Development of Fujairah's prime tourism area has stalled, with no major resorts opening in Al Aqah beach area in the past three years despite plans to launch a number of luxury properties.
Hotels including Angsana, Fairmont and Radisson were due to be completed last year. None of the planned hotels is now expected to open before next year.
But the existing resorts in the area say the delays could be a blessing in disguise, as they are offering deep discounts to attract tourists and there is increased competition from new resorts in other emirates.
"We are happier with not having to put up with new competition right now," said Patrick Antaki, the general manager of Le Meridien Al Aqah Beach Resort in Fujairah.
"The state of the market is very slow, so it might not be the right time to speed up a building and open it up."
Room rates have fallen by up to 40 per cent from their peaks of 2007 and early 2008, hoteliers say. Last year, 436,638 visitors stayed in the eastern emirate, according to official government statistics.
While there are no more recent official figures yet, some hoteliers say the number of visitors has slowed slightly at a time of economic uncertainty and other resorts opening in the Emirates.
The Hotel JAL Fujairah Resort and Spa depends on guests from within the UAE to provide about half its business, which boosts its popularity at weekends.
But new properties, such as the Qasr Al Sarab desert resort in Abu Dhabi and the Hilton and Banyan Tree resorts in Ras al Khaimah, are luring away some of Fujairah's visitors.
"There is much more competition," said Christian Rainalter, the general manager of the Hotel JAL Fujairah.
"We see very much Ras al Khaimah as direct competition and Dubai as well, because it still remains the prime choice for most travellers."
But if the other luxury hotels had opened they may have created additional publicity for Fujairah, Mr Rainalter said.
"If there were more hotels it would have a bigger impact on the worldwide market, therefore making the destination Fujairah better known to the outside world," he said.
"At the same time, at this stage it's easier for us to fill up the rooms. If this would now be double, would there now be enough demand to absorb the extra inventory?"
The Fairmont resort, being developed by Mina Al Fajer, is expected to open next year, a spokeswoman for the hotel management company said.
"The economic climate over the past few years affected the pace of many of the projects for which we have management agreements, but the Fairmont Mina Al Fajer is indeed progressing," the spokeswoman said.
Executives from Banyan Tree, however, said in April it no longer had a hotel project in Fujairah.
The luxury hotel company based in Singapore said in a statement in 2006 that it had signed an agreement with Damas Hotels to operate the 117-room Angsana Resort and Spa, which was due for completion last year.
A progress report issued early last year on the Singapore stock exchange for the last quarter of 2008 said the project had "stalled due to owner financing".
rbundhun@thenational.ae
aligaya@thenational.ae
Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
How to join and use Abu Dhabi’s public libraries
• There are six libraries in Abu Dhabi emirate run by the Department of Culture and Tourism, including one in Al Ain and Al Dhafra.
• Libraries are free to visit and visitors can consult books, use online resources and study there. Most are open from 8am to 8pm on weekdays, closed on Fridays and have variable hours on Saturdays, except for Qasr Al Watan which is open from 10am to 8pm every day.
• In order to borrow books, visitors must join the service by providing a passport photograph, Emirates ID and a refundable deposit of Dh400. Members can borrow five books for three weeks, all of which are renewable up to two times online.
• If users do not wish to pay the fee, they can still use the library’s electronic resources for free by simply registering on the website. Once registered, a username and password is provided, allowing remote access.
• For more information visit the library network's website.
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
more from Janine di Giovanni
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The specs
Engine: 2.9-litre, V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: seven-speed PDK dual clutch automatic
Power: 375bhp
Torque: 520Nm
Price: Dh332,800
On sale: now
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
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