The Al Diar Siji Hotel in Fujairah saw its revenues rise 33 per cent last year as compared to 2005, according to general manager Fouad Melhem.
He said the hotel has got off to a good start this year.
“There is a huge improvement compared to our last year’s performance. We have a total increase of more than 11 per cent in our number of guests, and total revenue has increased significantly, by 33 per cent as compared to 2005. In general, we have a great achievement to show in terms of productivity and development of our main products.”
The hotel achieved over 80 per cent occupancy in 2006, with a fairly high percentage of long-term corporate guests, he said.
The trend looked set to continue with Fujairah’s booming new business climate, he added. “With overall development taking place in and around the city of Fujairah including expansion of the airport, several new investors in the Fujairah Free Zone, added storage capacity of oil at the ports and the booming quarry business is continuously increasing from across the world.”
As a result of the Fujairah government’s efforts, Melhem said ongoing projects for the development and refurbishment are being undertaken, such as the expansion of the airport, the extension of the seaport and freezone, and the improvement of roads to Dubai aimed at reducing the travel time from one and a half hours to just 45 minutes. “All these improve-ments mean good tourism program for Fujairah as another tourist destination. Aside from that, our government is also active in the continuous development of sports tourism here. In fact, the construction of different sports venue and activities will be soon to unveil like the building of the biggest and grandest stadium along in Corniche, the establishing of the water sports facilities in the North of Fujairah and the six-lane tennis courts will also be soon to launch in the sports complex. This can help attract more sports tourism to the region.”
The hotel will be at this year’s ATM like always, he said, and will be promoting the emirate of Fujairah as a tourist destination first and the Al Diar Siji Hotel second. “We will also promote our weekend stay package for the public during the last two days of ATM. We will use the show to announce our tie-up with Starbucks Coffee, and to showcase the newly launched Inter-Touch connectivity solution,” he added.
Centrally located in the business hub of Fujairah, the five-star Al Diar Siji Hotel features 90 spacious rooms and suites that offer panoramic views of the Hajjar mountains and the Indian Ocean. Five of the hotel’s floors are designated Executive Club floors, with an elevated level of service and amenities.