MARRIOTT International remains bullish about the long-term potential of the Middle East travel market, despite the economic strife of 2009.
“It’s no secret that 2009 has had its share of challenges across the board, even though our hotels outperformed the market in many key Middle Eastern cities. A few weeks ago, we announced the establishment of a divisional headquarters in Dubai,” said Ed Fuller, president and managing director, international lodging, Marriott International.
“Our development pipeline in the region remains strong; PKF Consulting predicts a positive outlook for hotels in Dubai for 2010 and beyond and the World Tourism Organisation further predicts that Middle East tourism will more than double by 2020, to 136 million visitors, up from 54 million in 2008.” Looking ahead at 2010, the company will concentrate in five areas: continuing to grow market share; giving customers the highest possible level of service; offering the best possible hotel experience for the price paid; developing and tapping new markets for Middle East tourism and a growing footprint in the region.
“We’re now in the process of opening our first hotel in Oman at Salalah Beach and we look forward to opening three hotels in Doha over the next several months,” he added.
In November, Marriot signed five hotels in the Mena region, including its first hotels in Algeria, Ghana and Morocco.
“Our presence in the region will be comprised of more than 70 properties offering more than 20,000 rooms in 12 countries spanning six lodging brands by the end of 2015,” said Fuller.
He believes that while there will always be a market for high-end hotels in the Middle East, there is a huge opportunity for the continued expansion of the more moderately-priced Courtyard by Marriott brand.