News & Stories

Spielberg. For the first time since 2003, the Formula 1 race cars will once again take their laps on June 22, 2014 in Spielberg in Styria, Austria. Red Bull boss, Dietrich Mateschitz, has invested 240 million Euro in the revitalisation of the ring as well as in the hotels, catering trade and leisure offers.

Dubai. Hotel development in the Middle East, particularly in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, is booming as the Gulf countries invest in new infrastructure, undertake aggressive tourism marketing strategies, and continue to diversify the economy away from oil, hotel operators have said. In the process, individual countries consider the hospitality sector more a national job motor than an honest touristic invitation towards travelers from all over the world. Since the emirates of Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Qatar are caught in a fierce competition for hotels and hotel operators while being increasingly subject to the classic market mechanisms determined by supply and demand, Saudi Arabia is just starting to pick up: only this kingdom is able to grow rampantly with its 30 million inhabitants; its financial power, and the never-ending religious tourism make the country the new favourite of hotel operators. Those planning to test run a new brand in the Middle East first go to Saudi Arabia. Dania Saadi spoke to the head developers of the major hotel chains asking them why they were so strongly committed and in which markets. Today we start with Accor and Wyndham and follow up next week with Hilton, Carlson Rezidor and IHG.

Frankfurt. The MICE market is facing new, demographically-conditioned challenges. Meeting planners are increasingly being confronted with participants of the most various of generations and wishes. The IMEX in Frankfurt presented knowledge and solutions regarding this.

Trieste. Just like every year, the members of the largest Italian hospitality entrepreneurs' association, Federalberghi, recently met at Trieste for the annual general meeting. But the 2014 convention was different from the last meetings: after a long stormy period, the first three months of 2014 finally put a bright light on the future of the Italian hospitality industry. At the same time, Italian hospitality officials are starting to question infrastructure, taxes and old structures of tourism bodies just as they have started to intensify proceedings against OTAs and TripAdvisor.

Frankfurt. The German meeting and events market continues to grow. This creates desire. Hand in hand with the growing number of events, the number of meeting, conference and event locations has grown. German meeting and event venues counted 371 million participants last year, 2.5% more than the year before. Since 2009, visitor numbers have been growing continuously. Since 2007, more and more participants from abroad stimulate the German MICE market. Again, Germany underlines its leading role in Europe as a conference and meeting destination. Very positive: organizers are being given increased budgets.

Dubai. There was no shortage of fanfare at the 10th "Arabian Hotel Investment Conference" that took place in Dubai on May 4-5, 2014. This annual event celebrated its anniversary in style, and it also trumpeted Dubai's win of the World Expo 2020. The impact of the Expo was evident in almost every speech, more so than the other mega event coming to the region, the World Cup 2022 in Doha, Qatar. All these events and other government-led tourism projects are meant to create a new source of income for the Gulf countries that are diversifying their economies to generate non-oil growth. To do that they are expanding airports and ports, building new roads, bridges and hospitals, increasing the fleet of airlines such as Emirates and beefing up their marketing campaigns for tourism to woo more visitors.

Dubai. In the Middle East, it's all about tomorrow. Yesterday has already been forgotten and everything and everybody strives towards new tourism records. In the very centre of the boom: Dubai. Six years after the Lehman bankruptcy, which overnight took the heat from the superlatives in the Middle East, the fever is back and it's hotter than ever. The shopping malls are full, the construction cranes again stretch out towards the sky, taxi queues are longer than ever and between the new city districts whole new four and six-lane roads have been built whilst on grass verges between the traffic, construction workers relax in the sun. It's just like in 2007 and early 2008. Hoteliers are also getting a little hot under the collar: How are they to escape the government-imposed growth programme? Sheikh Mohammed bin Raschid al Maktoum is currently pumping billions into the market. The decision to award Dubai Expo 2020 has also given the city a new boost. Dubai in May 2014 and three new hotels.

Doha. Qatar, the country with the world's highest per capita income, plans to spend between $40 and $45 billion on tourism by 2030 in order to increase by seven fold the tourist arrivals into the Gulf state, the chairman of the Qatar Tourism Authority recently said. One of the hottest plans to attract leisure tourism will be a 71-hectare zoo in Doha, including drive-through safaris and a seven-star resort set in mature trees.

Salzburg. Up to March, 2014, it has been the most guest-intensive winter for Tyrol – nevertheless this year, an overnight deficit of 5.9 percent remains in one of the most important Austrian holiday regions. Nearly all of the hotels in the lower-situated winter sports areas had already closed at the end of March. The hoteliers are now cutting investments.

Sanya. Not only is the city of Sanya on the South Chinese island of Hainan the beach paradise of the one-billion state, but it also attracts German-speaking hotel professionals. They all try to succeed on socially difficult terrain. In the meantime, hotels have sprung up like mushrooms. The tropical climate and the wide sandy beaches have made Sanya an attractive tourist destination since 2000. Society freaks know the city thanks to six "Miss World" elections, while others consider Sanya an important Chinese marine base. Fred Fettner met Austrian hotel managers in Sanya and encountered a world of numerous contradictions.