expand Accenture’s broad portfolio of services and offerings here in the Middle East. Accenture is proud to harness innovative technologies to support the government and private-sector stakeholders in bringing tailored and new concepts and features to the region. Through the Dubai Tourism Innovation Hub, we will create sustainable and valuable opportunities for business transformation in the tourism sector here in the UAE and across the wider region.”

The Dubai Tourism Innovation Hub is also the center of Accenture’s Innovation Architecture offerings in the region which include:

• Accenture Studios, which focuses on rapid development and prototyping of applications and the design and creation of digital services;
• Accenture Innovation Centers, which tests innovation by building and showcasing solutions across technologies and industries;
• Accenture Ventures, which serves as a bridge to the global innovation ecosystem by bringing clients together with best-in-class, enterprise relevant startups to unlock growth potential and accelerate digital transformation; and
• Accenture Research, which combines industry knowledge and advanced research technologies to reveal important business trends and insights.