review wtm london middle east
Dubai eyes ecotourism D
ubai plans to tap into adventure and ecotourism with a new development in the foothills of the Hajar Mountains. The Hatta Damani Lodges, in the Hatta exclave about an hour from Dubai centre, opened in October, off ering three diff erent types of cabins and a range of outdoor pursuits. Issam Kazim, Dubai Tourism chief executive, said he believed the area had been “almost taken for granted” by locals and not promoted enough. “Now we want to show this side of Dubai – it is something we have always had and adds to our off ering. I think it will appeal to many of our diff erent markets, he said. Hatta Damani Lodges, close to Hatta Wadi Hub, features a range of free and paid-for activities including mountain biking tuition and rental, adventure rope courses, a climbing wall and the atta rop-in the fi rst “water-jump park” with “jump slides” and drop-in tracks. dditionally, atta edr Trailers brings the fi rst trailer hotel concept to the region, each with its own terrace. Guests can access a common area equipped with a fi re pit and barbecue facilities, while enjoying views of the banks of Hatta Dam. vernight stays are also available at atta ampsite. lternatively, visitors can take a spot at Hatta caravan park. Meanwhile, a new boutique
hotel, Riad Hatta,
inspired by traditional “riad” houses built around a
central courtyard, is set to open in late 2019.
On a much bigger scale,
Dubai is gearing up for Expo 2020, the fi rst Mega Event’ to be
held there and the fi rst World
Expo in 10 years in
the Arab world. The six-month run is expected to attract 25 million visitors, 75% of them international. Each of the 180 countries taking part will have a dedicated pavilion showcasing their traditions and breakthrough inventions. The size of the show “will make the lympics and ifa World up look like new kids on the block,” said Jon Bramley, the event’s vice president of communications.
He pledged “a good idea conceived in a small African village or town will be on a level with those from fi rst world cities.”
ustainability will be a key theme and 80% of buildings at the site will remain to create a permanent area called District 22.
Jordan aims to get back on the map J
ordan’s ed ea resort of Aqaba plans to launch its own airline to restore visitor numbers lost during the rab pring. asser hraideh, chief
commissioner for qaba pecial Economic one uthority seza, said ly qaba would launch in March 2019 with two Airbus A320 aircraft and a 72-seat Embraer. It will be majority owned by seza with the yla project, a new leisure development being built in the city, taking a 10% stake. hraideh said We hope that other private-sector operators pitch in – this is a key issue not only for tourism, but also for investment too.”
wtm.com hraideh added that he hopes to
off er initial services to Beirut, airo and ubai, while further afi eld, ermany, the , ussia and
The Jordanian city of Aqaba is set to launch its own airline
candinavia were key destinations. Aqaba lost up to 65% of its
international visitation between 2010 and 2015.
ver the past two years we have been working aggressively to re-establish our networks, and reach out to our traditional as well as new markets, said hraideh. Russia is proving to be one such new market, with 120,000 visitors received in the fi rst six months this year, the same as in the whole of 2017. It is hoped other new direct fl ights will help restore numbers, with easyet having launched weekly services from Berlin choenefeld and ondon Gatwick in November.
winter 2018 wtm insights 17
EVENT REVIEW
Banksy at WTM P
alestine scored a coup by displaying a genuine work from renowned street artist Banksy at WTM ondon. Hundreds queued to have their photo against the piece, which was painted onto a replica section of the wall built by Israel to separate the two countries. Banksy’s association with alestine already includes The Walled ff otel in Bethlehem, run by fellow artists. alestine Ministry of Tourism spokesperson Majed Ishaq said We say Banksy is half-alestinian because he has been there many times. is hotel’s capacity is very limited, but the message it sends is huge.” Ishaq added
Banksy’s artwork at WTM London
WTM London had led to many kinds of conversations with diff erent people, from people interested in visiting Palestine and tour operators that are starting to think how they can
put this project into their itinerary. Paul Nelson, WTM Portfolio press and manager, said The fact that an artist of Banksy’s standing is using WTM London to promote The Walled ff otel illustrates just how big a draw the event is for the global travel industry.
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