Thursday, April 11, 2024
Tourism is booming. The tourism growth vision for 2030 across the Gulf and Saudi Arabia is dizzying for a conservative mind in the travel and tourism industry.
What may be too late for Dubai and Qatar appears to be saved for Saudi Arabia and Oman?
Today’s announcement from Abu Dhabi may raise questions, but it’s not too late for this Emirate to maintain its unique identity despite tourism growth.
Saudi Arabia and Oman understand the importance of maintaining a more sustainable and cultural approach, complementing their desire for growth.
Today, in Abu Dhabi, His Highness Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, approved the new Tourism Strategy 2030 for the emirate. The strategy predicts record growth but does not address what else may be needed.
Updates from Dubai, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and the entire region are exciting but may cause dizziness for a conservative travel and tourism professional.
Is tourism to the Gulf countries exploding in numbers, or can it be kept sustainable and original?
More than any country, Saudi Arabia and Oman seem to announce record expected growth and a focus on the most important message to keep the soul of the destination.
It appears both Oman and Saudi Arabia are putting the human focus on tourism, culture, and human interaction before building and turning their destination into an uncontrollable mass travel destination and tourism playing field.
Climate Change and Sustainability
Leading global initiatives on sustainability, climate change, and resilience, the Saudi minister has a clear focus that complements growth numbers.
Therefore, he is expected to speak at United Nations Sustainable Week in New York next week.
When he talked to eTN Publisher Juergen Steinmetz at the recently concluded ITB in Berlin, he fully understood the importance of the people to people and the cultural significance of this industry.
Competitors in the Gulf Region are Awake
Saudi’s competitors are not asleep either. Qatar is targeting 6 million, Dubai 40 million, and Abu Dhabi announced ambitious plans to welcome 39.3 million to its Emirate, the Capital of the United Arab Emirates.
The difference is that, except for religious tourism, Saudi Arabia emerged as a brand new destination for Western tourists just when COVID-19 emerged in 2020, while the United Arab Emirates was well-developed for visitors from the western world.
Dubai lost its Soul
In 1984, Emirates Airlines pioneered Dubai’s now-shining and worldwide known travel and tourism industry.
Today, tourism in Dubai is booming in numbers and attractions, in nightclubs, shopping, and parties, but many visitors see it as a more generic destination that may have lost its soul.
Interactions between locals and visitors are hardly seen.
Abu Dhabi emerged – too fast?
Its more conservative neighbor, Abu Dhabi, grew into adulthood after it started its tourism idea in 2004 and hired Frank Haas from Hawaii to help.
This was after Abu Dhabi launched Etihad Airways, the national carrier of the UAE.
This carrier pioneered in having US Customs and Border Protection operate from Abu Dhabi International Airport, avoiding US immigration and customs clearing for passengers after arrival in the United States.
WTTC turned things around for Qatar
In Qatar, hosting the WTTC Summit in Doha in 2004 made tourism ambitions for Qatar known worldwide.
The undisputed tourism pioneer in this state was Akbar Al Baker, who just recently retired as the CEO of Qatar Airways. The airline, now seen as one of the best in the world, was founded in 1993.
When WTTC brought world tourism leaders to Qatar, the only hotel on the peninsula was the Sheraton Hotel.
A few short years later, this once-empty peninsula became a Manhattan-like skyline of 5-star hotels and office towers.
Qatar is growing fast but is drifting to become a more generic destination with further growth.
Oman’s Vision 2040
Oman’s Vision 2040 is to build a sustainable tourism economy. This was made clear when it became the host country of the recently concluded ITB Berlin travel trade show.
The Sultan of Oman has decreed that owners can paint their buildings white, beige, or other colors, but white and its grades are the only colors that do not require municipality approval.
Contractors and owners must obtain specific accreditations to use different paint colors or ornamental stones. Oman did not want skylines.
Restrictions on building height in Oman require the vast majority of new structures to be no higher than 40 meters.
The ministry said that diversification of tourism offerings would help increase arrivals.
Aiming to turn Oman into one of the most important and safe adventure tourism destinations, the ministry noted that the country has been witnessing an encouraging demand for adventure tourism from travelers.
The focus seems to be quality and not only quantity.
Oman seems to have the tourism sector under control. It is seen as a different but beautiful destination that focuses on keeping its culture and traditions alive.
Approved: A New Tourism Plan for Abu Dhabi
The newly approved Abu Dhabi Tourism vision by His Highness Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, signals a new era of expansion and strategic development in the travel and tourism sector. Similar to Saudi Arabia, it established its arrival goals for 2030.
The strategy seeks to boost visitor numbers from nearly 24 million in 2023 to 39.3 million by 2030 (overnight and same-day), with a 7% year-on-year growth.
The Strategy will generate an estimated 178,000 new jobs by 2030 as the tourism infrastructure develops to meet this demand.
It intends to almost double international overnight visitors from 3.8 million in 2023 approximately to 7.2 million in 2030, expand hotel room availability from 34,000 in 2023 to 52,000 by 2030, and further enhance the holiday home segment to diversify accommodation options.
The Four Pillars for Abu Dhabi Tourism Explained
To achieve the Strategy’s goals, 26 key initiatives have been identified across four strategic pillars:
Offering and City Activation
Promotion & Marketing
Infrastructure & Mobility
Visa, Licensing, and Regulations
These pillars form the foundation of Abu Dhabi’s comprehensive approach to realizing its ambitious tourism targets and fostering sustainable growth in the sector.
The first pillar, Offering and City Activation, aims to enhance the overall guest experience by unveiling additional cultural sites, theme parks, retail offerings, and new hotel chains. This will boost the emirate’s events calendar of year-round concerts, festivals, and family events.
The dining landscape will diversify significantly, offering expanded options, including introducing culinary schools and training programs.
DCT Abu Dhabi will also double its promotion and marketing efforts, expanding its international reach from 11 to 26 markets and enhancing synergy within Abu Dhabi’s tourism ecosystem.
It will establish strategic global partnerships with media outlets and well-known brands for high-profile collaborations, creating compelling, market-specific content across various touchpoints.
The Strategy’s Infrastructure and Mobility pillar will increase hotel room availability across various categories, including accessible and luxury options, glamping, and farm stays.
Through valued collaborations, the emirate is set to enhance roads, public transport, and infrastructure, simplifying travel within and boosting visitor inflow through increased flight seat capacity with local and international airlines.
Streamlined visa, licensing, and regulation processes will significantly enhance visitor experience and tourism business operations. In collaboration with relevant government agencies, enhanced platforms, and processes will reduce time frames for all applications and permits, improve the ease of doing business, and attract investment.
Arrivals from key international markets like India, Russia, the United Kingdom, China, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia played a pivotal role in 2023, alongside the numbers attracted by the emirate’s vibrant array of over 150 events, its beaches, and natural landscapes, and its cultural sites such as Qasr Al Hosn, Qasr al Watan, and Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, which attracted more than 8.7 million visitors.
Offerings across museums, cultural festivals, and art exhibitions saw record-setting attendance at the Louvre Abu Dhabi and the inaugural Manar Abu Dhabi public art exhibition, underscoring the emirate’s diverse appeal.
Visitor numbers were further boosted by a 44% increase in MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) events.
With 960,000 delegates across 2,477 events exploring Abu Dhabi’s attractions and dining options, the food and beverage sector saw a 21% revenue increase.
In addition, entertainment events like the MOTN Festival and Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and cultural milestones such as the Al Hosn Festival and the Liwa Festival further solidified Abu Dhabi’s position as a global center for leisure and tourism.
Tags: Abu Dhabi, dubai, Oman, QATAR, saudi arabia
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