Kuwait targets one million annual visitors by 2015

Kuwait has set a target of welcoming one million tourists annually by 2015, as part of a five-year plan for its travel and tourism sector.

To cater to the influx of tourists, Kuwait Touristic Enterprises Company is launching a number of tourism, entertainment and sports projects valued at US$ 460 million.

Kuwait’s Partnership Technical Bueau has also declared the development of resorts, recreational facilities, and a marina on Failaka Island as top priority. The project will be complimented by new hotels focusing on the luxury sector, with 10,000 new rooms expected to come online by 2015 – which reflects an increase in supply by almost one third.

Among the new hotels scheduled to come online are four IHG properties, as well as the 307-room Millennium Hotel and Convention Centre in Kuwait City.

The government has also earmarked US $13 billion in funds for infrastructure, with the Kuwait Directorate General of Civil Aviation spearheading the upgrade of Kuwait International Airport, which will include the construction of a new passenger terminal to boost capacity from the current six million passengers to 13 million per year by 2016.