UAE basks in success of tourism

Abu Dhabi, Nov 13, 2011 (WAM) - Strategic planning and cooperation between government and private sector is the key to UAE's success in the tourism industry, opined a local newspaper yesterday. The hotels and tourism industry is a good indicator of the health of several other economic sectors in the UAE, including retail and transport, among others. This is the importance of the high average occupancy rate being reported by hotels in the UAE, noted Gulf News in its editorial. In Dubai, for example, hotels reported a 79 per cent average occupancy rate for the first three quarters of the year, despite an increase in the available rooms in the emirate. And, its visitors have been staying for longer, it added. The UAE has succeeded in attracting visitors from important travel markets, like China and Japan, who often help boost the overall retail market. Airlines have also succeeded in encouraging people to visit the UAE and getting transit passengers to spend additional time in the country, the paper stressed. Then there is the country's full roster of events, like the Formula 1 in Abu Dhabi and the air and motor shows in Dubai, noted the paper. "Perhaps, most important in recent months, the country has proven its social and political stability and good governance, in a region that is experiencing significant turmoil at present", it opined. Comprehensive planning and cooperation between government and the private sector, as well as coordinated events and promotions are behind the success of tourism in the UAE, stressed the paper. - Emirates News Agency, WAM