As Middle Eastern countries look to diversify their economies, moving beyond oil wealth, tourism has emerged as a key focus segment for the governments of the region. From investing heavily on tourism infrastructure projects to cooperating with each other, destinations within the Middle East are leaving no stones unturned to draw international travellers to their shores.
Leading the aggressive tourism approach is the Saudi Arabian government which is investing billions of dollars in developing new tourist attractions, such as the Red Sea Project, AlUla, and the futuristic city of Neom. The Saudi government has set an ambitious target of attracting 150 million international travellers by 2030.
Key Asian markets including India and China are key to achieving its tourism goals. In 2023, air connectivity between India and Saudi Arabia alone reached 2.8 million seats, marking a 31 per cent increase in capacity since 2019.
“We recognise the immense potential of the Asian markets. The leisure travel has emerged as the strongest segment showcasing a splendid performance from the Asia-Pacific region, especially India. Our approach involves a multi-faceted strategy that focuses on promoting Saudi’s unique cultural heritage, historical sites, natural landscapes, and modern attractions such as entertainment hubs, theme parks, opening of ultra-luxury resorts, among others,” said Alhasan Aldabbagh, president – APAC, Saudi Tourism Authority.
As per HBX Group, one of the leading B2B players in travel tech space, the most popular destinations in the Middle East are Dubai, Riyadh, Doha, and Abu Dhabi among travellers from the Asia-Pacific. Meanwhile, interest is growing the fastest for Makkah (mainly with travellers from Indonesia after the end of Ramadan), Doha, Madinah, and Ajman (among the Chinese).
In fact, Chinese outbound tourism growth for the Middle East is fast approaching pre-pandemic levels. Suki Lin, senior director, APAC at Nativex, a digital marketing platform, said: “Dubai is top of mind among Chinese travellers (due to) new products like the Museum of the Future. Saudi Arabia comes in second, with Red Sea and Neom catching the attention of Chinese social media platforms.”
Lin added that Saudi Arabia’s e-Transit Visa for up to 96 hours has brought Chinese travellers to Riyadh. Turkey and Qatar are also growing in popularity among Chinese leisure tourists.
Following last year’s announcement at the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) meeting in Oman, the six GCC countries (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE) are now close to implementing a unified Gulf tourist visa regime and will jointly promote the region for tourism.
This unified visa will be named GCC Grand Tours – it was announced during the Arabian Travel Mart 2024. GCC destinations expressed confidence that the new visa regime will encourage tourists to explore multiple destinations within the region.
Sarah Ahmed Buhiji, CEO of the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority, said her destination is ready to excel, having witnessed “incredible infrastructure developments”, such as the new terminal at the Bahrain International Airport, which expanded passenger handling capacity to 14 million a year.
“We have the Exhibition World Bahrain, one of the largest exhibition centres in the region. Today, we are promoting Bahrain as a MICE hub,” she said.
“Working together with the GCC offers a lot of opportunities. We are working on building packages that will attract more tourists to come to the region and experience multiple destinations. A traveller can visit Bahrain and stay for two to three nights, and then explore Amman or Saudi Arabia. The accessibility between many GCC countries is easy. For example, Bahrain to Saudi Arabia takes just 40 minutes by car,” she added.
Dreams of stronger tourism performance is aided by growing air capacity.
OAG Aviation noted that total seats available in Middle East stood at 194,210,303 in 2014, up from 254,811,576 in 2023 – reflecting an average annual growth rate (AAGR) of 2.7 per cent between 2014 and 2023.
“The Middle East region is growing above the global average,” said Mayur Patel, head of Asia, OAG Aviation.
Still, Nick Flynn, hotel manager, Shangri-La Al Husn, Muscat, hopes to see more flights from China.
“The key market for us in Asia is India, where we are recording strong demand from FIT, wedding and MICE segments. Although we have welcomed a handful of guests from Singapore, we are not seeing a pick up in demand from South-east Asia as well as China. Absence of direct air connectivity between Oman and China is a bottleneck in growing tourist arrivals from the Asian giant,” said Flynn.
There are strong stirrings in the Middle East hotel front too, as more hotel companies step in to make the most of tourism opportunities in the region. To facilitate its entry into the Middle East, hotel representation firm Heavens Portfolio recently acquired The Travel Collection, an established representation agency in Dubai.
“We are growing our operation in GCC countries including Dubai, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Inbound tourism to GCC countries is poised to grow further and with our presence in the region, we expect to be a part of tourism growth in the Middle East,” said Christine Galle Luczak, founder and CEO, Heavens Portfolio.
As new developments emerge, sustainability remains a hot topic and sits at the core of tourism roadmaps drawn up by Middle Eastern destinations.
With the UAE’s Year of Sustainability extending into 2024, Dubai has embarked on campaigns like Refill for Life, promoting the use of reusable bottles and encouraging people to refill via 50 water fountains established throughout the city.
Oman is showing commitment to sustainability through projects like The Sustainable City-Yiti – which has been described as the country’s first net-zero energy city.
Under his leadership, Aquino will prioritise the renovation of the 51-room Lagen Resort.
He was previously senior vice president of product and guest experience at HX for 18 months, and prior to that, he served as director of expedition experience and innovation at Quark Expeditions.
The history of Siam Bayshore Resort Pattaya intertwines threads of theatricality, musicality, and the rich heritage of both Pattaya and the Sukosol family.
Established in 1974, it was one of just six hotels in Pattaya at the time.
The journey into hospitality for the Sukosol family began with Kamol Sukosol, who recognised Pattaya’s potential over Phuket due to its proximity to Bangkok and vibrant atmosphere during the Vietnam War era. His vision led to the establishment of Siam Bayshore Resort Pattaya, followed soon after by sister property Siam Bayview Hotel.
“My grandfather was a very astute businessman who was able to see the future,” shared Marisa Sukosol Nunbhakdi, executive vice president of Sukosol Hotels and Sukosol Group regarding the choice of location.
Today, Siam Bayshore continues to thrive, being just 90 minutes’ drive from Suvarnabhumi International Airport.
Kamala Sukosol, Marisa’s mother, played a pivotal role in marketing the resort. Drawing on her love for Broadway and musicals from her time studying in the US during the 1950s, Hollywood’s Golden Age, Kamala implemented innovative marketing strategies that included live performances and international roadshows.
“While my father had a hand in setting up the hotel, it was my mother who was a marketing guru who really put the property on the map,” Marisa noted.
“Back then, my mom was my age, maybe younger, and I often think of the hardship that she went through to build the hotel. What would we have (as a group) without these hotels? Though it was hard to sell Pattaya – because nobody knew of the place at the time – credit goes to my mom for all those trips she made all over the world selling Pattaya.”
The resort became renowned for its Broadway-style musical nights and cultural events, including the memorable Broadway Comes to Pattaya gala co-hosted with TTG Asia during the ASEAN Tourism Forum in 1990.
Marisa, who is also a well-known singer in Thailand, grew up immersed in this world, dancing in musical nights featuring songs from shows like Oliver Twist and The Flower Drum Song to participating in family roadshows. One time, Kamala – a talented singer and dancer herself – even took her children traipsing across Australia, performing, Von-Trapp family style, to promote the hotels and Pattaya as a destination.
Even the famed Bali Hai Pier in Pattaya has its roots in Broadway, being named after the hotel’s restaurant located across from the pier back then – whose name Kamala Sukosol chose 50 years ago, inspired by the musical South Pacific.
The hotel was a holiday home for the Sukosol family, who travelled to Siam Bayshore from Bangkok every week.
Marisa also stated that Pattaya’s vibrant drag show culture had already taken roots as early as in the 1970s. She said: “Today, Tiffany and Miss Tiffany Universe are world famous – but back then, it was a cabaret right around the corner from the Bayshore. My mom would take me and my brothers and sisters to watch the cabaret. At the time, drag shows didn’t exist anywhere else, and it was incredible to see the talent back then. Those were the early days of drag shows in Pattaya, long before they started trending globally,” she reminisced.
Over the years, Siam Bayshore has hosted numerous celebrities and remains a favourite among loyal guests and staff members, many of whom have been with the resort for decades.
Marisa shared: “When the hotel first opened, my father was very keen on having tennis courts, following the advice of an agent from Australia. So, he built several courts, and we’ve been organising tournaments ever since. Thailand’s tennis stars Paradorn Srichaphan and Tamarine Tanasugarn have played here, as well as other international players who became top-ranked later in their careers.”
The Siam Bayshore continues to host numerous celebrities who appreciate its low-profile yet high-quality service.
The hotel enjoys a loyal following – among both guests and staff. Some 30 staff members have been there for over three decades; a chef at Bali Hai has been with the hotel for over 40 years. Among repeat guests is a German who has been visiting for the past 30 years and, in a recent stint, stayed for a remarkable 137 days.
Despite numerous challenges, such as economic downturns and the 1992 coup, the hotel has maintained its allure and profitability over five decades.
Marisa emphasised: “When I give my sustainability speeches, I always bring up Bayshore as a sustainable hotel, having been around 50 years and still operating under the same brand and ownership. This, I think, is very unusual nowadays.
“If you ask any hotel owner, it’s very hard to keep up a hotel, particularly in Asia where many hotels are bought and sold constantly. So, if you ask me and my mom what our legacy is, it would be the longevity.”