NEWS
ICELAND TO PUSH DIFFERENT REGIONS
Sophie Griffiths
Iceland has seen a 12% increase in overnight stays in the east of the country as the destination seeks to promote regions outside of the capital. Promote Iceland (EU1828), which leads
the promotion and marketing of Iceland in foreign markets, said the country had also seen an 11% rise in visits to North Iceland, West and Westfjords between January to September 2019. It added that it would use WTM London to continue promoting areas outside of Reykjavik. Highlights this year include the
opening of the Arctic Coast Way – a 560-mile route in the north that includes island-hopping to five islands. A traditional Viking turfhouse has also opened in south-west Iceland. Promote Iceland said it would continue
to focus on responsible tourism, with the country’s official tourism website, Inspired by Iceland, having launched a campaign to encourage tourists to drink tap water to cut down on plastic bottles. The US is Iceland’s top market,
comprising 25% of total visitor numbers between January and September 2019; the UK was second with 12%; Germany third, with 7%; then France in fourth place and China fifth. At WTM London, travel agents will be
offered the chance to explore Icelandic attractions such as its annual “horse corral” (where horses are rounded up to bring them home for the winter), with a virtual reality immersion session on its stand on Wednesday from 13:00-15:00.
AJMAN SEEKING TO RAISE PROFILE IN EMIRATES MARKET
Edward Robertson
The Middle East’s smallest emirate is looking for a boost in UK visitor numbers after opening its first tourist office in the country. Ian Scott, Ajman Tourism’s
(ME540)UK director, said the decision to do so was made a year ago as the destination seeks to grow its tourism numbers from 630,000 in 2018 to 800,000 in 2021. He added that despite being only half an hour’s drive from Dubai airport, visitors to the emirate will get a very different experience. Scott said: “It is not a new destination,
it just happens to be the smallest and perhaps one of the lesser-known emirates compared to Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Ras al Khaimah.”
He added Ajman has about 3,800 hotel
rooms in its bed stock with Oberoi, Farimont and Marriott being the brand names best known to UK travellers. “They’re brands people know, they’re
five-star and they’re on a beach, which sits well with the UK market,” he said. Scott also argued that a little more
peace and quiet is not the only benefit travellers who choose to visit Ajman over nearby Dubai will discover. “Because it is not Dubai, it is going to be maybe 15% to 20% cheaper,” he said. Scott added Ajman’s key markets are the
rest of the United Arab Emirates, Russia, Oman and India but added the country is yet to succumb to mass tourism. “Ajman is more like a village than a city, where tourists are outnumbered by local people, and this is one of the differences versus Dubai or Abu Dhabi.”
AJWA’S HOME FROM HOME IN ISTANBUL Tom Parry
Istanbul-based hotelier Ajwa Hotel Sultanahmet (EU1200) has a new Ajwa Home property, The Clock House. The second in the series of Ajwa’s
converted local homes, The Clock House offers an alternative for long or short stays in the heart of Old City of Istanbul. Contemporary in style, the home offers access to all the facilities at the
32 WTM OFFICIAL EVENT DAILY 04.11.2019
nearby Ajwa Hotel Sultanahmet. The Clock House is close to many museums, bazaars and major mosques including the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, Grand Bazaar and Basilica Cistern. The four-storey, three-bedroom
property has been designed to replicate the traditional Turkish home “with a sophisticated twist”, with living areas, a kitchen, sauna and penthouse.
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