Travel &
Travel & Tourism Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Abu Dhabi Strength in Unity Middle East & Africa: Back on Track The East African Community Partner States of the Republics of Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and The United Republic of Tanzania have issued a joint statement focusing on safety and security in the region, but above all underlining an evolution of the key values of tourism in the region. After a depressing year 2013, last year brought some good news for both the Middle East and Africa. According to UNWTO data, Middle East international arrivals grew by 4% - the same rate as Europe, while Africa experienced a growth of 2%, the smallest increase of any regions in the world. International tourism in the Middle East (+4%) shows signs of a rebound with good results in most destinations. The region attracted an additional 2-million arrivals, bringing the total to 50-million. After two years of decline, the Middle East finally passed back over the 50-million arrival mark. Some destinations in the Middle East continue in fact to enjoy growth rates over the regional average. This is for example the case of Dubai, which saw total arrivals progressing last year by 5.6%, reaching 11.6 million. In their forecasts, the UNWTO estimates that the market to the Middle East will again grow in 2015 in a range of 2% to 5%. Africa’s international tourist numbers grew by an estimated 2%, equivalent to an increase of one million arrivals with the total number of international numbers hitting 56-million tourists. Arrivals to North Africa were weak (+1%), however, with a strong bounce back for destinations such as Egypt and Tunisia during the second half of 2014. “We were still experiencing a decline by over 20% by the first half of 2014 but we finally end up last year with just a 0.9% minus”, highlights during a press conference previous Egypt Minister of Tourism Hisham Zazzou. Research by Luc Citrinot Charles Njoroge, Deputy Secretary General – Political Federation, EAC explained, “We are looking at promoting what you could call natural or environmental tourism; not just safaris, but people coming and appreciating the nature. Most importantly, people are becoming more and more interested by our region’s highly diversified cultures.” Substantial progress has been made in the Hospitality industry through the implementation of the East African Community Criteria for the classification of accommodation establishments, whereby the EAC is finally able to sell a standard that will be savoured throughout the region by visitors. The organisation has also made substantial progress in the preparation and introduction of a Single Tourist Visa that facilitates the selling of multi-destinations. 36 Hotel & Tourism SMARTreport / Worldwide Edition N°26 / June - August 2015
JUNE - NOVEMBER 2015 Hotel Opening Calendar This industry is like a vast game of chess where survival and development always passes by thinking at least "one move ahead”. So we decided to help our readers, especially TOs & TAs, by launching a Hotel Opening Calendar, enabling you to be among the first to integrate these brand new properties in your offerings. JUNE 2015 Mandarin Oriental Marrakech Marrakech, Morocco Located near Marrakech Royal Golf Club, Mandarin Oriental, Marrakech is set among 20 hectares of landscaped gardens filled with the scent of 100,000 roses, bougainvillea, olive trees and prickly pears, and is a short drive to the city’s bustling medina. Contemporary in style, the resort’s interiors have been conceived by French design duo, Patrick Gilles and Dorothée Boissier who have combined their contrasting styles to create a balanced look. NOVEMVER 2015 Four Seasons Hotel Casablanca Casablanca, Morocco Cool and avant-garde on the beachfront of Morocco’s largest city, Four Seasons Hotel Casablanca enjoys a prestigious resort-style setting, just a short distance from the business district and the historic city centre. The new hotel is part of the master-planned Anfa Place community, combining residential, business, shopping and entertainment. The 183 guest rooms and suites share a range of dining and recreation amenities in a style that mixes French and Arabic traditions. Meetings and events unfold in the ballroom and five function rooms, open to outdoor terraces that celebrate Morocco’s year-round warmth and sunshine. Many thanks to the PR staff and agents of the large international chains who have helped us to compile this list. Hotel friends, please feel free to contact us for this topic, which will now be a permanent fixture in our SMARTreport. NOVEMBER OCTOBER JULY JUNE MANDARIN ORIENTAL, MARRAKECH MARRAKECH, MOROCCO PULLMAN ZAMZAM MADINA MADINAH, SAUDI ARABIA ROVING BUSHTOPS SERONERA, TANZANIA ANGAMA MARA, MAASAI MARA MAASAI MARA, KENYA HARD ROCK HOTEL DUBAI MARINA DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES IBIS STYLES DRAGON MART DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES RADISSON BLU HOTEL NAIROBI NAIROBI, KENYA RADISSON BLU HOTEL, MARRAKECH CARRÉ EDEN MARRAKECH, MOROCCO RADISSON BLU LE VENDOME HOTEL, CAPE TOWN CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA RADISSON BLU RED SEA PALACE HOTEL, JEDDAH JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA RADISSON BLU PLAZA RESIDENCE, JEDDAH JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA RADISSON BLU HOTEL, N'DJAMENA N'DJAMENA, CHAD BANYAN TREE TAMOUDA BAY TAMOUDA BAY, MOROCCO FOUR POINT BY SHERATON ORAN ORAN, ALGERIA FOUR POINTS BY SHERATON IKOT EKPENE AKWA IBOM STATE, NIGERIA PULLMAN KINSHASA GRAND HOTEL KINSHASAN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO THE ST REGIS DUBAI DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATS RADISSON BLU 2 FÉVRIER HOTEL, LOME LOME, TOGO RADISSON BLU HOTEL, ABIDJAN AIRPORT ABIDJAN, COTE D’IVOIRE RADISSON BLU OKOUME PALACE HOTEL, LIBREVILLE LIBREVILLE, GABON ADVERTISING CONTACT: jeanfrancois.pieri@cleverdis.com FOUR SEASONS HOTEL CASABLANCA CASABLANCA, MOROCCO
