Abu Dhabi hotels see a boost in hotel guests

The number of guests staying in hotels in Dubai, in particular in Abu Dhabi emirate, has seen a boost of 16 per cent over the same period last year.

Figures indicate that the number of guests staying in the 118 luxury hotels and hotel apartments during the first 10 months of the year was more than 1.4 million indicating an significant increase over the same period in 2009.

According to the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA), the emirate is likely to achieve and possibly even surpass its 2010 target of 1.65 million hotel guests, which is a 10 per cent increase over last year. In the last year, there has already been a surge in the emirate’s accommodation stock in an effort to meet the needs of all leisure and business travellers to the area.

As reported by Gulf News, statistics indicate that October was one of the best performing months during 2010, with an 18 per cent year on year increase in the number of guests to 151,335 in addition to a 4 per cent rise in their average length of stay to 3.3 nights.

The UK continues to be the top performing international market, there has been an 18 per cent increase in terms of guest nights year on year which accounts for around 420,204 guest nights.

Lawrence Franklin ADTA Strategy and Policy Director said: « We anticipate November’s performance will be equally impressive with the emirate having hosted a number of key trade exhibitions and or course, the 2010 Formula One Eithad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. »

« Add to this the recent opening of Ferrari World Abu Dhabi and the arrival of the Yas Island Show Weekends which the hotels on Yas Island are supporting with extremely attractive deals and our annual target is well within our sights. Our tourism proposition is at its most compelling and the task going forward is to maintain this upward momentum, » he added.

Duabi Film Festival attracts tourists for end of 2010

This year’s annual Dubai Film Festival will attract tourists from all around the world, including one special guest – Sean Penn – who is being honoured with the Lifetime Achievement award this year, reports BBC News.

The festival, in its seventh year, serves as a useful platform for Arab directors to showcase their talent, and is well-established as a respected international event. With a vision to « lead in building cultural understanding through creative achievement in film, » the festival’s chairman, Adbulhamid Juma has spoken out about Penn’s win.

Calling him « one of the finest talents of our generation », Juma is pleased at the judges’ decision to award the prize to Penn, calling him « an outstanding and versatile actor, gifted director and accomplished producer. »

« His tireless work on behalf of the people of the world, from Haiti to the United States, to Iraq and Iran, and his use of the celebrity spotlight to assist humanity, is an example to us all. We look forward to welcoming this culture-bridging icon to Dubai » added Juma.

The festival, which attracts over 50,000 attendees last year from around the globe, celebrates cinema in its purest form, and recognises talent through themed segments. These include Arabian Nights, Cinema for Children, Cinema of AsiaAfrica, Cinema from India and Gulf Voices, and cover around 168 film screenings, estimates Guide2Dubai.com.

Movie-lovers will flock to the festival from around the 11th December – the festival spans the 12th – 19th – meaning those wishing to visit shouldn’t hesitate to book hotels in Dubai before they fill up.

Ferrari World grabs Abu Dhabi by storm

Ferrari World, in the Dubai resort of Yas Island, has recently opened its doors to the public, providing over 20 ‘state-of-the-art’ attractions, according to Ferrari.com.

Home to the world’s fastest rollercoaster (boasting 0-240km p/hour in less than 5 seconds, Ferrari World is around 50 minutes outside of Dubai, and covers some 86,000 square metres – the equivalent of 7 football pitches.  Everything in the theme park – as you would suspect – is centred around motorsports, including complex racing simulators, a g-force simulator and the fascinating Ferrari Museum.

Its design was inspired by the Ferrari GT – complete with the iconic double curve, shiny red roof and the largest ever Ferrari logo, allowing visitors to delve into the culture and history of this prestigious brand.  When lunchtime comes, there are 2 sophisticated restaurants, offering traditional Italian and Maranello dishes, the former of which offering pizzas ‘made on the sport’, says Hello Magazine. 

Other attractions include a 4-D ride through the seasons, at Speed of Magic, and a tour through the Maranello factory – providing an insight into the production and development of Ferraris’.  Visitors can follow this up with a trip to the impressive gift shop, housing a myriad souvenirs and tokens of times spent at the park.

Hailed as an ‘intense, multi-sensory experience and a must-visit for enthusiasts, fans and families’ by Ferrari online, the park is sure to pull in tourists from around the world.  With the imminent construction of 2 more theme parks (including a Warner Bros project), Yas Island is set to be a destination no-one will want to miss.

New tourism brand identity launched in Dubai

Dubai Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) have launched « Definitely Dubai, » a new brand identity for consumers.

The new brand has been developed in-house and forms part of a consumer brand campaign which is expected to be rolled out shortly. The revamped identity will feature on all future marketing collateral and global campaigns.

A new website called ‘Definitely Dubai’ has also been launched and content specifically for consumers in the UK and Ireland is to be added to the site by the end of the year. The re-branding exercise was developed as part of the destination’s long term strategy to encourage visitors to luxury Dubai resorts.

The Definitely Dubai logo is in English but has been inspired by Arabic calligraphy, the visual pays homage to the umbrella Government of Dubai logo. Developers hope the design will balance Dubai’s cultural roots with a more contemporary style which « reflects the overall vision of the destination. » The English logo written with an Arabic hand was used to reflect Dubai’s cosmopolitan nature.

The website will contain information on air travel, promotions and tour operators which feature in Dubai. Visitors from the UK and Ireland currently represent 10 per cent of Dubai’s global visitors and are the Emirate’s largest source market.

Ian Scott UK and Ireland director of DTCM told Marketing Week: « The Definitely Dubai brand identity has a contemporary edge, reflecting the Dubai offering and making it relevant to the diverse market to which the destination appeals. »

Dubai International voted among top 3 airports in the world

Dubai International is one of the best airports in the world, according to the results of a recent survey.

The poll, conducted by independent airport lounge program Priority Pass, took in the opinions of over 9,000 frequent fliers and asked them to name their favourite airport in the world.

Dubai came third only to Singapore Changi and Hong Kong Chek Lap Kok as the world’s best airport, and was more popular than all airports in Europe and the Americas.

Based on the opinions of the 300 respondents from the Middle East, Dubai International is considered the best airport in the world. Abu Dhabi International also appeared in the top three Middle East airports, Trade Arabia adds.

Jonathan French, Head of Brand at Priority Pass, said that Middle East airports were enjoying a surge in popularity, with hubs such as Dubai International providing visitors with a gateway to some of the best hotels in Dubai.

« It’s clear that airports in the Middle East are gaining greater prestige among travellers throughout the world due to the excellent facilities and management, » Logistics Week quoted Mr French as saying.

« Our members travel frequently (an average of 17 flights a year) and come from all corners of the world, so this result comes from an informed source, » he added.

Hotel chain dominates Dubai with series of high profile hotel developments

Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts plans to expand the number of Dubai resorts near the city centre over the next year, reports Gulf Jobs Market.

According to an official corporate statement, Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts opened its third property in the UAE this month.

At the start of October the five-star Ibn Battuta Gate Hotel opened, located near the landmark Ibn Battuta Mall in the heart of New Dubai, close to the metro and not fact from Palm Jumeirah and Jebel Ali Free Zone.

Other soon to be opened properties include the 24-room Oceana Hotel & Spa at the Oceana Beach Club and the 293-room Royal Amwaj Resort & Spa.

According to Gulf Jobs Market, the company will create 2,000 new jobs in Dubai with the opening of these properties.

Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts already has three other hotels in Dubai. The hotel Deira is a five-star business hotel located in the commercial district of Dubai, not far from the airport or the beach. Bur Dubai is just 10 minutes from the key locations of Dubai and another popular hotel, whereas the property on Jumeirah Beach is at the heart of the beach residence and even more in demand.

Gucci hotel could open in Dubai before Christmas

The world’s first Elisabetta Gucci Hotel could open in Dubai before Christmas, in news that is sure to delight luxury holidaymakers the world over.

The Elisabetta Gucci hotel, named after the daughter of legendary designer Paolo Gucci, is part of an ambitious project to launch 40 luxury hotels of the same name around the world over the next 15 years.

It is thought that the new hotel will boast 80 standard suites in addition to penthouses and a royal suite, and is set to become one of the very best hotels in Dubai.

Whilst the hotel is likely to attract an extremely wealthy clientèle, room rates should still be within the reach of holidaymakers with more modest budgets.

Reuters reports that a night at the hotel could cost as little as 1,500 UAE dirhams (£258), with the most expensive rooms likely to cost as much as 25,000 dirhams (£4,300).

The hotel should have opened at the end of 2009, but the effects of the global financial crisis on Dubai’s economy delayed the project by a year. Nonetheless, the new hotel brand’s managing director, Lorenz Ziller, says that the hotel remains on course to open in time for the annual festive getaway.

« We would like to have 40 hotels in 15 years, » Mail Online quoted Mr Ziller as saying earlier this year.

« Because of the global market, financing was halted, and [because] the overall liquidity of developers was very low, we are running a delay of a year. I hope to see the hotel finished by the end of the year, » he added.

Flickr.com opens up to Dubai and the UAE

Last month’s decision by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to relax its ban on Flickr will see the popular image-hosting and photo-sharing website gain 12 million page impressions from Dubai and other UAE nations this month, reports the Press Association.

For several years, access to Flickr from any of the UAE’s seven states was restricted by the nation’s Telecom Regulatory Authority due to concerns over how the hosted content could often be inconsistent with the religious, cultural, political and moral values of the UAE.

Imposed in 2005, the ban meant that Flickr could only be accessed through illegal workarounds or in premises that had been given special dispensation – for example, many international visitors could still access it at certain hotels in Dubai.

However at the end of last month, the website’s owners, Yahoo, negotiated a reversal of the ban and the site has since become accessible to all users within Dubai and the rest of the UAE. This means that visitors will now be able to use the website to easily share their pictures and videos of Dubai; resorts, golf courses, the massive shopping malls, the bazaars of the souk district or the spectacular architecture of some of the 5 star hotels in Dubai – all can be shared online at any location with internet access in the UAE.

This new relaxation is expected to massively boost Flickr’s traffic over the next month. According to Ahmed Nassef, the vice president and managing director of Yahoo Middle East, Flickr.com is set to see 12 million page impressions by the end of the month alongside a sixfold increase in daily unique visitors to the site.

Dubai’s tramway network to be complete by 2014

Tourists in Dubai will soon find it easier to travel to and from their Dubai resort after it was announced a new tramway network will soon be in the state.

Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (DRTA) have announced that the tram network will be completed by 2014, so holidaymakers visiting after this time will be able to benefit from the new transport.

The 14km tram link will connect a number of the Emirate’s key attractions, making it easier for visitors to take in all that is on offer. The project was initially launched in 2008 but the DRTA admitted the economic downturn had contributed to the delay.

The tram system project forms part of a national scheme which aims to offer various public transport systems including buses, boats and trains by 2020.

The latest phase of the tram development will see the linking of the Al Safooh tram route with three stations along Dubai Metro’s red line, the tramway will also connect with Palm Jumeirah’s monorail.

It is expected that the development project could could cost around $1.8 billion (£1.1 billion) and the DRTA have already added a special journey planner called Wojhati to their website, which will allow people to plan trips encompassing various methods of travel.

According to Construction Week, Abdul Redha Abu Al-Hassan director of rail planning & development at the government body, said at a recent conference that the slump in the construction market caused the DRTA to « re-plan our projects again. »

Golf tourism increases in 2010

A new report from KPMG and the Golf Business Community has shown that more than half of golf tour operators have seen an increase in bookings in 2010, as well as identifying the greens and fairways of Dubai resorts as one of the key locations for golf tourism over the next few years.

The Golf Travel Insights 2010 report, although 38% of golf tour operators have seen a fall in demand due to the economic recession the majority (54%) have noticed an increase in the number of golf tourists looking to play their sport in new locales. Furthermore, 80% of all surveyed tour operators said they expected to see a clear upswing in golf tourism over the next few years with Dubai/Abu Dhabi tipped as one of the top ten « hot spots » for golf tourism in the upcoming years.

According to the survey’s five point scale for expected demand, where a rating of 1 indicated modest demand and a rating of 5 indicates strong demand, Dubai rated as 2.43. This is likely because Dubai fits many of the criteria identified in the conclusion as an « ideal destination » for golf tourists – a minimum of 4-5 quality, easily accessed golf courses at reasonable prices alongside high quality accommodation facilities; some of the best hotels in Dubai are located near golf courses such as the famed Emirates Golf Club, host of the Dubai Desert Classic, and many Dubai resorts feature extensive golf courses.

Speaking in Golf Today, Peter Walton of the International Association of Golf Tour Operators (IAGTO) said: « Golf travel tends to recover quicker than general leisure tourism, with regular golfers refusing to be denied their regular golf fix. »

Figures the IAGTO’s own research indicate that around 70% of golfers like to find new places to play golf whilst on vacation, with a significant proportion (25-30%) of « regular golfers » frequently taking vacations to play golf. According to the IAGTO, « golfers are going to be looking for guaranteed sunshine in 2010/11″ after « a very wet, cold and prolonged winter. »