World s travel industry sees robust growth
By Rasha Al Hassan
Almasalla Arab Travel Portal News – DUBAI – The world s travel industry has begun 2014 on a confident note expecting to bag a record tourism business this year, despite a recent spell of a relatively sluggish growth, particularly in many recession-hit countries.
Industry gurus confirmed during this year’s Arabian Travel Market (ATM) that came to a successful close on Thursday evening that the global travel industry is once again poised for exponential growth.
Consumers too have ensured that the mood in the travel industry is positive and the over 2,700 Trade Exhibitors that ended the four-day show reported strong business, especially from the Middle East travellers.
This year’s event sent out very positive signals for the international travel industry right from day one, an indication that the economies across the globe are now getting back to life.
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai on the opening day visited the show. Accompanied by senior government officials, Sheikh Mohammed went around some of the key pavilions, to see the latest being showcased in the tourism and hospitality sectors respectively.
This year’s ATM realized an increase in business volume as the mood among exhibitors and visitors one of euphoria, which over the last four days could be felt everywhere at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.
The region’s leading travel trade show had an even more positive impact on trade buyers and holidaymakers than in previous years.
Among the countries on the Mediterranean, Greece and Spain reported particularly high growth. Germany and Europe have become increasingly popular with travellers from both the Middle East and Asia.
At this year’s ATM numerous hotels and holiday resorts not only exhibited on the stands of the various countries and regions but also hosted their own cultural displays in their respective halls.
In its role as a think tank, the annual ATM has no doubt become a firm fixture for trend scouts operating within the international travel industry. More than ever, Dubai is where innovative travel trends are shown. Throughout the event, luxury travel had been a key topic that attracted keen visitor interest.
Exhibitors from 157 countries were represented in the various halls which were booked to capacity. Overall, some 21000 plus trade visitors were expected at the event, but organisers say the number could have been more.
The large influx of both exhibitors and trade visitors to this year’s show testifies to the resilience of the travel and tourism industry in region.
Participants expressed confidence that the ATM has been well-placed to fuel the continued growth of the region’s travel industry.
As a driving force in the travel industry, the annual ATM gives important impulses to a continuously growing market, especially in the Middle East and Africa region.
Since its inception, 21 years ago, the structure of ATM has developed and expanded over the years. In the exhibition area, trade visitors as well as public visitors had adequate chance to explore the international travel industry’s entire product spectrum. The structure of the exhibition halls was well divided into geographic aspects, hoteliers, tour operators, country pavilion etc.
The Country Club Hotel, Dubai also reinforced its presence in the region with its participation at the ATM. With a portfolio of luxurious and comfortable properties to its credit, The Country Club Hotel Dubai has recorded 98 per cent occupancy in the first quarter of 2014, says Founder and Chairman and Managing Directors of Country Club International, Y. Rajeev Reddy.
“The ATM is an important venue for us to strengthen our relationship with existing partners, network and meet new buyers. One of the driving forces of UAE’s continued success as a tourist destination is its hospitality offering. As an organization, we provide the best-in-class industry standards through our world-class properties. By participating at the ATM this year, we would like to maximize the positive momentum to discover, plan and unlock new business potential in the region,” said Reddy.
With a portfolio of luxurious and comfortable properties to its credit, The Country Club Hotel has recorded a 15 per cent growth in its revenues for the Q1 2014 compared to Q1 2013.
Emirates Group, a major exhibitor at the ATM, released its annual report for the financial year ending March 31 and it makes for interesting reading on the hotel front. With the first full year of operations at its flagship JW Marriott Marquis property under its belt, revenue from hotel operations was up 68.8 per cent to Dhs. 395 million ($107.5 million). It also helped the group increase food and beverage revenue up 24.5 per cent to Dhs. 625 million ($170.2 million).
Amadeus also launched its latest global report – ‘Shaping the Future of Travel – Macro trends driving industry growth over the next decade’ – which suggests that overnight visitor flows are expected to grow at 5.4 per cent per annum over the next decade worldwide, significantly faster than GDP growth at 3.4 per cent. However, the Middle East and Africa region is expected to witness even higher growth, at an annual rate of 11.9 per cent, faster than the 8.4 per cent growth registered over the previous 10-year period.
Emaar Hospitality Group’s lifestyle dining division is also a focus for COO Philippe Zuber. The group just opened the greatly anticipated Cut by Wolfgang Puck at The Address Downtown Dubai, and Zuber says more celebrity chef partnerships are on the cards. Another exciting upcoming opening is that of Dubai’s first Cipriani restaurant, a standalone venue next to The Address Downtown Dubai due to open early next year.
Ritz-Carlton Hotels in Dubai have piloted some new F&B initiatives recently, focused on positioning select outlets as standalone entities and trialing new social media initiatives.
At Ritz-Carlton DIFC, Cafe Belge is being heavily promoted, while Blue Jade is the pilot project at Ritz-Carlton Dubai; the aim being to make sure the outlets are more visible within the local community.
The Ritz-Carlton Dubai GM Raul Salcido said he wanted to change the perception that Ritz-Carlton’s outlets are just for special occasions and show residents that Blue Jade is an outlet they can return to time and again. As part of the hotel’s upgrade and expansion project, Salcido added that a new, bigger, more fun brunch concept would also be introduced at the new all day dining.
Ritz-Carlton has also revealed that it will finally hit the 100-hotel mark in 2016. In total, there are 15 openings planned, with growth focused on Asia, Africa and Middle East. Lorri Rippstein, vice president sales and marketing, Europe, Middle East and Africa, The Ritz-Carlton, said five of the new hotels were in the MENA region.
JA Resorts & Hotels announced a new hotel in Dubai, a third property at the JA Jebel Ali Golf Resort. David Thomson, chief operating officer, JA Resorts & Hotels, said that there are actually three new hotels planned for Dubai. These will both be located at the Al Sahra Desert Resort, owned by JA parent company Dutco. One hotel will be very high-end, says Thomson, while the second will be more traditional.
The new hotel at Jebel Ali Golf Resort, meanwhile, will be a four-star product, aimed at leveraging the sports activities at the hotel and accommodating sports teams during peak season.
Having now opened hotels in Seychelles and Maldives, the company is also focused on more international growth, with Phuket and Sri Lanka key targets, as well as Scotland!
