The tourist season in the UAE is in full swing, and around you can only hear complaints that there are fewer tourists, hotels are not full, shopping centers are no longer the same influx of customers, and so on and so forth. Is everything so tragic as skeptics imagine it? We decided to ask the professional - the general director of Al Khalidiya Tourism company Sirak Muradyan.
Sirak Samvelovich, please describe the current season. Was he as unsuccessful as many businessmen predicted?
I can say that we also expected a significant decline in business, but it turned out the opposite. To our joy, business growth has occurred, and the main merit in this is the positive reaction of the CIS market.
Do tourists from the CIS again enjoy exploring the UAE coast?
We are very successfully selling all of our favorite Sharjah hotels, hotels in the Jumeirah district. In sales of hotel rooms, the company has very powerful volumes, takes the leading position, which pleases us, but sometimes upsets our competitors. And the reason lies in the fact that Al Khalidiah Tourism puts affordable low prices on the CIS market. And though we do not earn as much as we would like, but the company’s business is built on such friendly business support — I support my partners, they support me.
How is Al Khalidiah able to offer affordable prices?
Low prices are obtained due to the fact that our company has purchased many back-to-back system numbers, or warranty numbers, speaking the Russian language. This means rooms are redeemed for the entire season. For example, in Sharjah we have about 120 redeemed rooms in all beach hotels. If some of the purchased rooms are left uninhabited, the company pays the hotel forfeit. I risk this, but hotels are happy to give such contracts. In this scheme, everyone wins - hotels receive a guarantee that, in any case, the purchased rooms will be paid, and the tour operator always knows that he is provided with a certain quota of rooms. At the same time, the company receives an exclusive price, which is slightly lower than the usual standard price, which is why our prices differ from the prices of many operators and travel agencies working with these hotels. As for plans for the future, the most important thing that we are striving for is to be in the top five tour operators in the UAE. And we have very little left, we are already there!
In addition, after the award, you need to keep the brand, right?
We received our award from the Dubai Immigration Department, and of course, we will not lower the bar, on the contrary, our turnover is increasing, volumes are growing and work with Dubai hotels is developing at a good pace.
Almost everything that could be done in Sharjah was done, although this does not mean that we are ending our cooperation with Sharjah hotels. No, we remain faithful and devoted friends and business partners, but now we give good business to Dubai hotels.
Do you work with Dubai hotels on the same basis as with Sharjah hotels?
There have been a number of changes in our work. In particular, virtually all Jumeirah International hotels are excluded from our sales: Madinat Jumeirah, Jumeirah Beach, Emirates Towers, Bab Al Shams. The only exception is the iconic Burj Al Arab hotel, as we have a number of regular customers who, over the years, prefer to stay only at this hotel. We try our best to accommodate them in their favorite place of stay, because there is no alternative to the Burj Al Arab hotel yet.
Why did you stop working with the Jumeirah International chain?
Their leadership, in my opinion, chose a not very logical tactic: they selected 5-6 operators for work, who were given contracts since January 10, 2010, ignoring the rest of the tour operators and believing that this was enough for them. Perhaps they do not understand that we are really taking their customers away, which is rather short-sighted on their part in a crisis. When we receive reservations for hotels in Jumeirah Beach, Al Qasr or Mina A'Salam, we honestly respond that we do not currently work with these hotels and we do not have any room contracts for hotels in the Jumeirah chain. That is, if customers insist, we will find an opportunity to provide them with accommodation in these hotels, but since there are no contracts, there are no normal working conditions with these hotels, there will be no good favorable prices. Therefore, we offer interesting and worthy alternative options - Atlantis, The Palm hotels; One & Only Royal Mirage, Ritz Carlton - these are the elite hotels with which we have concluded mutually beneficial contracts.
Until recently, the One & Only Royal Mirage Hotel followed a policy of ignoring the Russian-speaking tourist market.
Yes, absolutely right. Unfortunately or fortunately, a crisis has occurred. This difficult period for many has proved that the market of the CIS countries remains the strongest today, even in all emirates, and it is on this market that many make very big bets.
And the One & Only Royal Mirage hotel nevertheless sacrificed principles by opening contracts for the CIS market. We received a contract with this hotel, and we are very grateful to his management for the opportunity to show how successful they made a bet.
Ahead of the opening of new hotels on the island of The Palm Jumeirah. What are your plans?
We, tour operators, are very pleased. Recently we attended the presentation of the new hotel at Palm Jumeirah - Moevenpick Royal Amwaj Resort. It will open in 5-6 months. Still, there will be a choice with whom, how and on what conditions to work. This is very important for operators. When some rights are infringed, pricing policy, restrictions on the number of rooms arise - a deficit is created, corruption flourishes, a black market forms, from which only the client suffers, because most tourists will pay for everything that is called a deficit. Therefore, the more hotels there are, the better and easier it will be for us to work. We will choose for ourselves strategic partners, strategic hotels, with whom we will go further, in a crisis or after a crisis. We will market these very hotels, advertise and sell them.
How is your business developing in Kazakhstan?
Our Kazakhstan office "Time to rest" works smoothly, dynamically and has an excellent perspective. Kazakhstan's wound is of interest in terms of active development and growth.
Perhaps for our readers you have some more good news?
I would like to convey to your readers that the demand for real estate in the UAE has increased again. Last year, we received 30 thousand tourists, this year we expect to increase the volume of tourist traffic, and among our guests there are clients who are interested in purchasing real estate in the Emirates. We provide this opportunity by introducing clients to realtors who successfully sell real estate to CIS citizens. Now, after a stagnant period, the sale of finished apartments, houses and villas has resumed. Unfinished buildings are not in demand, because there are doubts about the completion of construction. Therefore, we especially do not advertise them.
In other words, do you work with specific companies?
We signed a contract with a real estate company Leo Sterling. And most interestingly, as soon as the contract was signed, we immediately provided two serious customers who bought property in the Emirates literally this month.
What creative ideas will be implemented by you this year?
Unfortunately, the project "Our Russia" promised by us and long-awaited by our friends ceased to exist. There will be no more releases of this humorous series with the heroes we love. But the artists will carry out touring activities, about which negotiations are currently underway. Also, with a concert program, we want to invite the popular actor Dmitry Pevtsov to Dubai. Information on the dates of the performances of these artists, we will inform you in advance.
Well, it remains to wish you every success in such a diverse activity!
Thank! We will very carefully prepare for the next season, pay increased attention to the market of the CIS countries, as the best, stable and unparalleled in the world.
