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The UAE’s success in tourism development in a relatively short span of time is
the result of the visionary leadership of the UAE President His Highness Sheikh
Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, and Rulers of Emirates, hard work and dedication
and is a role model for many destinations, said Mr. Mohammed Khamis bin Hareb
who headed the UAE delegation at the Tourism and Development Forum in Kuwait.
The forum was held under the patronage of Kuwait Prime Minister, His Highness
Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, and organised by the Kuwait’s
Ministry of Information.
The four-member UAE delegation included Mr. Salah Rashid Al Ansari, DTCM
Manager Visitors Information Bureau, Mr. Eyad Ali Abdul Rahman, DTCM Manager Media Relations, and Mr. Waleed Al Jallaf of the UAE Ministry of
Information.
In a presentation to the forum, Mr. bin Hareb offered insights into the tourism
developments in the UAE and the experience that the country had gained in this
domain.
He said the UAE’s success has not come on a gold platter but was the fruit of
years of hard work, commitment, dedication and long-term planning. The
UAE, he added, enjoys a distinguished position in the world tourism industry.
He said the UAE has achieved success due to the visionary leadership of the
UAE President, His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, and the Rulers
of Emirates.
Elaborating on the UAE’s efforts towards tourism development, Mr. bin Hareb
said the aggressive marketing and promotions have resulted in the number of
visitors to the UAE increasing from 1.2 million in 1990 to over six million in 2002.
The World Tourism Organisation has praised the UAE for posting a record growth of over 30 per cent in arrivals in the year 2002.
He said the development of tourism sector in the UAE started in 1990 and had
been subject to several obstacles and barriers due to regional and global
developments.
Marketing, he said, plays a crucial role in the development of tourism industry.
He said AGCC markets have been playing a crucial role in the UAE tourism
sector and in the success of Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) and Summer Surprises.
During the PowerPoint presentation, Mr. bin Hareb enlightened the participants
about the major tourism developments and projects underway in the UAE, including
Dubailand, The Palm, and Festival City.
The official said the Training Solutions has been contributing towards the human
resources development required for the tourism industry in the country.
He said the UAE has been a sought-after venue for meetings and conferences
given its impressive infrastructure and world-class facilities for holding such
gatherings. The joint meetings of the IMF and World Bank held in the UAE in
September 2003 had been one of the most successful-ever meetings in the history of
these organisations.
The huge increase in the number of hotel rooms and facilities in the country was
in response to the needs of the local, regional and international tour operators,
he said.
Addressing the forum, the World Tourism Organization (WTO) Secretary General,
Mr. Francesco Frangialli, said that 703 million tourists contributed $475 billion to
the tourism industry last year - and if the domestic tourism was taken into
consideration this figure will go up by 10 times to seven billion tourists and $4.7
trillion in tourism revenues.
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