Ongoing regional unrest

Last year’s survey began to record the effects of the regional unrest on the hospitality industry and this year’s survey continues to highlight the impact on hoteliers.


Of those surveyed, 7.7% were forced to move because of the unrest and a further 5% said they thought it was likely they would be moved. On top of this, 14.3% claimed that they had to make adjustments, although one person wrote that the impact on their hotel was “more business”.

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The fortunes of those destinations not affected by unrest have been well documented by Hotelier and it appears that those surveyed have also noted the trend.


Despite this, 78.7% of those who responded believed that the unrest had impacted the whole region rather than just those witnessing unrest, although the survey didn’t signify whether they considered this impact to be positive or negative.


Those that said their job had been affected by the Arab Spring were asked to specify in what way it had been affected.


Sixty one respondents said that their company had relocated them either on task force or on a permanent basis.


An unfortunate 17 had their contracts terminated, while 11 hoteliers were asked to take a sabbatical. A further 28 resigned.


Asked when they felt traveller confidence in the Middle East would be restored opinions were mixed, as the graph on page 45 demonstrates.


However, it is worth noting that of those who said confidence was already restored, 75.4% were currently working in the UAE. Surprisingly, however, was that one respondent working in Syria agreed with that sentiment. With major hoteliers reporting single digit occupancy in the state, the optimism doesn’t stand up to the facts.


Like the 2011 survey, the most popular method of attracting visitors back to the region was ‘promoting destinations that haven’t been affected as much’ — a view which is largely held by those not working in an affected area.


However, unlike 2011, where 21.4% of all respondents felt offering value was the way forward, only 16% of respondents held the same opinion in 2012.


The second most popular method for attracting tourists was increased marketing (25.2%).


There was an increase in those recommending slashing rates (6% compared to 4.8% in 2011); the largest single group recommending the move were Egyptian hoteliers.


Also noted was a slight rise in those wishing to establish a Middle East tourism board (11.7% in 2011 with 12.4% suggesting the same in 2012). Of this 12.4%, 90.3% believed the unrest had affected the whole region, a marked increase on the view of the entire respondent base.

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