Northern Emirates try to find niche with new offerings
dubai — The diverse tourist offerings being conceptualised in the Northern Emirates will help sustain growth in the hospitality industry. New tourist attractions and hotel rooms are being added every year.
According to industry executives, Sharjah mainly attracts business visitors while Ajman, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah are favoured by leisure tourists.
Ras Al Khaimah has been aggressively promoting itself as a diverse tourist destinations with the additions of new high-end resorts as well as new adventure activities such as zipline.
Bastien Blanc, vice-president of operations, InterContinental Hotels Group, said that in Sharjah, most developments are linked to business while Ajman attracts leisure travellers.
“In addition, the Sharjah airport is also seeing a lot of arrivals from the Subcontinent. So, there are lot of opportunities to develop hotels there. We are looking to develop mainstream brands there — from Holiday Express to Staybridge. Those brands are perfect for businessoriented markets,” he said.
“I am very positive about the outlook for the Northern Emirates’ hospitality and leisure industry. Each emirate is trying to find its niche. We will open an InterContinental in Ras Al Khaimah. We also opened an InterContinental in Fujairah last year and it is doing very well with very high rates. The entire UAE offers different experiences for international vacationers,” Blanc told Khaleej Times in an interview at the Arabian Travel Market 2018.
Alan Stocker, general manager, Waldorf Astoria, Ras Al Khaimah, said tourists who have visited Dubai and Abu Dhabi want to experience something different. Hence, Ras Al Khaimah offers splendid desert drives, a cooler weather as well as natural locations.
“We are seeing a great deal of adventure tourism as well because the Ras Al Khaimah tourism board is looking to developing Jebel Jais as the world’s largest zipline. A lot of hotels are coming up in the emirate, but in a phased manner. Business was booming towards the end of last year and this first quarter has been strong too. The business is well-positioned and we’re looking at a bumpy 2018 and even stronger 2019,” Stocker said.