Tourism - MarcoPolis

Mohammad Khalfan Al Rumaithi, President of UAE Football Association The main limitation is the number of players and talents in UAE Football. Still the UAE is not like many countries around us. Many things have been changing: the kids do not play football like they used to do 30 or 35 years ago and UAE Football is therefore reducing its talent pool. When I was young we plaid football the whole day when we wouldn´t have school. But now it is rare to see kids playing football in the neighbourhood.

UAE Tourism and Culture Interviews

Sharjah Tourism, Cultural Tourism

May 7, 2008

Mohamed Ali Al Noman, Director General of Sharjah Commerce & Tourism Development Authority Sharjah is well known to be a dry state, hence the Sharjah Cultural Tourism.Having said that, it has nice entertainment developed for families and Culture Tourism. Sharjah tries to have a lot of cultural activities. For example, a while back, four months ago we had Sharjah Heritage Days which coincided with United Nations Culture Days. There is also Sharjah Theatre Days, Sharjah Book Fair, and more.

UAE Tourism and Culture Interviews

Dubai Tourism Destination

May 6, 2008

Khalid A. Bin Sulayem, Director General of Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing Dubai Tourism numbers are quite high but Dubai Tourism uses another indicator: the contribution of tourism in Dubai economy is around 30% including both direct and indirect factors. If you take the global contribution of tourism to the economy it’s 10%. In addition, Dubai has one of the highest occupancy rates in the world now. These are strong indicators, which encourage Dubai and people abroad to invest in this sector.

marcopolis UAE Tourism and Culture Interviews

Dubai Aviation Club, Premier Club in Dubai

April 1, 2008

Gerard Kearney, General Manager of Aviation Club Dubai Aviation Club is a mixing place, it’s a meeting place, people network in Dubai Aviation Club all the time. You know the old story: you go on the golf course and have business done there. We find the same thing here at the Dubai Aviation Club. Arguably the premier leisure facility of Dubai and undoubtedly one of its most popular venues. The Aviation Club has it all. Whether seeking a tranquil oasis to escape the bustle of the city, a state-of-the-art fitness and recreation centre, a lively and entertaining social hub, a myriad of dining options or a chance to relax in Dubai’s newest and most elegant spa, The Aviation Club Dubai always has you in mind.

UAE Tourism and Culture Interviews

Coral International Hotels

March 23, 2008

H.E. Sheikh Mohammed bin Faisal Al Qassimi, Chairman & CEO of Manafa & Vice-Chairman of Coral International Hotels, Resorts & Spas My company, Manafa, is a holding company for different investments, it has operations in hospitality – Coral International Hotels we have the HMH which is a hotel management company that manages Coral International Hotels that has 4 brands of varying standards. We have 10 different corporations around the UAE and we hope to expand that to 35 in the future which would add a lot to the tourism industry in Sharjah and the UAE.

UAE Tourism and Culture Interviews

Metropolitan Hotel, Habtoor Hotels

March 18, 2008

Janes Warwick, General Manager of Metropolitan – Habtoor Hotels Metropolitan Hotel brand recognition has come over the years, Metropolitan Hotel has over the years built it up. Actually, we just changed, we were known as the Metropolitan and now we’re Habtoor Hotels. With this change in times, we’ve changed our logo and our image. So we’ve gone from Metropolitan Hotels to Habtoor Hotels, our logo has changed, our vision has changed.

UAE Tourism and Culture Interviews

Monarch Dubai Hotel

March 16, 2008

Henning A. Fries, General Manager for The Monarch Dubai and Regional Director UAE for Refad Hotels & Resorts Well, our group has 14 different brands and the Monarch Dubai brand is the high end brand, it is a five star deluxe property. That speaks to a very different clientele than our other brands speak to. Monarch Dubai is a favourite destination for the influential people.

UAE Tourism and Culture Interviews

Fairmont Hotel Dubai, 5 Star Hotel in Dubai

March 13, 2008

Kamal Naamani, General Manager of Fairmont Dubai The future looks great for Fairmont Dubai and, because Fairmont Dubai has great opportunities and great ownership. We’re in a very strong position now and we’ll be even stronger in the future. Our expansion plans are aggressive, but as I said, for the right reasons and locations. The industry is very healthy now so we’re very confident.

UAE Tourism and Culture Interviews

Paris Sorbonne Abu Dhabi

March 12, 2008

Major General Omar Al Bitar, Vice President of Management Council of Paris Sorbonne Abu Dhabi We’ve decided that this motto is very suitable and applicable to the Sorbonne Abu Dhabi. The Sorbonne is a very ancient university, it is 750 years old, with a heritage and culture that is very rich. We are at a time where we need to encourage dialogue between nations, in accordance with the vision of His Highness the president and Sheikh Mohammed. Upon a visit of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, to France, they decided to boost the relations between France and the UAE, hence Sorbonne Abu Dhabi was born.

UAE Tourism and Culture Interviews

Hospitality Management Holding, Hotel and Tourism Organization in the UAE

March 11, 2008

Mohamed Elkahla, Director of Business Development of Hospitality Management Holding The Emirates is a growing market and has all the components for success: oil, trade, and UAE tourism. UAE Tourism is actually the largest sector now. It is growing and there is demand here in the geographical situation of the UAE; it is between the West and the East, which makes it very attractive, you know. If people are traveling from, let’s say, the Far East and Europe, Dubai in particular has become like a hub; it’s the capital for commerce, tourism, and trade.