Gulf States
BRIDGING THE GULF S
The Gulf States have created a wide range of deals to give themselves a competitive edge in the face of increased capacity and falling demand, says Adam Coulter
pread in a crescent along the shores of the Arabian Gulf, the Gulf States comprise, from west
to east, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Ras al Khaimah, Sharjah, Umm al-Quwain, Al Ain and Fujairah) and Oman. Once a sleepy backwater, the discovery
of oil in the region led to a handful of families amassing unimaginable wealth, which they have used to fast track the development of their economies, particularly their tourist infrastructure. As tourist destinations, these states
have two big things going for them: near- perfect year-round weather (bar the scorching summer months), and a short flight time of six to seven hours from the UK (and a wide range of flights). Throw in high-quality tourism products, excellent service and reasonable prices and it’s clear why this area has become increasingly popular for holidaymakers in recent years.
Above: Pool at The Palm Dubai Dubai stole the limelight for many
years thanks to a frenetic building and development spree which turned it into one of the world’s top tourist destinations. But this ground to a halt in 2008-09 when the bottom fell out of the property market and Dubai went to its neighbour, Abu Dhabi, for a multi-billion- dollar bail out. The downturn affected UK visitor
numbers, which fell from a high of 854,000 in 2008, to 714,000 the following year, although by last year they had picked up again to reach almost 720,000. However, total international visitor numbers were entirely unaffected and last year reached 8.3m – up from 7.6m in 2009. Bahrain has been in the public eye this
year due to internal unrest which resulted in the cancellation of its much heralded Formula One event. At the time of writing a state of relative calm existed. The rest of the Gulf States were left
relatively unaffected by the calls for democracy taking place elsewhere in the
Middle East. The UK remains Abu Dhabi’s top
international market with a 20 per cent
rise in visitor numbers for the first half of the
year, compared to the year before, with almost 73,000 visitors.
Room Report Now is a good time to be selling the area because the amount of hotel development means prices are now far more competitive. For example, two years ago Abu Dhabi was ranked as the second-most expensive place to stay in terms of hotel room rates; today it has dropped to 24th, thanks to the huge number of extra rooms built. Abu Dhabi saw the opening of Etihad
Towers in September, a beachfront development of five towers, one of which is a 280m-tall Jumeirah Hotel. This five- star hotel offers 382 rooms and suites, 199 luxurious serviced apartments, and a
wide array of beauty, fashion and relaxation amenities that include the Talise Spa. Dining options range from a pool-side snack bar to
restaurants including French, Japanese and contemporary
Lebanese specialities. Oman, too, has seen expansion. It
added 1,400 new rooms this year, and there are a large number of significant hotel developments in the pipeline, including The Wave, which combines more than 4,000 properties, a 400-berth marina, a Greg Norman signature golf course and four luxury hotels. The View is a new luxury eco-retreat
while The Jebel Sifah is boutique in style. The Jebel Sifah is less than an hour’s drive from the capital city, Muscat, and Oman’s international airport and offers 55 guest rooms, including 30 suites, and each room has a private balcony. There is a large swimming pool, outdoor Jacuzzi, fitness centre, treatment room and a
www.sellinglonghaul.com • November 2011 29
Selling Tip
Dubai's on-going 'kids go free' promotion offers
savings on flights, hotels and attraction tickets
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