Tag Archives: culture

New research by PwC Middle East, in collaboration with Mabrian Technologies reveals that visitor preferences across the Gulf region are undergoing a fundamental shift. Arts and culture rank as the top visitor motivators across Qatar (28.5%), UAE (26.6%) and KSA (24.5%)Visitors are increasingly drawn to destinations that offer cultural meaning and emotional resonance. In response to these findings, PwC Middle East developed a strategic framework detailed in their latest report, Stay Play Shop: Shaping Integrated Destinations for Connected Visitor Experiences. The report presents a clear approach for destination development companies, tourism authorities, destination managers and operators across the Gulf Cooperation Council to accelerate the evolution of destination strategies. It advocates a shift away from static, asset-led development towards dynamic, visitor-centric ecosystems that drive longer stays, deeper engagement and increased economic impact. Nicolas Mayer, Destinations Consulting Lead Partner at PwC Middle East, said, “This thought leadership aims to reframe how we think about destination value by integrating visitor behaviour with the realities of destination planning and placemaking. Stay Play Shop is more than a slogan. It is a robust framework backed by visitor insights and evolving needs offering development companies a strategic framework to drive visitation spending and loyalty.” Building on this idea of redefining destination value, Philippe Najjar, Destinations Consulting Partner at PwC Middle East, added, “By embracing the Stay Play Shop model leaders can shape not just where people go but how deeply they connect and experience places. This goes beyond destination development to crafting generational legacies that fuel cultural pride visitor loyalty and sustained economic return.” Emphasising a crucial prerequisite for success, Sonia Huerta, Vice President Advisory at Mabrian Technologies, highlighted, “Public-private partnerships among Destination Management Office, hoteliers, …

Gulf Air’s Chief Operations Officer, Captain Qasim Ismaeel, met with Dato Sri Tiong King Sing, the Minister of Tourism, Arts, and Culture in Malaysia. During the meeting, the two sides discussed aviation and tourism cooperation, strengthened the ties between Malaysia and Gulf Air, and explored new avenues for collaboration in these sectors. They also identified strategies to boost passenger traffic between the two countries. The Minister of Tourism, Arts, and Culture of Malaysia, along with his accompanying delegation, then took a tour at Gulf Aviation Academy, the training arm of Gulf Air. During the tour, the visiting delegation was briefed on the latest flight simulators housed at the academy.

In his capacity as Ruler of Abu Dhabi, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, has issued a law establishing the Abu Dhabi Heritage Authority. The Abu Dhabi Heritage Authority will replace the Emirates Heritage Club and the Cultural Programs and Heritage Festivals Committee – Abu Dhabi. The Abu Dhabi Heritage Authority’s key roles and responsibilities include developing strategies to preserve Emirati heritage and traditions; promoting traditional and national identity values within society; documenting heritage practices; and conducting studies and research on literature and traditions, in line with Abu Dhabi’s strategy for cultural heritage. Furthermore, the authority will support, foster and document Nabati and classical Arabic poetry initiatives, and review historical studies and publications focusing on the oral history of the emirate, as well as its spoken dialects, in addition to poems and written, visual and audio mate­rials on the UAE and its leadership. The authority aims to raise awareness regarding the UAE’s traditions and heritage, and highlight national identity and traditional values to enhance community cohesion. The authority will also manage and organise festivals, exhibitions and heritage programmes inside and outside the emirate through coordination with relevant stakeholders.

In partnership with Architectural Heritage Society and IQPC the Cultural Tourism Middle East 2016 was held at Al Murooj Rotana. This brought together high level officials from the Tourism, Cultural Development & Antiquities, Heritage & Arts, Cultural Activities, and Architectural Heritage community to showcase their latest developments and discuss ideas and strategies to boost tourism through culture, heritage, arts and festivals. In the opening remarks by Yousuf Lootah, Executive Director, Dubai Tourism Development and Investments, stated that many initiatives are underway to establish Dubai as a cultural hub with the opening of the Dubai Opera and other culturally important and interesting programmes. In order to build towards making Dubai a cultural hub currently steps are being taken by Dubai Tourism to focus on sustainable tourism. Some of the key areas covered at the event included how the region is setting a foundation to support the expected doubling of tourist arrivals over the next few years in light of the economic downturn, The role cultural tourism play in economic  transformation in a mission to diversify economy, the needs to boost cultural and societal awareness, how the region could make use of their cultural assets to improve their tourism performance, and how  cultural tourism strengthens cultural understanding and perception of the Arab world.