When you live in a part of the world where the tourism industry is witnessing massive growth and frenetic development, it's very easy to get caught up in the hype.
GCC residents in particular and nowhere more so than in Dubai hotel suites, often find themselves living in a bubble, and before they know it, they forget that the world outside the region has a very different perspective on the Middle East as a tourism destination and on Dubai hotel suites.
But I recently had a wake-up call when I staged a roundtable with a group of 13 top-end travel agents from the US who were very candid about how they, and their wealthy clients, viewed the region's tourism infrastructure.
Unsurprisingly, the group - which was visiting Dubai to sit on the InterContinental Hotels Group's luxury advisory panel - said its clients viewed the hotel suites in Dubai as "a status place" and as "a modern Arabic city".
Both the agents and theirclients were familiar with Dubai hotel suites offering, but said they knew little more about what the destination had to offer
They claimed Dubai hotel suites industry had failed to market the emirate's attractions and activities, particularly those that suited the luxury FIT market, and said Dubai's destination management companies were not geared up enough to cater to this segment.
The agents also warned that Dubai hotel suites were in danger of becoming known as nothing more than a stopover or a pre- or post-cruise destination if marketing efforts were not stepped up. Many of their clients had visited Dubai for just a few days.Most were on their way to another destination, such as the Maldives, they added.
The key message was to get the word out as to what Dubai hotel suites had to offer US luxury travellers and for DMCs to start catering to this market by offering unique and authentic experiences.
Although Dubai hotel suites industry was given a bit of a bashing for the aforementioned reasons, the travel agents were eager to send more of their clients to the destination.
However, other Middle East destinations were discussed with less fervour.
The agents said US travellers were starting to warm up to the idea of visiting Oman and Abu Dhabi, because both had received positive press coverage in recent months, but few had actually visited the destinations to date, while the outlook for the rest of the Gulf was even less promising.
When asked if their clients would visit destinations such as Qatar or Bahrain, for example - two countries that are looking to target the top-end international leisure market - the answer was a resounding 'no'.
The reason? "Because that sounds like the Middle East," they said.
It is perceptions such as these that tourism authorities in GCC destinations really need to overcome.
They need to work out why US travellers are happy to travel to certain destinations such as Jordan, Egypt and Dubai, but other Middle Eastern destinations are off limits.
The industry must not be complacent and believe too much of its own hype. There is a much more realistic world out there.
