It is very likely that Abu Dhabi was the most successful golf destination in 2015 at the 2nd annual World Golf Awards. The country was able to reap 4 titles:
- World’s Best Golf Hotel 2015: St Regis Saadiyat Island Resort
- Abu Dhabi’s Best Golf Hotel 2015: St Regis Saadiyat Island Resort
- Middle East’s Best Golf Destination 2015: Abu Dhabi
- Abu Dhabi’s Best Golf Course: Saadiyat Beach Golf Club (managed by Troon; designed by Gary Player)
This was not the first successful year for the Saadiyat Beach Golf Club. In 2013, the golf club grew by 94%. St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort is adapting very well the latest technology trends in global tourism. According to the World Travel Market Global Trends Report, nearly 35% of bookings will be mobile oriented by 2018.
Their website is mobile friendly and in addition to this we can download their mobile application (iOS, Android) to book room, discover their services and the city as well. My recommendation is to start thinking about how could you utilize wearable electronics to improve customer experience.
Just think about how wearables can be useful in various areas: payment solutions, navigation at the resort (+golf course), extra information about the resort and the city etc. Wearables are likely to become mainstream in 2016. Shangri-La Hotels announced not so long time ago, the introduction of Samsung Gear VR headsets across all global sales offices.
The UAE’s unhidden objective is to become a year-round destination. In the first half of 2015, there were 17% more tourists (=1.98 million tourists) in Abu Dhabi. The average length of stay of these tourists was 2.89 nights. Revenue for hotel establishments rose 8% in H1 2015.
I think there is still room where to grow and improve as per the findings of IAGTO Golf Tourism Report 2013. The report found that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has the 9th largest growth potential (not so far behind Ireland and Scotland) and the 13th most important golf destination. UAE is the only country in IAGTO’s report from the Middle East.
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