Dear Insiders,
Dubai is going full steam - and threatens to suffocate itself. The flood of projects announced at the "Arabian Travel Market" last week renders a European breathless even from a distance. The trade fair visitors caught their breath every time they sat in hour-long evening traffic jams. The Sheiks` superlatives are becoming a huge problem for the infrastructure and the daily life.
This is why for me the small observations made on the fringe of the fair simply raise the question: How credible are all these hotel projects? 31 hotels are to be built like pearls on a string; the biggest one is even planned to surpass its counterpart in Las Vegas. Allegedly, 80,000 rooms are still missing up to the year 2010.
The question of the credibility of this undertaking is followed by the question of economic viability. But who of all the people involved in Dubai would admit today that this whole noble boom might, at some time, tip over and become a cheap mass? What if the rules are dictated by price instead of quality? Be it Dubai or Duesseldorf - the commercial principle remains the same. I remain sceptical regarding this artificially provoked boom in Dubai.
Marrakesh thought it was in the passing lane as well. But then, terror acts put a damper on the development. Our small portrait, a mix of personal travel impressions and an actual analysis, shows a country with enormous potential.
The Estrel also sees a lot of potential for the city of Berlin and its own quarter if politics would only stop preventing the go-getting entrepreneur Ekkehardt Streletzki from spending millions. A typical German story of prevention is about to begin. If you look at this story with respect to the Dubai background, a German can only cry...
Today's issue emphasises travelling. However, destinations as well as destination mediators create the conditions for hotel expansion. Therefore, we are showing the hotel industry today from the view of industry-related people. Garnished with current trends, timeshare and real estate news.
Until next Friday,
yours, Maria Puetz-Willems
Editor-in-Chief
Any comments? maria@hospitalityInside.com