Easing visa restrictions and flight access has allowed countries in the Gulf to market the region as one destination rather than several states competing with each other, tourism experts have said.
They were speaking on the first day of Arabian Travel Market, which is taking place at the Dubai World Trade Centre this week.
“We are absolutely seeing a rise in multi-GCC trips, particularly as the region becomes more interconnected through easier flight access, smoother visa processes and a growing number of world-class attractions across borders,” John Bevan, chief executive of dnata Travel Group, told The National.
“Travellers today are no longer just visiting one Gulf country, they're building multi-stop itineraries, combining the futuristic experiences of Dubai with the cultural heritage of Oman and Bahrain, or the mega-projects in Saudi Arabia.”
Greater collaboration is key to sustaining that momentum, he added. This includes initiatives such as the GCC unified tourist visa and GCC grand tours visa scheme, which was expected to be launched early this year but has faced delays. The region would also benefit from co-ordinated marketing campaigns and improved transport links, Mr Bevan said.
“Travel operators also have an important role to play by curating seamless, multi-country packages that highlight the diversity of the region," he said. "By offering travellers easy access to cross-border experiences, we can help unlock the full potential of the Gulf as a connected, multifaceted destination.”
Earlier in the day, Mr Bevan referred to that as the “multi-centre affect”, as part of a panel discussion on the mega and micro-trends reshaping the travel industry in the Middle East.
The more activity happening in one country can benefit another, he said. “It creates a reason [for tourists] to move to another country in the area," he said. "The more that happens here, the more diversity and reasons to come, and that will create longer stays.”
Midscale hotels and guest satisfaction
Carlos Cendra Cruz, a partner at travel and tourism data intelligence company Mabrian, said its insights show the Gulf had “significant strategic opportunities as it develops into a major global tourism destination”.
“Our data insights indicate that continued investment in infrastructure, collaboration across sectors, and particularly neighbouring countries, in planning, specialisation, product development and promotion, will enable the GCC to achieve its tourism goals and generate long-term value and stay attuned to changing traveller preferences and destination development dynamics," he told The National.
One of the biggest challenges to this is cost and accessibility. There is an urgent need for Gulf states to introduce more midscale properties. “To achieve sustained growth, overall satisfaction with accommodation is essential for increasing leisure arrivals and encouraging longer stays," he said.
"This guest satisfaction must extend beyond the luxury segment, particularly in upper midscale and upscale hotels. If the guest experience does not meet international standards, it may discourage travellers from considering GCC destinations as viable long-stay holiday options.”
According to Mabrian's Tourist Product Satisfaction Index, the Gulf average is lower than competing tourist destinations including Singapore, Thailand, Turkey and the Seychelles. “The good news is that all GCC destinations are showing an upward trend in this index, indicating they are on the right path and should continue to build on this progress in the months and years ahead," Mr Cruz said.
Opportunities for business travel
Bleisure travel – the trend of combining business trips with leisure – is also a key driver for Gulf tourism. “Travellers to GCC destinations display a distinct behavioural pattern that sets them apart from other markets: business travellers consistently record longer average stays than leisure visitors,” Mr Cruz said. “This trend, observed over the past two years, suggests that these destinations are successfully capitalising on the bleisure opportunity among international travellers.”
Jack Thomas Taylor, a museum curator in Doha, has seen this in action. The Media Majlis Museum at Northwestern University in Qatar this month co-hosted the Gulf’s first International Association of Curators of Contemporary Art, alongside NYU Abu Dhabi. Almost 100 delegates from the global museum industry travelled to Doha for the annual congress, which then took them to Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah, where they spent time at Art Dubai and the Sharjah Biennale. “Some extended their stay and had a couple more days in the UAE,” said Mr Taylor, who also often travels in the region for work.
“Each country has a competitive advantage; they all have a unique selling point, but they could work together more for people to travel around,” he added. “But we also have to be realistic. If we have this transient, fast-paced travel, they won’t get a true feel of the countries. It’s also expensive for people to travel around here.”
Live tourism and big events
Aleix Rodriguez Brunsoms, director of strategy at Skift Advisory, part of global travel resource Skift, which publishes its annual megatrends report, said live tourism was also driving growth in the region. Traditional sightseeing is being replaced by the idea of “experiential travel”, where people book trips around major events such as music concerts and sports.
“Our own data shows 62 per cent of travellers book their vacation around a specific event,” he said at a panel discussion at ATM. “In Abu Dhabi, during the Coldplay concert, the city was buzzing, hotels and restaurants were full. Live tourism can increase hotel [average daily rate] from 300 to 500 per cent during peak events … and the Middle East is becoming a stage for the world’s biggest moments.”
The challenge is in transitioning the high value of events into long-term visitor loyalty and driving higher brand equity, he added.
Mr Bevan said that was where tourism operators could make the biggest difference. “I think we’ll see a lot more of that – and festivals moving into this part of the world, especially Dubai," he said. "It gives people more reasons to travel back.”
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Types of policy
Term life insurance: this is the cheapest and most-popular form of life cover. You pay a regular monthly premium for a pre-agreed period, typically anything between five and 25 years, or possibly longer. If you die within that time, the policy will pay a cash lump sum, which is typically tax-free even outside the UAE. If you die after the policy ends, you do not get anything in return. There is no cash-in value at any time. Once you stop paying premiums, cover stops.
Whole-of-life insurance: as its name suggests, this type of life cover is designed to run for the rest of your life. You pay regular monthly premiums and in return, get a guaranteed cash lump sum whenever you die. As a result, premiums are typically much higher than one term life insurance, although they do not usually increase with age. In some cases, you have to keep up premiums for as long as you live, although there may be a cut-off period, say, at age 80 but it can go as high as 95. There are penalties if you don’t last the course and you may get a lot less than you paid in.
Critical illness cover: this pays a cash lump sum if you suffer from a serious illness such as cancer, heart disease or stroke. Some policies cover as many as 50 different illnesses, although cancer triggers by far the most claims. The payout is designed to cover major financial responsibilities such as a mortgage or children’s education fees if you fall ill and are unable to work. It is cost effective to combine it with life insurance, with the policy paying out once if you either die or suffer a serious illness.
Income protection: this pays a replacement income if you fall ill and are unable to continue working. On the best policies, this will continue either until you recover, or reach retirement age. Unlike critical illness cover, policies will typically pay out for stress and musculoskeletal problems such as back trouble.
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A new relationship with the old country
Treaty of Friendship between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates
The United kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates; Considering that the United Arab Emirates has assumed full responsibility as a sovereign and independent State; Determined that the long-standing and traditional relations of close friendship and cooperation between their peoples shall continue; Desiring to give expression to this intention in the form of a Treaty Friendship; Have agreed as follows:
ARTICLE 1 The relations between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates shall be governed by a spirit of close friendship. In recognition of this, the Contracting Parties, conscious of their common interest in the peace and stability of the region, shall: (a) consult together on matters of mutual concern in time of need; (b) settle all their disputes by peaceful means in conformity with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.
ARTICLE 2 The Contracting Parties shall encourage education, scientific and cultural cooperation between the two States in accordance with arrangements to be agreed. Such arrangements shall cover among other things: (a) the promotion of mutual understanding of their respective cultures, civilisations and languages, the promotion of contacts among professional bodies, universities and cultural institutions; (c) the encouragement of technical, scientific and cultural exchanges.
ARTICLE 3 The Contracting Parties shall maintain the close relationship already existing between them in the field of trade and commerce. Representatives of the Contracting Parties shall meet from time to time to consider means by which such relations can be further developed and strengthened, including the possibility of concluding treaties or agreements on matters of mutual concern.
ARTICLE 4 This Treaty shall enter into force on today’s date and shall remain in force for a period of ten years. Unless twelve months before the expiry of the said period of ten years either Contracting Party shall have given notice to the other of its intention to terminate the Treaty, this Treaty shall remain in force thereafter until the expiry of twelve months from the date on which notice of such intention is given.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned have signed this Treaty.
DONE in duplicate at Dubai the second day of December 1971AD, corresponding to the fifteenth day of Shawwal 1391H, in the English and Arabic languages, both texts being equally authoritative.
Signed
Geoffrey Arthur Sheikh Zayed
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Friday
Real Sociedad v Villarreal (10.15pm)
Real Betis v Celta Vigo (midnight)
Saturday
Alaves v Barcelona (8.15pm)
Levante v Deportivo La Coruna (10.15pm)
Girona v Malaga (10.15pm)
Las Palmas v Atletico Madrid (12.15am)
Sunday
Espanyol v Leganes (8.15pm)
Eibar v Athletic Bilbao (8.15pm)
Getafe v Sevilla (10.15pm)
Real Madrid v Valencia (10.15pm)
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4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
If you go
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Seattle from Dh5,555 return, including taxes.
The car
Hertz offers compact car rental from about $300 (Dh1,100) per week, including taxes. Emirates Skywards members can earn points on their car hire through Hertz.
The national park
Entry to Mount Rainier National Park costs $30 for one vehicle and passengers for up to seven days. Accommodation can be booked through mtrainierguestservices.com. Prices vary according to season. Rooms at the Holiday Inn Yakima cost from $125 per night, excluding breakfast.
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Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.
Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster with a decades-long career in TV. He has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others. Karam is also the founder of Takreem.
Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.
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