Spotlight on cultural tourism
There is a rising demand for authentic and enriching travel, full of experiences and opportunities to learn about the unique history and culture of this region Simon Press, Senior exhibition director of the Arabian Travel Market
Grand Vision
Under Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, the kingdom plans to boost cultural destinations
241 public and private museums
10 Unesco World Heritage Sites
155 archaelogical heritage sites suitable for visit
400 annual cultural events
dubai — Saudi Arabia and Oman will lead the GCC’s multi-billion dollar investments in cultural tourism, with a series of projects to develop new world-class cultural attractions, according to a report published ahead of the Arabian Travel Market (ATM).
According to the research compiled by Colliers International, Saudi Arabia is ready to invest up to $2 billion — one of the highest commitments of any government to cultural tourism in the region — with a number of projects and targets set out under Saudi Vision 2030.
Under the vision, by the year 2030, Saudi Arabia will increase the number of public and private museums from 155 to 241, increase the number of Unesco World Heritage Sites from four to 10 and increase the number of archaeological sites suitable to visit from 75 to 155.
In addition, the kingdom will increase the number of archaeological heritage sites from 10 to 28 and increase the number of activities and cultural events from 190 currently to 400 annually.
Simon Press, senior exhibition ddirector of the ATM, said: “Cultural tourism sits perfectly alongside this year’s theme of experiential travel as travellers look to explore destinations and enjoy a more holistic holiday experience. What we see today in Saudi Arabia, and other GCC countries, is an open commitment to strengthen this sector and capitalise on the current global trend.”
In 2015, Oman pledged investments of $2.5 billion for the Omagine Project — a mixed-use development set on 245 acres of prime beachfront facing the Gulf of Oman, which is an integration of cultural, heritage, educational, entertainment and residential elements.
Its completion will add to Oman’s growing cultural tourism sector, which includes 18 museums, four Unesco World Heritage Sites, the Royal Opera House Muscat and Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, among others.
Press said: “Across the GCC, there is a rising demand for authentic and enriching travel, full of experiences and opportunities to learn about the unique history and culture of this region. For this reason, we can expect many more project announcements of this kind over the coming years.”
Already gaining popularity with tourists thanks to its collection of world-class hotels, beaches and golf facilities, Saadiyat Island in the UAE will receive a further boost with regional and international visitors when the first of its highly-anticipated museums, opens later this year. By 2020, the island will be home to Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, Louvre Abu Dhabi and the Zaha Hadid designed Zayed National Museum. In Dubai, the $300 million Dubai Opera was launched in 2016, with the first shows including Les Miserables and Cats.
Dubai has also seen an increase of 127 per cent in the number of visitors to its most popular museums and galleries, taking the total number of visitors to just five of the emirate’s museums to 1.75 million in 2015. These numbers will receive a further boost over the coming 24 months with the opening of the Museum of The Future in 2017 and the Mohammed bin Rashid Library in 2018.
At the newly-launched Al Habtoor City — home to St Regis Dubai, W and Westin Dubai — 2017 will see the debut of the region’s first permanent show, La Perle. With over 450 performances per year, the show is to be presented in a 1,300 seat, purpose-built, state-ofthe-art theatre, filled with 2.7 million litres of water.
In Qatar, where a year-round calendar of culture and performance events has played a significant role in driving visitor demand, a number of new attractions are also under development.
The Arabian Travel Market will be held from April 24-27 at the Dubai World Trade Centre.