Four ways to control your own destiny....
The 17th Arabian Travel Market (ATM) took place in Dubai in May. The event attracted a massive 2000 products featuring more than 70 destinations, which cemented the region's importance globally for tourism and airlines. Marcelle Nethersole looked at four different areas of the world displaying at the show.
Kuwait – a pearl in the Gulf
Sitting on the Persian Gulf, Kuwait is an oasis in the desert offering a blend of the old Arab world and ultramodern life, with a rich maritime history.
“We participate in ATM yearly. We want to market ourselves as a destination for tourists, families and also demonstrate a strong emphasis based on business travellers,” said, Majda Behbehani, director of marketing and foreign relations, Ministry of Commerce and Industry. “We have an open society offering desert, sea, culture and great entertainment.”
Kuwait City’s most iconic landmark is the Kuwait Towers, which has three gradient towers, the second of which revolves full circle every half-hour providing panoramic views of the city.
There are also various museums and the modern Scientific Centre houses an aquarium, scientific exploration hall and i-max.
In 2009 Kuwait received around three million visitors, most arriving for business meetings and mainly from the GCC region. Its plan by 2020 is to receive five million visitors from all over the world.
“We are building the City of Silk, which will include hotels, spas, parks and business and conference venues,” said Behbehani.
“Kuwait has nine islands along the coast, the most noted and beautiful being Failaka, which offers a rich cultural heritage. One of the tourism plans is to build 20 hotels there, a golf course and a marine park. New hotels in Kuwait are also under construction and look to be open in 2011. These include the Four Seasons Hotel Kuwait City and Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel.
“Kuwait also has four nature reserves and six reserves set aside for ecological research.”
Kuwait’s new premium service airline, Wataniya Airways, offers point-to-point connections across the Middle East and is set to launch European destinations, Istanbul, Rome and Vienna later this year. Its fleet is made up of six Airbus A320 aircraft.
“Kuwaitis are warm, hospitable, friendly and helpful, which makes a visit to the country a very enriching and memorable experience,” said Behbehani.
Nigeria – a colourful country
“Being at the Arabian Travel Market is an opportunity to showcase Nigeria as a country that takes tourism very seriously and put ourselves on the tourist map,” said Otunba Segun Runsewe, director-general of the Nigeria Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC).
“We’re promoting eco tourism, cultural tourism and meetings and incentives. We’re a colourful country with colourful people and delicious cuisines. We have beaches ideal for swimming and other water sports, unique wildlife, vast tracts of unspoiled nature ranging from tropical forest to magnificent waterfalls, the Yankari National Park, which is the premier game reserve in Nigeria, and pulsating cities, such as our capital Abuja, and Lagos.”
In 2009 Nigeria received 15 million tourists with the US and UK being the two largest markets. The NTDC hopes that by the end of 2010 it will receive 30 million tourists, a figure Runsewe doesn’t perceive as too ambitious.
“We are developing a tourism infrastructure with a focus on transport within Nigeria,” said Runsewe. “We will be reactivating the rail system by the end of this year, which will certainly increase tourism. We also work closely with tour operators and offer various packages, from a two-day trip to a month trip. We have also been working with the Indian and Chinese tourism boards to boost figures from these countries.”
Nigeria is celebrating 50 years of independence and the NTDC has put in place celebrations. “We have a ‘Visit Nigeria at 50’ campaign, which will offer year-long celebrations for both locals and tourists,” said Runsewe.
Nepal – home to a living goddess
Nepal is famous for its geographic position and biodiversity and the mighty Mount Everest.
“Most tourists come to
Nepal will certainly offer breathtaking views. The elevation of the country ranges from 60m above sea level to the highest point on earth, Mount Everest at 8,848m.
“Nepal offers lots of energetic activities such as mountaineering and whitewater rafting, and elephant polo is emerging as part of sports tourism,” said Lamichhae. “But we also have a rich cultural and religious background.”
Religions practiced in Nepal include Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, and Bon. It is also the only country in the world with a living goddess.
“Kumari, the living goddess is called upon to give blessings to Nepal’s Hindus and Buddhists, but she also appears for tourists in Patan, an ancient town south of Kathmandu,” explains Lamichhae.
Nepal also offers good nightlife in its larger cities with many bars, restaurants and 24-hour casinos in its hotels.
“We have lots of promotional campaigns going on in different countries. Last year Nepal received 550,000 tourists, which includes those coming by land as well as air, with access via India as many people like to trek,” said Lamichhae. “By the end of next year we hope to receive one million visitors. This region offers many flights to Nepal with carriers including FlyDubai, Air Arabia and, of course, Nepal Airlines.”
CYPRUS – much more than sun and beaches
“This year Cyprus celebrates 50 years of independence,” said Hrach Kalsahakian, marketing manager of the Cyprus Tourism Organisation.
The Cyprus Tourism Organisation has attended ATM since the late 1990s and has a regional office in Dubai.
“We have 22 tourist offices outside of Cyprus,” said Kalsahakian, “Cyprus is the closest European destination to this part of the world and we feel close to it. Last year Cyprus received 2.3 million tourists, of which 50,000 came from the Middle East, and we are at the show to build on those figures.”
Most tourists to Cyprus go for the Mediterranean sunshine and beaches but it does offer more.
“Of course we have a wealth of sandy beaches but we also have beautiful nature; the island is particularly known for its bird-watching,” said Kalsahakian. “We have rugged coasts to breathtaking mountain peaks, sunny vineyards and cool pine forests. We have many religious tourists who go to see the Byzantine churches from the middle-ages, which are listed on the Unesco Heritage List, and Islamic sites from the Ottoman period.
“We have old Christian churches. Cyprus was the first country the apostles Paul and Barnabas visited in their journey to spread Christianity and the first country to come under Christian administration.”
Emirates flies from Dubai to Larnaka and Pafos every day, and Etihad flies from Abu Dhabi to Larnaka four times a week. Gulf Air flies from Bahrain to Larnaka.
“We are now working with Air Arabia from Sharjah to fly to Larnaka,” said Kalsahakian. “There are many travel options available to this region so we hope the tourist figure will rise. On October 1 this year Cyprus is celebrating 50 years of independence. It will be a huge cultural affair lasting a few days, a perfect time to visit Cyprus and celebrate with us.”
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