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Pledging its support for moves to combine the Gulf countries in a major new marketing initiative,
That was the message delivered on behalf of Raymond Khalife, President, Bass Hotels & Resorts, Middle East and Africa, where the company currently manages 110 Inter-Continental, Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn properties, with 25 under development.
Magdi Samman, Bass Hotels & Resorts` regional sales and marketing director, upscale, told the conference: Our president is in a unique position to assess, and respond to, the travel trends of visitors to the Arabian Gulf in the new millennium. His message to this conference is that Bass Hotels & Resorts is fully committed to supporting initiatives to promote the Gulf States as a single touristic destination. His wish is that we, as a company, can now help to find the catalyst required to turn this bold, imaginative idea into a working reality.
Added Samman: It`s time to develop and implement the strategies required to ensure that the Arabian Gulf as a single destination becomes more than simply a conference theme. Time to identify the roles for each of the key players, to build and implement action plans and timetables, to commit budgets and human resources, to make this work.
A huge amount of work was needed to create a sophisticated, and consistent, infrastructure for tourism throughout the region, and airports were the starting point.
Said Samman: Outdated systems, procedures and facilities which leave visitors standing wearily in long queues can build disfigured perceptions of destinations, destroy the comfort factor demanded by today`s leisure travellers, and spoil enjoyment of the hospitality that awaits beyond the airport terminal.
He added that while airports built for 21st century travellers are vital, so is the collective commitment of the region`s Governments, their joint cooperation, and the resourcefulness of the airport authorities, to ensure a smooth, uninterrupted passage for visitors arriving in the Gulf, and travelling onwards from one country to another within the region.
He said the huge investment being made in hotel and leisure resort construction, and the region`s combination of sun, sand and surf, must be supported by development of substantial tourism and leisure packages and facilities opening up the natural assets of each of the Gulf countries, and also by the introduction of new attractions, including theme parks. Event tourism was another avenue to be expanded.
Added Samman: It will become increasingly important, as time goes by, to identify single and unique benefits to each of the countries in the region. The product differenciation will cause each destination to complement the other through their own resources and services.
Photo: Magdi Samman – said Bass Hotels & Resorts is fully committed to supporting initiatives to promote the Gulf States as a single touristic destination, but it is time to back up ongoing discussions on the subject with action.
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