With The Saudi’s endeavour to attract more foreign visitors in an attempt to open both the economy and the tourism industry to the world, the need to broaden the travel, tourism and hospitality industries was highlighted in the recently unveiled Vision 2030.
As such, tourism has become an integral part of the Saudi Vision 2030, which is aimed at reducing Saudi Arabia’s historic dependence on oil and diversifying the sources of income, and increasing the number of religious visitors to 30 million annually.
Such promising objectives open the door for huge opportunities for both local, regional and international operators who are keen to enter the Saudi market, and such interest will make more room for the competition which is working in favour of upgrading and elevating the level of hospitality services provided in the Kingdom.
More than 446,603 rooms in hotels and serviced apartments in 2015, and more than 47,000 rooms are expected to be added by 2020 according to a report by Alpen Capital. Saudi Arabia is boosting tourism by encouraging private investments, easing up visa issuing, undergoing tourism infrastructure development, and renovating local heritage and historical sites.
International hotel operators are keen to enter the Saudi market by adopting various operational models such as franchising and operation agreements with local hospitality companies. Local brands on the other hand, have proved their success in operating in the Saudi market as they have formulated the secret recipe for success, the ingredients being the local knowledge in the Saudi market; that gives local operators a competitive advantage against their international peers especially in delivering authentic Saudi hospitality services.
In this context Makarem, the award-winning Saudi brand created over 30 years ago, by Dur Hospitality, is exhibiting at ATM for the 7th consecutive year. Makarem’s participation in this leading international exhibition will contribute to boosting the brand’s leading position in the market.
Serving as an excellent networking platform, Makarem is looking forward to exploring the partnership opportunities with investors and other participating companies participating at the ATM, and to directly communicate with international visitors who are interested in travelling to Saudi Arabia for religious purposes, family visits, business or leisure purposes.
On the other hand, this year at ATM Makarem will showcase their operational experience in the Saudi Market, and promote their exclusive services that include Karam Club loyalty program, the religious concierge service and their 7 languages website that caters to visitors from all over the world.
Makarem Hotels are committed to applying the best international hospitality standards and upgrade the level of services they offer in the Kingdom, to meet their guests’ changing expectations. And to further enrich the Saudi market with more innovative services and experiences, Makarem is adhering to green practices and nurturing an eco-friendly culture in its hotels.