Economic Affairs Editor
The CEO of the Global Time Hotels Group, Mohamed Awadallah, stressed that the tourism sector in the Arab countries is witnessing a remarkable activity as a result of the availability of safety and quality of services, stressing that tourism is “do not get sick or die” as long as its basic ingredients exist.
He explained in his speech to “Al -Watan”, that the hotel occupancy rates reflect this prosperity, pointing out that Dubai hotels recorded a occupancy exceeding 85% since the beginning of the year, while the prices of residency in Cairo hotels exceeded their counterpart in Dubai, while no vacant rooms in Riyadh are currently not available.
Awadallah called for strengthening Arab cooperation in the tourism promotion by providing joint “bakeries” that include several countries such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and Bahrain, similar to successful experiences in Spain and Turkey, considering that organized tourism groups constitute a promising opportunity to attract more visitors.
He criticized the weak coordination between the aviation and tourism sectors in some countries, noting that the tourism promotion cannot succeed if the prices of national aviation are higher than foreign aviation, calling for the unification of institutional efforts under one umbrella, as happened in Egypt in the eighties of the last century.
He pointed to the success of the UAE in diversifying its tourist markets and reaching new destinations such as Latin America, calling on countries to build on success and not stop it.
On the performance of “Time”, Awadallah explained that the group runs 17 hotels in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, Morocco and Liberia, with new expansion plans in the Maldives, Tanzania, Asia and Africa, and seeks to enhance its presence in Europe and Russia.
He concluded by emphasizing the importance of investing in human resources and social responsibility, noting that “Time” is the only company in the Emirates that obtained an environmental sustainability certificate from the Dubai Chamber of Commerce for seven consecutive years.
