Louvre Abu Dhabi
“Softening hotel prices mean buyers are seeing greater value for money than Dubai, which is playing in the capital’s favour.”
Before the hotel’s spectacular opening festivities I talk to Alex Kyriakidis, Marriott’s president and managing director for the Middle East & Africa region. He views Abu Dhabi within a wider
UAE context, leading growth in tandem with sister metropolis Dubai. He points out that the Marriott-Starwood conglomerate expects to open another 33 hotels in the UAE by 2020, bringing its total to 80 properties. However, Kyriakidis is candid about the challenges the Gulf region faces. “Clearly, the decline in the oil price has taken its toll on the Gulf States, whose economies were totally dependent on oil.” This has driven some states to work on strategies aimed at diversifying the economy, he says, with Abu Dhabi focusing on travel and tourism, investing heavily in sport, leisure and culture. But in the meantime, there’s an impact on business performance. He says the levels of conference activity taking place here when oil prices were over US$100 a barrel “have suffered, with cutbacks working their way through the system, adding: “What we’re going to see is the softening continuing through 2017 and 2018.” However, he sees positives in the current situation – that “softening” of hotel prices means buyers are seeing “greater value for money than Dubai, which is playing in the capital’s favour.” And he describes the “knock-on
BUYINGBUSINESSTRAVEL.COM
effect” of the Expo 2020 in Dubai – which is expected to attract more than 25 million visitors – from which he believes all the Emirates will benefit. “From 2018 we will see a ramp-up to 2020, and beyond,” he says, adding: “In a nutshell, we are optimistic.”
A BUSINESS TOWN But for all the talk about Abu Dhabi’s focus on leisure tourism, there doesn’t seem to be a dramatic shift in what is still very much a business town – Kyriakidis says while the business-leisure guest ratio was 80:20 a couple of years ago, it’s now around 70:30. And the MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) sector remains a key focus for all the big players, including Etihad, hotel groups and the Abu Dhabi tourism authorities. A common goal is to increase the proportion of Etihad’s global hub passengers (transiting, say, between Europe and Asia) that actually stay in the region. Hala Abu Dhabi is the destination
management and conference services arm of Etihad Airways. It is part of Etihad’s Hala Group, which includes the holidays and travel management company divisions. Hala Group managing director Darren
Peisley explains: “Hala Abu Dhabi’s trade and customer online booking systems allow both B2B and B2C capability,
One to watch: Masdar City
THE MASDAR CITY PROJECT is a centre for renewable energy research and innovation. As often with this type of grand project, both phased and final completion dates are open, but its aim is to be a world-leading talent hub for renewable and sustainable energy technology, incorporating universities and institutes, tech development companies and zero-emission living. Masdar has been making the news with its pioneering of Total Recall-style driverless cabs, celebrating carrying its two millionth ‘Personal Rapid Transit pod’ passenger last year. Masdar hopes to host 40,000 residents plus 50,000 commuters.
BBT May/June 2017 121
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