“Complementing its local heritage and culture, the state’s growth has attracted international brands in both the hospitality and retail sectors, providing familiarity and convenience to travellers who are looking for a home away from home trip,” elaborated Petek.
The recent and upcoming augmentation of the country’s hotel sector clearly reflects Kuwait’s appeal to international industry stakeholders. Over the coming years, a number of high-profile brands are expected to enter the market, including Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, which plans to soon launch its first 263-unit property in the country at Burj Alshaya.
The pipeline also includes Mercure Kuwait, set to welcome its first guests in 2017, a Hilton Hotels & Resorts-branded address, due to be unveiled in 2019, and a Grand Hyatt project, which is slated for completion by 2020.
In order to cater to any budget and taste, the midmarket sphere is also expanding with the addition of Novotel and Rotana properties, offering a wider spectrum of accommodation options, thus, appealing to a larger audience.
Further cementing its position in the Kuwaiti hospitality scene, Hilton Worldwide has partnered with Al-Rai Real Estate to launch two new addresses in the country with both the 158-room luxurious Conrad Kuwait and the 430-key midscale Hilton Garden Inn scheduled to open in early 2019.
The properties will form part of the expansion of The Avenues Mall in Kuwait City; a USD1 billion investment which is expected to establish the centre as one of the world’s top retail destinations.
“With its number of shopping outlets set to increase by nearly 50 percent, demand for accommodation at the site which already attracts millions of visitors every year is set to increase substantially,” analysed the future prospects Rudi Jagersbacher, president, Middle East, Africa and Turkey, Hilton Worldwide.
As Mohammad Alshaya, chairman, Mabanee, the owning company Rai Real Estate, noted, the enhancement of the destination will also support internal tourism and establish a firm position for Kuwait on the regional map.
“We have seen increasing numbers of visitors from abroad, in particular from the countries of the GCC, and this is a strong indicator of the revival of tourism in the country,” manifested Alshaya.
THERE IS MORE
“The sufficient number of hotels and resorts that provide amazing services for leisure – and more in the pipeline – is one of Kuwait’s [competitive] edges,” stated Imad Zaboura, general manager, Al Mashar Rotana, Kuwait, stressing that despite its relatively small size and its richness in oil, the destination can take pride in its own beauty which is being enriched by numerous undiscovered beaches and plentiful historical and archeological places.
In fact, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), the country has the potential to gain higher income from leisure spend which is expected to grow 6.2 percent per annum to KWD2.4 billion (USD7.97 billion) in 2025, with business travel, which showed a dip in 2015, predicted to develop at a more moderate rate of 5.6 percent per year to KWD457.3 million (USD1.52 billion) by 2025.
To support the leisure segment’s enhancement, the government has recently embarked on new initiatives and had launched, among others, a water park next to Al Kout Mall where visitors also had the chance to enjoy musical performances.
All in all, some 200 events took place in the country during this summer, reinforcing the leadership’s determination to place the destination on the global tourism map.
As Petek noted, beyond all the corporate establishments, visitors can discover a plethora of activities, even in the shoulder months, from water sports to desert adventures as well as more authentic experiences for example in the city of Souk Al Mubarakiya.
Various neightbourhoods are also emerging as popular options for families and individual travellers, while the seafront of Salmiya, located near Marina Beach, is the place to go for dining and shopping, as Petek highlighted the destination’s increasing leisure offerings.
In line with the country’s enlarged offerings and rising appeal, WTTC anticipates tourist arrivals to grow from 270,000 in 2014 to 440,000 by 2024.
According to Zaboura, despite the projected growth of the leisure segment, business travel is set to remain the largest contributor to the development.
“If Kuwait continues to work on its tourism campaigns and the beautification and development of the country, there will be more leisure tourists coming over from different countries. However, I think that Kuwait has to start promoting the destination to its neighbouring GCC countries to preserve the culture,” suggested Zaboura.
Similarly, Cermak expects the biggest growth to come from GCC states, with other markets, such as the US and UK also contributing to the development.
As he further disclosed, at Radisson Blu Hotel, Kuwait, business travellers currently make up 80 percent of the clientele with holiday-makers representing the remaining 20 percent of the total.
At Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotels & Spa, the family segment is also a valuable contributor, especially from Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, explained Petek, who anticipates further growth in this regard.
In addition, as he noted, corporate visitors from outside the region, particularly from Europe, Turkey and the Far East, are also on the rise.
As Zaboura revealed in line with recent trends and the augmentation of the market mix, Al Manshar Rotana is planning a number of new projects, including the addition of a ballroom, the conversion of some regular rooms to Club Rotana units as well as the launch of an Italian restaurant – all of which are set to widen the clientele of both the hotel as well as Kuwait.
Generating more income from international arrivals is indeed of high importance, giving the fact that in 2014, domestic travel spend accounted for 88.1 percent of direct industry-related GDP, and according to WTTC, this figure is expected show an annual growth rate of 6.4 percent through to 2025.
