Abu Dhabi is putting its best foot forward with new infrastructure and the 2030 vision, but how are hotels faring in 2011? Harriet Sinclair investigates.
Abu Dhabi is making a lot of noise. Until recently, the UAE’s capital had played second fiddle to neighbouring Dubai. But with big plans to make Abu Dhabi a tourist hot spot, the emirate is reportedly on the up.
According to data from global information publisher Euromonitor International, arrivals in Abu Dhabi are predicted to hit three million — an increase of two million since 2004 — while recent statistics from Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) showed a 10% rise in hotel guests during the first quarter of 2011 — with 510,114 guests staying in the emirate’s hotels — a positive sign for hoteliers who have surely been balking at the amount of new supply coming online this year alone.
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2030 vision
The positive numbers for the beginning of the year have been welcomed by ADTA director of tourism standards, Nasser Al Reyami, who says that they reflect the growth of the city as a tourism destination — though he does concede that the Arab Spring has been responsible for shunting additional tourism to the emirate.
“Abu Dhabi has a 2030 Vision — which in terms of tourism is for us to have 7.9 million visitors staying in 80,000 rooms — and we are on our way to that because we have almost 20,000 rooms at the moment, then by the end of this year we are planning to add another 4000 rooms so we are reaching that number,” he says.
ADTA’s development of the 2030 Vision, as well as its marketing and promotion strategy, has been praised by hoteliers.
The Yas Hotel sales and marketing director Russell Loughland explains: “The vision of the future from the government and the drive towards showcasing Abu Dhabi is a gift — it is an extraordinary opportunity for the city to rise.
“We are developing the destination and this cannot be sustained unless we work together. We have the Guggenheim, the Louvre — all these components are coming to Abu Dhabi and it’s really quite alive,” he adds.
The fact that there is so much infrastructure being built in the destination is a comfort for businesses, since they know that visitor numbers are expected to increase in line with all of the new projects, agrees Al Forsan International Sports Resort director of sales and marketing Tania Taylor.
“We all know that ADTA is committed to developing the destination, there are so many plans to build the city up, and everyone is on board with that — there is a real sense of synchronicity,” she says.
“The fact that there is a clear plan is important because we know what the destination will be like in the future and it is an exciting time to be here,” she adds.
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