Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA) certified 21 new tour guides to support its efforts to introduce growing numbers of visitors to the Emirate’s culture and heritage offering.

Rania Mashaat, minister, tourism, Egypt said the major challenge facing governments is realising good economic growth rates in the long run, while promoting development and reform efforts.

flynas revealed that it has carried three million passengers to all its domestic and international destinations during the first six months of this year.

Oman Air, the national carrier of Oman, is reviewing its route network with a view to further expanding its destinations in Africa.

Making up one of the address’ largest guest segments, GCC tourists are flocking to Mazagan Beach & Golf Resort, a luxury resort in Morocco this summer.

ABU DHABI IS BECOMING KNOWN FOR HOSTING HIGH-PROFILE INTERNATIONAL SPORTING EVENTS. DESMOND HATTON, GENERAL MANAGER, DUSIT THANI ABU DHABI, EXPLAINS WHY THE EMIRATE IS A DESTINATION OF CHOICE.

Q& A with Desmond Hatton

GENERAL MANAGER, DUSIT THANI ABU DHABI

TRAVEL TRADE MENA: How successful was the last quarter of 2017 for your company? Please share the latest statistics if possible.

DESMOND HATTON: The last quarter of 2017 was a mixed bag of opportunities and challenges for the hotel. Overall, the business sentiments in the fourth quarter were positive and the hotels in the city competed fiercely to get their fair share of the market.

TRAVEL TRADE MENA: What are your main feeder markets and what, in your opinion are the main reasons they choose Abu Dhabi as a sports destination?

DESMOND HATTON: The main feeder market for the hotel is definitely the Middle East, followed by Europe and emerging Asia. Abu Dhabi is a rising city when it comes to hosting international sports events. This is mainly attributed to the commitment of the local authorities towards sports and the allied infrastructure that is in place.
The city has successfully staged world-class sporting spectacles such as Formula One, Red Bull Air Race, HSBC Golf Championship, Abu Dhabi Cycling World Tour, Jiu-Jitsu Championship, ITU World Triathlon Abu Dhabi and FINA High Diving World Cup to name a few.

TRAVEL TRADE MENA: How do you believe these qualities can, and should be further developed? Are any significant projects related to this industry currently underway or in the pipeline?

DESMOND HATTON: There can be more opportunities of collaboration between the stakeholders, including hotels, airlines, travel agents and local authorities to promote the destination internationally during these sports events in Abu Dhabi. It will provide a concrete base or buffer to the city that is currently reeling under the pressure of oversupply and limited demand.
The most anticipated sporting event of the decade will be 2019’s Special Olympics World Summer Games in Abu Dhabi. Needless to say, the city is gearing up for the games and preparing full steam to ensure seamless logistics.

TRAVEL TRADE MENA: Are there any other upcoming high profile sports-related events you would like to tell us more about?

DESMOND HATTON: Undoubtedly, the Formula One has been the most successful sporting event in the recent times for the emirates capital city. Trailing closely, Mubadala World Tennis Championship has also been able to draw crowds over the last couple of years. The likes of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams among other tennis stars have awed the audience in the past with their striking knocks on Abu Dhabi soil. The HSBC Golf Championship has also been a success.
Besides the sports events mentioned above, the city has or will be hosting Abu Dhabi Cycling World Tour, Jiu-Jitsu Championship, ITU World Triathlon Abu Dhabi and FINA High Diving World Cup.

TRAVEL TRADE MENA: What are some of the other activities a visitor to Abu Dhabi, or their families, can indulge in when not actively engaged in sports or watching a match?

DESMOND HATTON: Abu Dhabi is primarily a cultural and arts hub of the Middle East. Louvre Abu Dhabi, Grand Mosque and Manarat Al Saadiyat are truly the region’s most popular cultural sites worth visiting. Furthermore, the city boasts of Ferrari World Abu Dhabi and an interesting mix of mall concepts, especially Yas Mall. There’s never a dull moment in Abu Dhabi. The tourists can bask some sunshine by the beachside on Corniche, Saadiyaat or even tee off at the city’s popular golf courses. The options to indulge in Abu Dhabi are limitless.

TRAVEL TRADE MENA: Is there anything else you would like to add?

DESMOND HATTON: The Abu Dhabi is poised to grow further in the coming years. In the wake of the Dubai Expo 2020 and the upcoming Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi the city is definitely on a trajectory. However, on the flip side, the industry has become excruciatingly competitive with the opening of new hotels, resulting in the softening of the rates and eventually, hitting the bottom line of the hotels.
Bracing all odds with a sense of optimism, the hotel industry leaders and veterans feel quite bullish about the Abu Dhabi market in times ahead. In the midst of the upcoming projects, the business outlook looks bright for the emirates’ capital city.

RAS AL KHAIMAH TOPS THE LIST OF ACTION-PACKED HOLIDAY DESTINATIONS. HAITHAM MATTAR, CEO, RAS AL KHAIMAH TOURISM DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY REVEALS HOW THE EMIRATE IS MAKING THE MOST OF ITS GROWING POPULARITY.

TRAVEL TRADE MENA: Approximately, how many of your clients are visiting to enjoy active pursuits and where are they coming from?

HAITHAM MATTAR: In 2017, Ras Al Khaimah Tourism reported a growth of 19 percent in the overall number of guests. The UAE remains the most significant source market for tourism, accounting for almost half the visitors to Ras Al Khaimah in 2017; however we are also seeing significant growth from international markets. Germany, Russia, the UK and India respectively were Ras Al Khaimah’s largest source markets with the number of visitors from Russia increasing 79 percent versus 2016. The UK also saw solid visitor growth of 16.8 percent in 2017, largely due to the increase in UK tour operators bringing British holidaymakers to the emirate. 2017 was also the year of emerging market growth particularly amongst visitors from Eastern European countries. This year will see us focus even more on growing tourist arrivals from markets such as Scandinavia, Czech Republic and Kazakhstan while continuing our efforts to increase visitors from the UK, Germany and GCC and India which also witnessed double digit percentage growth.

TRAVEL TRADE MENA: To what degree do you believe the availability of such activities influenced their decision to visit Ras Al Khaimah, and how do you capitalise on this?

HAITHAM MATTAR: With the growth of our adventure tourism product we are seeing more active adventurers visiting Ras Al Khaimah to experience the Via Ferrata and Jebel Jais Flight: The World’s Longest Zipline. The launch of the world’s longest zipline is a major milestone in the development of our tourism offer. This incredible feat of engineering has given us is a product that adventurer seekers from far and wide will have on their bucket list and many will visit us to experience. The media interest Jebel Jais Flight has garnered all over the world has also really helped us build global awareness of Ras Al Khaimah and drive consideration of the destination amongst our target groups.
However, adventure tourism is not our only target. As the region’s most diverse destination with a combination of amazing beaches, rugged mountains, luxury resorts and desert wilderness camps and just 45 minutes from Dubai International Airport we have great appeal to a broad audience. As part of our Destination Ras Al Khaimah 2019 strategy we are looking beyond traditional sun and sand holidaymakers and targeting cultural explorers and luxury indulgence and wellness seekers with product that meets their every need.

TRAVEL TRADE MENA: With Ras Al Khaimah's active leisure facilities expanding over recent years, to what extent has this attracted more guests visiting for active experiences?

HAITHAM MATTAR: Ras Al Khaimah recently announced its quarter one (Q1) hotel occupancy which saw its highest occupancy in a quarter, averaging 79.4 percent in the first three months of the year. The figures which are up four percent versus the same period in 2017 have been driven by ever growing visitor numbers in the region’s fastest growing tourism destination. Overall, visitor numbers increased by 12 percent in the first quarter versus 2017. This was largely driven by growth from international markets, which rose 18 percent year-on-year and now account for 70 percent of the total visitor arrivals to the emirate. The UK and Nordics performed particularly strongly up 18 percent and 26 percent respectively year on year, while visitors from Poland grew by 46 percent and Czech Republic by 34 percent. The figures reinforce Ras Al Khaimah’s position as one to watch on the global stage; with Q1 progress well above the UNWTO forecasted global tourism growth of four percent this year.

TRAVEL TRADE MENA: What future active services/developments will be introduced soon to the emirate or to your company?

HAITHAM MATTAR: In response to visitor demand for the world’s longest zipline, we recently announced that phase two of the zipline that will open to visitors in the third quarter of this year. This will feature two new cables and will increase the capacity of the Jebel Jais Flight to 400 people per day, around 200,000 per year. We also have plans to grow our current hotel portfolio from just over 5,400 rooms to more than 10,000 by the end of 2020 and as we grow ever closer to reaching our visitor targets the need for quality hotel accommodation has never been so important.

Egypt’s tourism industry recorded strong growth in 2017, most notably in capital city Cairo’s corporate segments as well as in leisure demand channelled toward red sea resorts.

KNOWN AS A BUSINESS DESTINATION POPULAR FOR ITS HIGH NUMBERS IN OIL SECTORS, KUWAIT ALSO STANDS OUT FOR ITS CULTURE AND RANGE OF ACTIVITIES.

In line with the global trend of a shift towards unique, genuine experiences, Schuler highlighted that tourists are increasingly seeking experiential travel.