For a different view, trip over to France

Sue Ryan

• Last Updated: July 30. 2009 5:35PM UAE / July 30. 2009 1:35PM GMT

If Provence in July is a good measure for taking the temperature of the tourism industry, I can report there is cause for celebration, not a major one perhaps, but enough to cheer us all up.

The only difference between this year and last is that it has been a test of nerve for hoteliers and travellers alike. One month ago, the lack of advance bookings was giving hoteliers the jitters, but on the other side of the coin, it meant that travellers were able to revel in a wealth of choice for last minute bookings.

Rene Beauchamp, the general manager of The Four Seasons Resort Provence at Terre Blanche, told me that occupancy rates were as high as ever, but that the pattern of bookings had changed radically. “Last month we were looking at a different picture, but our guests keep booking – often at only two or three days’ notice – even though it’s for two or three weeks.

I haven’t seen anything like this before. It seems people want to wait before deciding, but they feel they have worked hard and there is a sense of entitlement – they feel they deserve a holiday,” he said.

The story was similar everywhere, from two-star hotels in small towns to big city hotels. The south of France is the most matured of holiday markets and as I found it was as busy as ever to everyone’s relief.

The French government can take some credit for helping things along. Last month, it reduced the tax on food and drink from 19.5 per cent to 5.5 per cent and the cut seems to have worked as the restaurants were full.

And if anything reflected the robustness of the market, it was the car rental service at Nice airport. It took us longer to queue to pick up our pre-booked, pre-paid car than fly from London. We vowed never to use Europcar again after two-and-a-half hours of waiting was shrugged off as normal – but then, with all that custom, I don’t suppose they will miss us.

* * *

Moving from the anecdotal to the scientific: the destination that appears to be in real trouble is Muscat. Normally a notoriously expensive city, declining occupancy rates - perhaps partly due to the opening of the Shangri-La and Al Bustan Palace - has meant the amount hoteliers can charge for rooms has declined.

Occupancy rates in Oman’s capital city for June dropped by 31.3 per cent compared with the same time last year. Sixty per cent of its rooms were empty over the course of the month.

The monthly survey by STR Global, which are treated as gospel by industry insiders, shows that the hotel industry in the Middle East and Africa has, like everywhere else, posted a decline across all three indicators used by hoteliers to measure performance.

Across this region, in the first month of the holiday season, occupancy rates dropped year on year by 11.7 per cent to 59.6 per cent; the average daily rate of a room decreased by 2.8 per cent to US$138 (Dh506); and revenue per available room decreased by 14.2 per cent to $82 (Dh300).

Global comparisons put these numbers in a better light. Revenue per available room – the figure that really counts – even with a 14.2 per cent dip is still the lowest decrease compared with other regions across the world. Not surprisingly, Europe is faring the worst.

The success stories reflect the increasing popularity of three city destinations: Amman (up 15.6 per cent); Beirut (up 30.9 per cent); and Cape Town (up 14.2 per cent) when compared on the revenue per available room index, mainly driven by rate increases.

Dubai’s figures confirm everything we have said on these pages over the past few months. The average daily rate of a room has dropped by 22.4 per cent year on year to $166 (Dh610). But what will worry the local industry even more is that revenue per available room has declined by one third to $107 (Dh392).

* * *

Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) chose Royal Ascot to woo the UK market last weekend. Entertaining large groups from the tourist trade and travel press, the sponsorship of two horseraces was part of a strategic approach for what is seen as the Emirate’s most significant market. “We have 40,000 more rooms than this time last year and our two most significant markets are the UK and Germany, so we are here to get the message across,” a senior representative said. Fittingly, the winner of the Princess Margaret Abu Dhabi Stakes was a horse called Lady of the Desert.

* * *

Be careful not to bore people with tales about your holidays. That’s the message from travellers surveyed by www.iknowagreatplace.com. Apparently half of those questioned exaggerated holiday stories and a quarter lied to make their holidays sound more interesting.

Neither worked as two-thirds said they found listening to friends talking about their time off, dull. The website offers tips on how to make your trip sound more interesting, such as giving a slide show of 30 photos and working out whether you want your friends to be shocked, amused or intrigued. I have another suggestion: if it is not interesting, do not talk about it.

* * *

Etihad Airways continues to announce new routes. The latest – with the 2010 Fifa World Cup in mind – is the South African city of Cape Town, with flights commencing on Sept 30. It will operate via Etihad’s current daily Airbus A330 service to Johannesburg. That’s good news for the 40,000 South African expatriates living in the UAE as well as those seeking to holiday there.

* * *

If you have been won over by Al Maha, you might be tempted to go further afield this winter. Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa, Emirates’ first conservation-based resort outside Dubai, set in the Blue Mountains in Australia, is scheduled for a soft opening on Oct 1.

With some 1,620 hectares of land dedicated as a wildlife reserve and bordered by two prominent national parks, the Wolgan conservancy project hopes, like Al Maha, to secure a future for many of the region’s endangered species.

Built on the same conservation principles, using local materials, it has taken two years to remove invasive noxious plants. Grass has been seeded and 25,000 trees are being planted – 20,000 in the last two months with the assistance of 60 volunteers.

“In terms of wildlife diversity, we’re already starting to see the results of our efforts, with increases in the density and movement of wallabies and wallaroo populations into the valley,” says the general manager Joost Heymeijer.

sryan@thenational.ae