Praising the emirate’s performance, Omar Bani Hamour, coordinator, marketing and exhibitions, Fujairah Tourism and Antiquities Authority, said, “We are satisfied with the marketing efforts of Fujairah as a tourism destination throughout this year, and [demonstrating the results of these] marketing efforts and promotions, the number of tourists visiting the emirate has grown in the first quarter by 20 percent in comparison to 2015.”
To achieve targets, the authority does not only rely on promotional activities at international travel trade shows but also works hand in hand with industry stakeholders to market Fujairah as an attractive alternative for both travellers as well as investors.
Underscoring the recent growth in demand, Ghyath Fawaz, hotel manager Nour Arjaan by Rotana, reported a notable year-on-year improvement in occupancy levels and a nearly 20 percent surge in rooms nights.
Revealing similar trends, Saad Eldahhar, general manger, Millennium Hotel Fujairah, said, “[This year’s] business performance has been on par with the budget.
This increase has been in major market segments ranging from leisure, government and corporate, with the biggest [improvement coming from] the former.”
To further expand the destination’s reach, the tourism organisation is determined to tap into the lucrative Indian and Chinese markets while also placing a strong emphasis on Central European countries.
As Bani Hamour explained, to this end, the authority is joining forces with renowned industry players in order to attract airlines to Fujairah International Airport and sign agreements with authorities of European countries while also continuing the all-important works on the further development of the emirate’s tourism as well as historical and archaeological sites.
To meet the anticipated rise in demand, a number of new hotels and resorts are expected to open over the coming years, enhancing Fujairah’s current offering.
The development comes amidst increasing arrivals from international markets. Nevertheless, the local leisure and business segments also remain crucial to Fujairah’s overall success with weekends and holidays being particularly busy at the emirate’s hotels, explained Eldahhar.
“The Fujairah market is heavily reliant on having a strong base business, including long-term [guests] and weekenders […].
Our focus is to get a fair share of these long-term guests […],” revealed Eldahhar, further indicating that with Fujairah being seen as a major gateway for business, the management is also determined to attract this segment from other emirates.
Meanwhile, as Tarek Aboudib, general manager, Sandy Beach Hotel & Resort, revealed, staycation is also an up-and-coming trend, thus, for 2017, the hotel set the ambitious goal to become a top choice for those looking for a short vacation.
“We are lucky to have the best beach strip in the [country] with the famous Snoopy Island only a swim away from the shore,” boasted Aboudib.
Speaking about the latest trends in the emirate, Patrick Antaki, general manager, Le Méridien Al Aqah Beach Resort, referred to the increasing occupancy levels which, according to Antaki, are the result of travellers’ thirst to explore new and lesser-known destinations.
At the same time, the emirate has been also benefitting from traffic being diverted from other locations.
To continue on the growth trajectory, the management is actively looking to reinforce its relations with existing partners while also penetrating new markets with a keen focus on families, who, as he said, prefer a safe yet modern location with a plethora of outdoor activities on offer.
He listed Polish, German and Russian guests among the top source markets, and similarly, Aboudib also underlined the importance of the UK, German, Russian and GCC segments.
At Nour Arjaan by Rotana, the team is working hand-in-hand with the national sales office to increase marketshare.
In addition to this, as Fawaz explained, maximising multichannel bookings is also high on the agenda in order to better adapt to changing demand patterns.
