ME game for sports tourism

The Middle East region has set the ball rolling with its various initiatives to encourage sports tourism in the region. Having invested billions of dollars in this sector, key players such as airlines, hotels and technology professionals have come forward to ensure continued business.

SHEHARA RIZLY

The Gulf’s tourism industry is a proactive supporter of the region’s sporting calendar. Airlines too have aligned their sponsorship investments – Emirates hosts the Rugby Sevens and Gulf Air sponsors the Bahrain Grand Prix, the first Formula One to be held in the Middle East. Saudi Airlines will now sponsor the Saudi football team in their efforts to secure a place in the 2018 World Cup. We can expect to see more announcements in 2017 in an effort to draw more international visitors to the region. Sport and tourism are a perfect fit. A passion for sport crosses languages, cultures and countries, and is definitely a great way to draw more visitors to our region, while supporting the local tourism industry.
Mamoun Hmedan, Managing Director – Middle East North Africa and India, Wego

As part of Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority’s goals of achieving one million visitors by the end of 2018, we have outlined some key segments which have proven promising over the recent years. One such sector is sports tourism, and we have worked to enhance Ras Al Khaimah’s offering, and through strategic partnerships brought a number of international tournaments to the emirate. Last year Ras Al Khaimah hosted the inaugural Ras Al Khaimah 2016 Golf Challenge, in addition to the debut of Dubai Tour Ras Al Khaimah Stage. Such events not only encourage larger visitor numbers, but also promote the destination for sports tourism on an international stage.
Matteo Prato, Director of Marketing and Promotions, Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority

Sport and sporting events play a major role in boosting tourism. We see thousands of people attend major events such as the Super Bowl, Dubai World Cup and other mega events around the globe and these attendance generate a great deal of revenue and help grow other tourism sectors, such as hospitality, as well as enhancing a destination’s image. At DUPLAYS, we are committed to building sustainable sporting events and contributing to the continued growth of participation sport in Dubai for years to come. We are constantly introducing concepts such as DUPLAYS 10 and the Golf Regional Masters.
Derv Rao, Co-founder, DUPLAYS

As a Destination Management Company, Miracle Adventure Tourism has been promoting sports tourism in the UAE in the past and are now being recognized as specialized agent for the sports industry. Continuing our sports reputation as a truly global ground handler for the game, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), in partnership with Cricket Australia, has secured the hosting rights for the prestigious 2017 World Indoor Cricket Federation (WICF) World Cup. The event will attract approximately 400 players and officials and will be held over seven days of competition from September 16-23, 2017, in Dubai’s newly renovated Insportz Club. This is a great opportunity for us to show the heritage, culture and modern city to our guest in promoting leisure, business, medical and sports tourism.
Nilanka Fernando, Managing Director, Miracle Adventures

The five-star Ghaya Grand Hotel is all set to host the cricketing legends and star players as Emirates Airline Twenty20 tournament kick-starts in Dubai. We are delighted to host the players and team officials for the tournament and we look forward to enjoying some top-quality cricket. Our vision is totally aligned with Sheikh Mohammad’s on growing sports tourism in Dubai and the current infrastructure offerings are a huge opportunity to drive the same. He sees Ghaya Grand as the sports destination by 2020 and working tirelessly towards achieving the same. Supporting sporting events like these is part of our strategy and this event provides us with the platform to engage with our customers directly.
Olwin Desouza, General Manager, Ghaya Grand Hotel