Introduction
The UAE is a free and liberal country that is made up of seven independent emirates that is ruled by the Sheik. The emirates or sub-countries that makes up the United Arab Emirates includes:- Abu Dhabi; Ajman; Dubai; Fujairah; Ras al-Khaimah; Sharjah and Umm al-Qaiwain, others are large while others are also very small cities but with rich and attractive nature. The UAE being an excellent centre for business majorly because of its strategic location has ever been a favorite destination for tourists in the Middle East for if not only for business and leisure tourism then also for culture tourism. It attracts travelers to the far and Middle East who are just either on business or even adventure.
As per the recent research and findings it has been clearly found that the major boost s to tourism, factors that have resulted into rapid growth of tourism in the region that is the UAE is the faster development of technology which entails both transport and communication. Travelers are now able to access information about new opportunities in the Middle East with lots of ease as well as travelling in the utmost comfort in the modern airbuses. The modes of communication are of variety ranging from phone, emails, social networking sites and most of all telex which is the most suitable for business. The inventions and modifications of the airlines which are also so many and of different varieties and tastes in recent times has made UAE tours and travels easier, comfortable and very much convenient.
The traditions of the Arab emirates are also much hospitable and accommodate almost all the other traditions worldwide, the levels of crime and crime related activities are also very much reduced also highly developed infrastructural facilities of the UAE have become the most favorite for businesses who wants to organize international conferences for discussions on their businesses (“Tourists face jail”). Leisure tourists normally choose the UAE as the most favorite tourist destination since it has a beehive of activities and facilities that can be used for fun such as variety of wild animals in their zoos and also sporting activities like boat riding and water skiing and sand skiing.
In fact most sporting activities and majorly international sporting events are today largely directed to the middle east specifically the UAE and among the recent sporting events held are:- The Dubai Classic Golf tournament was fiercely and seriously contested, also polo and cricket competitions have been held. Such events have even boosted further on the tourism of the UAE since people get to see the environment and acclimatize with it during such events, they then yearn to even go back later as tourist (“Tourists face jail”).
Tourist and attraction sites in the UAE
Tourism as travel for leisure or recreational, business or adventure are of varied types and the most developed ones in the UAE are the cultural tourism and sports tourism apart from that of business which mothers all the above. The above types are mostly experienced in the below centers of the UAE.
The Abu Dhabi Cultural Centre is the major tourist destination, given its rapidly growing nature due to its convenient location like access to the rest of the world at large i.e. Europe, Africa, America and even Australia. It also provides a variety of attraction and recreation facilities. The long attractive coastal beaches like the Al Quwains also provide attractive sites to be visited, the waters of its shores are also warm and attracts swimmers (“Tourists face jail”). The UAE also harbors’ the largest aqua park, this has the tendency of attracting tourists in hundreds of thousands and even millions each year and contributes so much to the revenue from tourism in the UAE. Other attraction sites are the small and attractive towns like Kabla and also the harbors.
Reasons for Tourism in the UAE
The ragged landscape in the UAE does not provide any favorable platform for any other viable economic activity. Also the soils are majorly the white sandy which also doesn’t allow for agriculture as an economic activity and this leaves the country with business and tourism as the backbone to support the UAE economy. Tourism in the UAE was widely developed because of several reasons which include:-
Firstly, is due to the simple reason that is to generate the revenue that is used to support the operations and efficient running of the government, tourism and its activities are also undertaken to ensure the maintenance of the national heritage and culture given that its culture that define a generation. Tourism has therefore helped conserve the culture that defines the UAE (Mason, 2008).
Tourism was also started to foster national unity. The United Arab Emirates is made up of seven unit sub-countries that without something like tourism and tourism activities the whole of the emirate would have remained divided on line of conflict as well as the scramble of the few resources which would have made the small region of the earth become a war zone.
The most and major reason now is that tourism has now been used to attract business to the UAE. The conference halls most so of the flourishing buildings of Dubai provides for ample spaces for the rich merchant and business people to be holding their meetings and conferences including training sessions (Mason, 2008). They at times even end up spending their nights and even free time there. The merchants are attracted throughout the world given the central location of the UAE.
How to improve tourism in the UAE
Tourism as a major foreign as well as revenue earner in the UAE needs to even be developed further to even earn more in as much as its developed. The identified and developed areas like training of stakeholders most so those tasked with the responsibility of implementing or daily running operations should be even developed further. This can be done by frequently conducting such trainings and even intensifying the contents through research, invention of new ideas in the industry as well as being innovative and hence improvement (Mason, 2008). This would enhance efficiency in running of the businesses under tourism. Tourism is fragile industry and majorly demands creativity to thrive.
Communication and technology should be further improved and it should always be ensured that the most recent communication technologies are adopted immediately they are in the market. Communication through the social networking site should be vastly advocated for since through them one is able to reach a wide network of people hence effective tool for marketing the products.
Products differentiation should also be emphasized as much as possible. This ensures that a product which fits the consumer needs and preferences as well as a variety is always presented for the customers to ensure choice. This also would ensure that there is customer retention and hence maximized sales of products translating into higher revenues (Mason, 2008). Differentiation of products involves refurbishing the hotel rooms and conference hall facilities to meet the current trends and styles.
Differentiation will also mean that product exhibition events are always done in different and targeted countries as well as also providing incentives to the targeted consumers of the designed products. This aspect is also used for promoting the products hence an advertising tool (Mason, 2008). Pricing should also be done in a way that the prices set are neither too high nor too low to ensure that customers are not lost in the process. Customers are the determinants of any business and therefore should be taken care of as much as possible.
Conclusion
Tourism in the UAE is a very attractive and lucrative venture; it has also ensured that there is unity in the UAE, the development of business in various countries of the world as well as tourism has borrowed much from the United Arab Emirates case and therefore, more effort should even be further put to develop the industry further. This effort should even be made to even attract countries that have not developed interest in the UAE case to do so. This ensures that tourism in the UAE is even more successful.
References
International Journal of Hospitality Management, Volume 21, Issue, 2002, Denney G. Rutherford, William H. Samenfink.
Mason, P. (2008). Tourism impacts, planning and management. Southamptom: Heizberit Bookstores.
“Tourists face jail”. Dubai City Magazine. 2008.