Introduction
To make a proper assessment for Kuwait’s community tourism industry, it is essential to understand clearly the thought of community tourism, which is a new concept in today’s tourism world. It can be explained as a motto that allows all criteria of the industry of tourism or a viewpoint via which tourism goods are serviced are formulated. In other words, community tourism emphasized new dimensions of associations between the host entity or nation and the tourists regarding the different natural beauties, domestic assets and skills as well as the native version of the community or the location.
Having such integration in terms of social and environmental sense, the strategic view of community tourism is achieving more and more popularity for deriving advantages to home communities and livings. Analyzing such aspects of community-related tourism, Kuwait as one of the well-known middle-east countries can be selected to implement that concept by demonstrating its history and heritage, natural resources, arts, cultural events and sites and other practical amenities. Further, the community tourism would not only be able to glorify the country’s natural attractions for economic enrichment but also emphasize its cultural flows, society empowerment and related sartorial development. Moreover, the term would meet several macro-level objectives of tourism culture like contribution in maintaining the natural assets including forests, cultural focal, water or monuments, involvement in domestic fiscal development by raising the portion of members, influencing to personal mobility as an optional factor.
Finally, to serve the visitor ecologically and collectively responsive item while the basic focus can be drawn upon local area, the success will depend on the accommodation of several critical analyses of processing. To keeping special caution on comparative advantage, it is essential to handle carefully the logistics and economic thoughts of domestic communities with purpose of generating profits rather than tendency to acquire benefits from number of integrated parties like government projects. for maintaining forestry, tourism, special zones, tourist authorization and movement, agro-sites and functionalities, trade and commerce, global rules and regulations, international monetary market, item boundaries etc. Thus, this new edge of tourism idea can promote the scopes at social points for local public who would prefer to take part in the local tourism industry of Kuwait as ranging from developing the accommodation and meal aspects in a pastoral homestead to generation of income-based tourism support of that zone.
Therefore, this managed tourism will consider the thoughts of traveling by comprising those areas like surroundings, older travel, special concern, research collection, ecologists, botanists, nature fans, individual tourists, home and abroad patrons etc. To the deeper concern, community-based tourism will consider the selected country’s eco, cultural, leisure, geographic, audacious, health, heritage, agriculture fields of tourism. Thus, this report would incorporate insights based on that kind of country, which would summarize various integral parts of general tourism industry involving accommodation, shopping, visiting historical and important sites including cultural learning, sports tourism, traveling comfort as vital elements of tourism products. With elaborated rating of those elements regarding their existence and consumption pattern in Kuwait along with a final assessment of marketing of those items for community prospect and welfare.
Country overview
Kuwait is an independent Arab Emirate located at coastal Gulf of Persia, which is surrounded by Saudi Arabia and Iraq consequently from the south, north and finally from west. The country name has been derived from a very small Arabic word as “fortress built close to water”. Having a total population of 3.1 million and landscape of 17818km, Kuwait is identified as a tiny country operated by a legitimate kingdom with parliamentary government module.
The country posses the biggest 5th reserve of oil as the 3rd topmost per capita income nation globally. Furthermore, in the year 2007, the Council of World Travel and Tourism Council had assumed a 15% escalation about Kuwaiti tourism that has the potential to produce $13.7 billion of worth for the community development of the country.
The total budget status of Jazeera Airways to the country’s aviation sector with its current declaration of Dubai as one of the major functional centers has been expected to gather more spectators to the nation. As a country of pearl and spice producers to the important global oil exporters, Kuwait has experienced several interesting modifications with its updated and cosmopolitan community participants along with the inherent heritage and civilizations.
Along with present tourists attraction centers, currently the Failaka Heritage community, which is being operated by Safir Hotels & Resorts, has the potential for emphasizing the overall tourism sector of Kuwait. Thus, the FIDP or Failaka Island Development Project will introduce 4000 cabins and chalets to that area using 12 hotels, a marine dock for accommodating about 300 boats.
Among some of the Kuwaiti exhibitors like Ibis Somlyay, Ibis Sharq, Mashaer Haj, Umra construction service, Switch software, Refad Hotels and Resorts, Hilton Resort etc. Safir is one of the most prominent participants of ATM 2007 for taking part at DICEC or Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Center.
With an optimistic occurrence of a 9% amplification of external visitors during the 1st 6 months of 2006, Kuwait can also be expected to visualize the RTE or Reed Travel Exhibitions as a symbol of high portion of tourism marketing. Enlightening the local economies, sartorial earnings and possibility for the creation of more employment opportunities, Kuwait occupies the likeability to beat approximately 350 expert travel traders from the zone for attending such events.
The country is generally completely residential by offering a bunch of attractive services and excitements for hosting the outsider visitors all around the year. Additionally, it serves the warm hospitality with its limited but effective hotel service. The presence of two major professional tourism service associations and touristy enterprises is facilitating the information accessibility of several tourists from different rules and regulatory issues to general news of lodging, visiting or meal.
Finally, with a glorious past of sophisticated culture and heritage, world-class shopping, modern transportation service and the warm, cordial, friendly and helpful collective nature act as influential catalysts for having a pleasant journey to Kuwait.
Application of community tourism in Kuwait context
Regarding Kuwait’s issue for implementing the scopes and strategies of community-oriented tourism, first it is essential to consider the local community that can be identified from the geographic standpoint as group of people habituating in the single locality. Thus, at a harmonized version, the local Kuwaiti group ought to be consulted and frequently informed for-
- The effect of tourism can be highly realized at the domestic target zones.
- Social inhabitants and recognition can contribute sufficiently to the hospitality environment of the country.
In this regard, Arnstein’s participation hierarchy will be appropriate as below-
In other words, the philosophy of community tourism can also be highly appreciated for building a strong tie between the country resources and proposed actions as the following diagram-
Some other implementation strategies and benefits are-
Optional view
It includes four possible criteria as below-
- Marketing and selling of existing tourism products to the present consumer groups for attracting more tourists’ like- individual travelers of other regions.
- The second option can find latest markets with visitors for the country’s present tourism items while customer base may evolve local visitors and tourists.
- The next option will introduce newer items like- cultural renovation in terms of local music, food or dance style to the present customers.
- The final dimension will mostly be risk-oriented as will emphasize developing newer items for newer customer segments like- promoting a historical site, which has merely been destroyed.
Ecotourism benefits
According to National community-based ecotourism development society has notified some strategies as below-
- Community system of Kuwait can get straight profit from ecotourism earning.
- Monetary and lawful mechanisms can assist, not restrict such development.
- Improvement of information channeling between the community segments with other social segments.
- Frequent chase of national market,
- Development of supportive organizations like hotels, restaurants, airlines or transportation industry of the country within some backward regions as the focal vision of active support as a whole.
A short evaluative measure can be placed to judge the community involvement effort in Kuwait context below-
All of those issues can be focused on through the following flow chart-
By this, local Kuwaiti will be able to contribute to bottom-up in short-ranged tourism for development of economic, public and political ties for environmental and psychographic issues of the region.
Assessing tourism products
The general tourism products regardless of any nation can be fallen down into basic three parts. Thus, the overall classification can be shown as follows-
Demand generators and supporters
The first criteria involve demand generators considering attractions, occasions or historical features regarding cultural versions, amusement and past time functions. Such components can further be grouped into two parts as below-
Primary demand generators
The primary demand motivator factors involve a number of individual items that are basic reasons for which people of different countries make a visit to other country or regain. In case of Kuwaiti community tourism, such factors as historical places, monuments, buildings, towers, graveyards, natural locations, scenarios, green sights, treks and trails, national parks, outsider recreational services including games and sports, museums, fairs, festivals, etc.
Kuwait posses a glorious past of approximately 400 years with a continuous flow of development and prosperity that would never be misplaced of the heritage. Furthermore, the country occupies many chronological, modern, eye- catching and notable tourist centers for serving everyone’s pure entertainment. Some of them are as below-
Museums
National museum. The national museum is situated in Kuwait city located on Arabian Gulf Street clearly stuck between the parliament house and Seif palace that has been designed by Michel Ecochard. In 1983, two buildings among four were constructed and the planetarium had been started on 16 February 1986.
This museum is considered as a mirror image of national dignity explaining the socio-cultural, monetary, religious and political lifestyle of the local population. Because of the nude and scorch by the invaders of Iraq, it is now placing the Dar Al-Ather Al-Islamiyah Al-Sabah album of Islamic sculpture, which is recognized as one of the most widespread accumulations taking into account from premature Islam to 18th century.
A versatile range of academic and fine-art activities involve in such collection while a single entails the vast and exclusive evaluation of history of Islam. Additionally, it has been structured with conventional mud house for showing the historical Kuwaiti lifestyle including all the symptoms like ancient Souk, ship construction and collection of pearl, ethnographic work of art as with archeological symbolism from excavations of Failaka island.
Al-Badr house. It is also known as Bayt Al-Badar, which is an early house situated later to Al-Sadu as formed between 1938 and 1948. During 1968, this historical architecture had been adjusted to antique museum for the showcase of ancient home culture while in 1976 this had been converted into a provisional adobe for the national museum. It is treated as an idol of aged Kuwaiti ritual embodied by the economic and community situation of the general society that can be admired with its better architectural and domestic foundational ingredients for keeping it in better strength over the periods.
Sadu house. All the ancestries of Kuwait are entangled with the combination of desert and sea while the Bedouins would like to leave a seasonal life. From that point of view, a conventional technique of vital essence was Sadu weaving which an arithmetical modeled hand is made of natural fiber. Spun, tinted and colored wool can be found in nomadic society as the innovator of this.
Scientific center of Kuwait. It is the biggest aquarium in the Middle East by the KFAS or Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of the Sciences in the projected year 2000. The basic three divisions of the center are:
- Aquarium where the spectators can on the ocean living and original habitants,
- Subversive routes high assortments of aquatic life.
- Living habitats of the shoreline areas and dessert of cape Arabia
Science club of Kuwait. It is located on the Ring Road- 6 that is being operated by a conglomerate of interested amateurs. It has posses a number of amenities along with the updated technical hardware and components involving with Aujiary observatory. Simply, it targets the objective of arranging a casual surrounding where enthusiasts regardless the age can be competent for practicing and renovating their scientific leisure pursuits.
Landmarks
Kuwait towers. It is one of the most popular landmarks of the country, which is located at Arabian Gulf Street on a peninsula to the east corner of the town in Dasman. The highest portion of the most giant tower that is merely 187 meters in height has a spinning observation spot along with an eatery with the accessorily of alacrity lifting. The lower portion turns around every 30 minutes serving the tourists with a charismatic view of the country. Here, the use of zoom lens cameras is strictly restricted. The central tower is a 147-meter high aquatic tank, on the other hand, the final tower pedals electricity in the city center, which is about 113 meters tall.
The liberation tower. It represents the liberty of Kuwait that indicates unforgotten symbol of the nation’s rebirth. It is positioned as the world’s 5th tall most telecommunication tower, which is located in Kuwait city. It had been instated by Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah as the newest Amir on 10 March 1996. Its structure is about 372 meters, which is merely 40 meters larger than the Eiffel tower that has been named according to the cosmopolitan partnership, which was responsible for the country’s freedom from 7 months Iraqi profession at Gulf war period. It has today become a logo of independent Kuwait.
The construction utilizes stoneware tiles from the top to the baseline to the foremost mezzanine phase that is merely 308 meters from the floor. The entire tower can be fazed into 3 operational criteria as community communication center, moving observation phase and eatery at 150 meters and lastly, neighboring plant and tool zone. It has 18 elevators for placing 21 travelers by each.
Mosques. Ras Salmiya mosque looks like a pyramid while Abdullah Al-Salem’s Fatima mosque is dignified symbol of recent Kuwaiti architecture. The grand mosque is a perfect sign of conventional Islamic fashions followed by latest technology responsible for maintaining the local and Islamic inscription.
Green island. It is a simulated island in the Arabian Gulf including a tower for tourists, aquatic channeled and children palace with tiny cascade bearing, other entertainment benefits, open Roman plays restaurants etc.
Entertainment resorts and parks. Some amusement parks offer playground for the children while some others contain active child charms for all the time. Some most common are:
- Al-Shaab Leisure Park. It offers various sports and rides for all along with wave and ice-skating rinks, pictures, theaters and small eateries.
- Hawally park. It is situated in Hawally as a fun point for delivering games, restaurants and bookshops.
- Aquapark. It is constituted of 74000 square meter areas.
- Entertainment city. It is the oldest and the biggest fun park located at Al-Dora in North Kuwait. It provides amusement services based on 3 themes- International, Arab, and Future world.
- Chalets. A type of holiday lodging that is rented in several areas like coastal southern portion of Kuwait.
- Messilah rural community of water. It is one of the most important pleasure points with its bamboo and fire-resistant constriction in Arabian Gulf.
- Sea clubs. Most of this kind of Kuwaiti club serves a bunch of services inclusively shorelines, tennis grounds, gyms, karate, inside and outside swimming lakes etc. Some sea clubs are Bida, Shaab; B’neid Al-Gar etc. are operated by KTEC mostly owned by government.
- Yacht club. Placed in Salmiya, it delivers boat trips, repair related activities, and year-based boat exhibition, contest and battle of speedboats with additional playing field for kids and conference hall.
- Zoological park. It is situated on Airport road in Omarrya covering 180000 square meters of zoo and park for accommodating different animals like reptiles, birds, giraffes, tigers etc.
- Musical fountain. It occupies 4th place over the world’s such criteria placed at Ring road- 1. It proposes exceptional and pleasant combination of glow and sound. Several cultural groups and children’s activities are served.
Kuwait natural islands
The country owns 9 natural islands which would be considered as interesting tourists spots described below.
- Warbah island. It consists of the farthest northern zone of the country with some tidal arroyos as well as tall wave covers like most other islands.
- Bubyan island. Its width is 30 kilometers and breadth – 40 kilometers covering total landscape of 1400 square kilometers as the biggest among all other natural islands. Its ground is plane, low down with deltaic sludge.
- Failaka island. It is bordered by various morph in sedimentary parts. It has approximately 5000 inhabitants having significant cultural activities for attracting outsider’s attention. Moreover, it contains many aspects of modern development attributes. By analyzing its past tourism experience, it can be visualized that prior to the Iraqi clash, tourists tended to visit here from Salmiyah through ferry vessels being passengers of many public transportation agencies for spending a past time. In its tourist’s compound, it is about 5 million square meters established at the southern corner of the island serving merely better quantity of pools, playfields and eating zones.
- Awhah island. It is situated to the south side of Failaka covering 0.25 square meters of crude sand along with a coral reef boundary.
- Kubbar island. It is of 0.75 square kilometers formulated by coral reefs, which naturally look very much beautiful and prolific.
- Miskan island. It is situated North West zone of Failaka with sheer shoreline to the east and mild beaches to the western part. It poses the potential to become a factor of visiting Kuwait because of many categories of turtles and birds in that spot.
- Oaruh island. It is famous for the reproduction place of turtles as well as birds situated at the southernmost corner of the sea.
- Umm An-Nami and Umm Al-Maradim island. The first one is sited at the west corner of As-Sulaibikhat Bay suitable for the living of biological functioning while the second one is situated at the eastern part of An-Nuwaisib which can be a significant visiting area for observing the migratory birds.
Diving of pearl. Today, yearly pearl diving celebration is occurring which can act as one of the major primary demand generators as a tourism product for deriving memories for the thrill to the visitors and hardship to the participant as a symbol of their older generations. Those occasions are compliment to people for devoting their lives to this thrill. New divers need to take huge preparation, training, sailing and adequate knowledge about the related instruments. Conventionally, boats or ships were made ready by coasting them to the sea for caulking splinters through fiber dipped in swindler oil.
Then, a handmade Noora tarnished above the hull upon the waterside. For this practice, the divers wear the same dress like past. The special wazar has put on with necessary T-shirts and swimsuit along with dieng, fotam and hajer as for creel for neck, clip for nose and toe security.
During the diving period, he or she is being protected with a rope bonded with ship. It has prepared to surface, grouping the rope that has always been managed by the assistant for pulling it after by the diver’s own self. Finally, this festival generally ends up with cultural dance and song presentation.
However, it has been treated as an incorporated social ritual for leaving wealthy traditional value for enjoying to the current generations. Pearl fishery is commonly known as ‘ghaus’ while the related workforces are called ‘ghawawis’. Currently, such custom is maintained and supported by HH of Kuwait Amir where at each session of June, community youths acknowledge about this through as an active role in annual festival for securing its existence.
- Yatching: Since Kuwait is admired as a heaven of sailors, there always exists a comfortable breeze. Little sailing boats to giant yachts are available and the Yacht club occupies 300 service cabins. Other clubs own marinas for arranging sailing functions like KUSA races covering Kuwait and Bahrain route.
- Diving: Here, scuba diving is popular mostly occurs on the island along with offshore reefs. General courses are PADI and SSAC where Al-Boom experts provide certificate by CMAS and NAUI for trip management.
- Water sports: Vessels and equipment are sold for longer amusement with available trading houses in Kuwait. Some popular items are windsurfing, speed boating, water and jet skiing on beach side.
- Island trips: A short boat journey to an island can be an enjoyable single-day memory bunching with picnic, swimming, fish-catching etc. by hiring a dhow.
- Fishing: Other than hamout and zubaidi, many types and sizes of fishes are available in different water areas of Kuwait.
At the same time, tourists can easily do fishing with strong extended casting bars from main bars and the last of piers through the utilization of normal rods, hooks, lines and rope baskets for grabbing fry from the water side with nets clutched by some people from the vessel by utilizing multi-fastener lines and trawls. Here, some specialized individuals can also use hand-made traditional instrument. Thus, in many shops in the country, both general and exclusive kinds of fishing traps and tackles can be found.
Sports tourism: Some sporting events including hand-gliding are restricted in Kuwait for the objective of ensuring national security. Other most popular sporting items are:
- Archery. Kuwait’s NAC or National Archery Center is located at the door of Hunting and Equestrian Club, which is the individual institution that can be used by any person of using the advantage in return for a so-called fee.
- Bowling. The country occupies four lanes for bowling at Hunting and Equestrian Club, Holiday Inn and Safir International Hotel and Siler Towers.
- Basketball. Basketball is one of the most preferred sporting items in Kuwait that is generally played majority of the sporting clubs. Here, Kuwait Sports Club, which arranges sports and games at their venue.
- Motor sports. Although after the independence, period has shown a limited fascination of car rallies because of the desert’s holding of few undisclosed weapons, the 6th Ring road. Science Club ACMA, Amateur Club and Motorbike Association organize races of drug each Thursday while races of bikes occur from May to October and car racing occurred throughout the year with an entry fees of KD1.
- Ice-skating. The reformulated local Ice Skating Rink has been established near the Shamiya gate, Ring road. It contains Olympic volume ground for skating along with an additional distribution center for selling skating wear and instruments. Operating a tiny café, tourists can visit this center from 9am to 9pm daily excluding Saturday.
- Equestrian games. The sophisticated Hunting and Equestrian Club is located at Ring road- 6. This club contains race trails, gymnasium and riding sections, swimming pool, a bowling ground, eatery, squash and tennis grounds and interior sporting ground.
Contributing demand generators
This includes such aspects, which are not basic causes for making a trip in Kuwait but can add special memories at that journey like transportation system or cultural aspects of the nation. All of those factors are examined below.
Transportation. Since Kuwait has somewhat extended transportation network of 2000 kilometers of roads highways and other communications for conducting all of the cities, the major mode of transportation can be mentioned as:
- Bus. KTC or Kuwait Transport Company directs the public bus transportation by delivering services to people against charges of 50 fills for intercity travel and 300 fills for outsider and longer travel regarding metropolitan zones while those buses maintain specific ways with air-conditioner, limited terminals and minimum fare of 150 fils.
- Taxis. Three forms of that service feature orange colored private service for waysides, definite routes for putting up traveler at a single time while carrier travelers for shifting from area to area. The final one involves radio-operated call-service that is generally used by corporations via phones. But the specialized taxi service to carry the tourists from airport to different other districts.
- Renting cars. Tourists can also conduct them on daily or monthly basis.
- Driving. It is merely easy for a foreigner to drive in Kuwait for the better-qualified highways along with English and Arabic traffic signals. System of left sided driving, travelers can use their global driving license for renting and driving. Such license will be legitimated up to the tourist’s entrance permission and will be insured by Al-Ahliah Insurance or Gulf Insurance Company at a monthly expense of KD 2. Also home license can also be valid by the traffic section of police with the preparation of residential visa along with an additional requirement of holding original country license by the accomplishment of some essential documents like license for driving, photographs, investigation letter from the employed company, tenancy agreement, proof of blood group and passport. Simultaneously, the KT club delivers tour documents and global certificate for listing and driving permission with the storage of route maps and motor trimmings.
- KPTC. Kuwait Public Transportation Company poses expertise in unit transport issues internal and external location of the nation that has been founded in 1962 by Amiri ruling. It delivers numerous services involving purchasing and selling of buses and other water vessels, foundation of transport-based industries, speculation and renting tasks. It holds moreover 400 buses for maintaining strong network inside all of the zones characterized by flexibility and 50% traveler discounts by the top emphasize specialization in generating service through the technically acknowledged professionals.
- Airways of Kuwait. It provides customized services to the clients with versatile tastes and needs as offering premium items for demanding first-in-class services and economy items for the value conscious customers for the purpose of linking Kuwait with GCC nations and others.
Cultural aspects. The cultural outlay of Kuwait incorporates food, singing, dancing, institutional effort, hospitality and overall behavioral pattern of the community that can be interesting catalysts of making a trip there. Such as:
- Artistic talents. Free Atelier has been established in the country in 1960 for generating technological and expert knowledge to the scholars and enthusiasts on the Arabian Gulf location. Other business global art galleries are placed at Salhiya and Salmiya zones. Thus, people who are keen on Arabic thoughts are operated by well-known Italian, Spanish or French performers like Calderon, Marian would discover such stores not only amazing but also worthy for getting charges for per order.
- Musical communities and plays. The most attractive and famous playing theaters can be observed at Shamiya, Kaifan and Dasma region of Kuwait. Beginning that sort of institutional journey in 1959, 1960 throughout the creation of some efficient theater parties including Arab theater as prominent one, this time dimension is proving that phase of quality and popularity of that. Players of Kuwait has been established in 1952 that is now modified enough to present 9/ 10 dramas, musical shows per session. Similarly, Kuwaiti singers and Kuwait Folk Club can also external gain with their efforts.
- NCCAL festival. The year wise Al-Qurain conventional festival has been recognized as a great moderator in the Arabic center for academic for the last 15 years including cultural as well as creative achievement since it calls many individuals related to those valuable fields simply enlisting melodious events, demonstrations, symposiums, theater plays, creative workshops and trips to the national heritages.
- Hospitality. In Kuwait, visitors are attained with great cordiality as a graceful host with an expectation of similar mannerism from the guests.
- Greetings. It is an interesting tradition of Kuwaitis to greet by hand shaking with kisses in cheeks regulated for male and female by asking questions regarding other’s health, work life or kith and kin for deliberating intimacy.
- Tea. It is common form of entertaining any guest at home, office or other places with a cup of tea or coffee like black and green tea, chai, lemon or peppermint.
- Food. It is the impartial part of Kuwaiti culture. Machboos is one of them made by chicken, mutton and fish as a mixture placed in higher amount that is a very popular item of offering guests for sharing the food. Kasba is another popular rice dishes in Kuwait while its another name is Majboos composed of various ingredients like rice, spices, vegetables and fleshes. Mandi is an ancient dish of historical Kuwait named as Haneeth made by basmati rice, chicken or red meat with spices commonly served at wedding ceremony while Arab cuisine is a traditional food item for the entire Arabic world.
- Music and dances. Ardha is one kind of folkloric dance carried out by the tribal Bedouins in Persian Gulf that was historically been performed prior to going to the war. Today, it is done for festivals like Jenadriyah. Sawt is a form of music mixed town music performed as “Zaffan” and “Samra”. Finally, Fijiri is a voiced music basically, performed by the pearl divers.
Demand supporters
Accommodation: A number of qualified hotels in Kuwait can serve the purpose of better lodging.
- JW Marriot Hotel. Established in the central Kuwait city, it is communicated with Salhia shopping center and other business corners with adequate benefits of 5-star deluxe cabins, well-furnished suites and bathrooms, 5 restaurants with global cuisine, Elite health Club, insider swimming pool, gymnasium, 29 successive nights discount offer also applicable on meal, drinks and laundry. General amenities enlist costs free parking, lift, elevators, home service for disabled, smoke-free zone, A/C, internet access, free Wi-Fi LAN, etc.
- Le Meridien Hotel. Being a 4-star hotel, it is located at Dasman having 67 suits and cabins with Gulf scenario, 4 eateries and café for delivering sea and Japanese items. Fishing, golfing and riding on horse, check out and in, baggage storage, rental service, shuttling airport, newspapers, pets accommodation, porch, exchange of currency, commercial center, child sitting, room breakfast, cleaning, room breakfast, conference facility, beauty store, iron facility, Sauna and other types of general services.
- The Palm Beach Hotel and Spa. It has 25000 m of land of gardens with 124 rooms, ATM and other general services.
- Plaza Athenee Hotel. It is a deluxe and comfortable accommodation center with 63 rooms, security deposit carton, plan hotel, massage, Jacuzzi along with other mentioned services.
- Safir Internationals. Recognized by the Amiri ruling with local trading companies, it delivers many essential attractive efforts.
- Four Points by Sheraton Kuwaiti. Located at trading and financial heart, it has 160 berths with metropolitan skyline, HP internet facility, DVD or CD, Assef restaurant, closure to Arabian Gulf, airport transportation for entrance and departure time etc.
- Holiday Inn Downtown Kuwait.Situated in capital city, it occupies 169 tourist rooms with 24 floors, Lebanese department together with shisha inside the hotel’s Laylaki café.
- Sheraton Hotel and Tower. It contains merely 300 guest rooms.
- Movenpick Hotel. Located at Shuwaikh FTZ it can be featured with 100 cabins with a closure to the airport.
- Others. Radisson SAS, Le Meridian Tower Hotel and other small lodges.
Restaurants. Kuwait delivers a natural broad-based experience by the eastern and western astute palate. Dining service ranges from McDonald’s burgers to Iranian and Lebanese dishes. The broadly categorized restaurants present Chinese, Indian, Mexican and more than 100 cultural meals available at luxury hotels to small eatery. Here, liquor is prohibited while Turkish coffee is the most popular beverage. Many local shops offer frozen, canned and sealed goods with fresh fruits, meats and vegetables available at Fahaheel and Shuwaikh.
Shopping. Kuwait has adequate number of shopping centers and malls of which mostly are directed by co-operative ownership that is started early in the morning and continue till late at night for selling foods and other necessary goods which are somewhat subsidized or at regulated price.
Private supermarkets run for the day-long with furniture, toys, apparel, fragrances and other deliveries with possibly higher price than the co-operatives. Some famous ones are Salhiya plaza, Zahra complex, Laila Galeria, Hawally’s Al-Othman complex with other shopping avenues known as souks at major districts for serving not only shopping items but also eye care centers, tourism centers, amusement parks of kids.
- Gold souks. Those souks are popular in Kuwait for selling and buying golds in vital shopping corners of the country while the jeweler designs are mostly Indian as most popular in the country, Arabic and Italian ranging from 18 to 22 carat.
- Conventional open air and holiday market. Besides the modern markets, several conventional markets are still booming. It encompasses capital city’s labyrinths of closed roads and footpaths inline slams and stores while each is expert in some definite criteria like apparel, hardware or spices. Ladies selling can also be seen at Souk Al-Hareem with attractive chip shopping motivated by strong bargaining. Traditional open markets can be found in Jahra and Fahaheel with a coming initiative reformulation and redesigned. Friday markets stand up from morning till evening with old furniture, mats, antiques, and livestock at Al-Raj in the same cities.
Infrastructure. It is composed of the country’s multi-phased highways, worldwide airline communication are rising significantly with modern buildings, houses and other infrastructural structures. At Safat, major university compound and another larger port exist. On the other side, Salmiya is the major residential area with a huge cosmopolitan mix although the overall situation is not as better as many other GCC countries. Because of this reason, the local government had incurred huge amounts of dollars for the development of roadway schemes during the year 2003.
Recently, telecom sector has improved significantly, capital city can accomplish up to 12 top class resorts and lodges. Its IMMS or Infrastructure Management Maintenance System ignores oil-worthy nation’s structural development while about 47% of the total earning of Kuwait comes from its energy division.
Human resources
This segment generally involves the mentionable and contributive community groups at present and past as Bedouin, Diwaniya, Falconary, etc. A short overview of such community participants is presented below.
- Diwaniya: It is the common trait of all Kuwaiti while the original word is dewans that were the workplace of Amir for meeting their subordinates, understanding their troubles and so on. Presently, it is the assembling place of people where all kinds of topics have been discussed that is a social way of being close to the relatives through the transformation of thoughts that generally takes place outside of the original home as a merely larger part of this surrounded by family atmosphere.
- The Bedouin: This segment of society was well-known for their attendance, respect, conceit, bravery and patience with an extraordinary image with their camels, goats, lambs, restricted enlarged larger family and honorable tribal commitments. Their lifestyle seems to be interesting for any new comer who can observe their black tents, stock of meet by the holding livestock, ‘sadu’ activities as one of their potential source of earning. Today, modern the Bedouins have adopted many elements of modern culture with the government’s support of enhancing their educational and expertise preparation through retaining their origin and heritage.
- Falconry: It is a fundamental aspect of dessert living which has two subgroups including Peregrine and Sakar while the untamed groups prepare for tracking and hunting for migrating in autumn at the beginning of November and the untamed groups perform both dessert supplementary cultivation and hunting where tourists can obtain greater excitement.
- General community traits: Other than tribes or the specialty groups, the general Kuwaiti community poses some specific characteristics that are influential factors to develop a successful community tourism market. The country combined with cordial entertainment and hospitality, manner of a warm welcome, offering tea or coffee as an integral part of hospitality along with celebration of different social and cultural events with their individual system of attendance and dishes.
Differential advantages
After analyzing all the inventories of the divisional Kuwait tourism market, it is tactical to find out the reasons why people tend to make a trip in Kuwait among various established and enriched tourism centers around the world with an additional assessment of development of alternative options from many of those sectors. These can be examined by the following discussion.
- The collection of National museum is an exclusive evidence of the nation’s geocentric and historic changes, which will give the spectators a memorable visionary to the reference record house, artifact as well as presentation of Hadeeth ad-Dar while the spectators can seize a touch of the past, traits and rituals.
- Al-Badr house represents exceptional albums of domestic handicrafts.
- Visiting of sadu house will generate experience of accustomed to traditional weaving and geometrically designed clothing.
- The Scientific Center is special since its discovery zone permits the children of blazing of extra energy for creating logical examinations as well as the theater of IMAX for offering various 2D and 3D cinemas.
- Visitors will be vigorously delighted of visiting the Liberation tower as it is ranked as the 5th longest telecom tower globally which is merely 40 meters higher compared to Eiffel tower.
- The Kuwaiti Aqua Park is notable as it incorporates several aquatic rides for both aged and children sections with swift escalation of water. Apart from this, it is especially dedicated for only women each Tuesday.
- At Messilah Water Village, spectators can get pleasure from Ethmedo Volcano, aquatic theaters and water slopes as the first initiator in Kuwait.
- Regarding chalets, Khiran resort offers bundle of advantages involving studio compounds, 240- berth complete serviced water vessel, yatch center, pools, superstore, coffee houses etc.
- Every Kuwaiti sea club provides extra time for children and women segments like Ras Al-Ardh.
- The foreigners would feel comfort by visiting some Kuwaiti theater houses since those show high graded dramas, songs and pantomime in English language.
- In relation to the global sea pollution, the country around seas is reasonably fresh while marine lives can flourish easily.
- The island trip can be exceptionally memorable by making a short excursion or family trip with a hired dhow with relatively small amount of KD.
- Here, the ice-skaters can enjoy Olympic range skating ground with special rink for females and children, training facility along with other functional facilities.
- Kuwait shopping souks and open markets are also distinctive with their own heritage value and characteristics of purchasing traditional apparels, antiques, ornaments etc.
- Regarding the food culture, Kuwait has word wide fame for preparing different kinds of cooked fish and crustaceans because of perfect season and reasoning of price. Several other local dishes also act as influential variables for drawing tourist attention towards the country including matchbooks, mandi, kabsa etc. while Kabsa is mostly preferred for its wide range of tasty ingredients like cloves, cardamom, black olive and pepper, nutmeg, bay plants, camel, beef, lamb, poultry or mutton fleshes, shrimp and rice etc.
- The NCCAL festival discloses artistic works as with museum on marine heritage where distinguished parties show the historical overview of the nation linking with the sea. The placement of theater shows often developed upon the concept of architectural design and logical values.
- The Ardha dance is of higher value to the new spectators since it represents the ancient Bedouin cultural values. Although it has been performed during wartime in the past, today it is widely appreciated for festival issues for making a local charm. However, tourists will find that men are the special performer of such dancing by using bamboos, swords through the accomplishment of beats and speeches.
- Sowt or Sawt music is special attraction of Kuwaiti culture, which is performed through an accomplishment of mirwas and ud.
- The traditional pearl diving song named Fijiri can be enjoyed by the visitors for its traditional background and style.
- Failaka Island is one of the most eye-catching tourist corners of the state since it represents the earliest stone aged history via glorified 17th century to the present achievements.
- Umn Al-Naml Island occupies unique image for the discovery of a large collection of Islamic anthropology and architecturally valued items. On the other hand, Qaruh and Kubbar are situated at the south corner of Gulf having the possibility of gaining visitor’s interest in sea bird watching.
- Since the existing infrastructure of the country has not reached the point to compete with international competitive level, such advantage can be resolved because the combined effort of private and public sectors are going to develop such criteria through an extension of international airport through new agreement.
- Along with providing the general services, Kuwaiti deluxe hotels are resorts that provide exclusively some of the customized services at a large extent for which any tourist would be intended to be accommodated in such lodging zones. For example, extended IT and technological services involve room laptop with Wireless or Wi-Fi LAN as well as general internet surfing, instant ATM or currency mechanism, recreation and leisure services orient high class restaurant, adjacent shopping malls, hot and cold water swimming tub, service center, instant barer and beauty consultancy, gymnastic practice and so one.
- Kuwait is exceptionally famous for holding upon its cultural values by emphasizing many of its historical practices including oysters of pearl collection that can be learned as worthy folklore of the country that has been remained unchanged for more than hundred years.
- Visitors can get fresh fun by observing the country’s distinctive ship construction where dhows. Those are gigantic vessels made of wood with a great specialty. In this period of fabulous tankers, dhows construction is a careful art with extra patronization.
- Finally, the finest differential advantage of Kuwait’s tourism industry can deeply be realized with its community relationships, that is, different cast of social being considering Bedouin, Falcon or general Kuwaiti trends, attitudes, rituals and behavior can create high degree of differentiation for outsider guests of the country.
- Completion of matrix:
- The overall tourism products can be enlisted with their subtitles for the purpose of rating them in order to complete the required matrix as-
Distinctiveness matrix
Quality matrix
Infrastructure matrix
Motivator matrix
Capacity matrix
Other considerations
SWOT analysis
After tabulating the inventories because of perceptual rating, the entire situation can be evaluated now. It can be better done through a SWOT analysis. SWOT is placed for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats as shown below.
Strengths
Some strong points are:
- Promotion of traveling and commercial investment in 2004 has been resulted in diversification marketing in the local economy for generating more capital and service opportunities for local people.
- The FDI acts as other major catalysts for patronizing tourism industry with an extra scope of 100% free ownership to the outsider groups within this industry for generating more and more transportation, eatery and lodging support.
- Quality, distinctiveness and motivation are highly appreciated for demand generator factors because of many reasons. One of the prominent is government active support to the artistic intellectuals for the vision of higher education and artwork assistance.
- Cultural proliferation is being created at a higher rate because of large variety of imported commodities traded in both co-operative and private markets that can ascertain the volume of predicted sales by considering all sorts of customer segments with expertise and branded organizations.
- Enlargement of marine functioning performed by an expert marine company with the national reconstruction of Failaka project has increased its tourist attractiveness as a commercial, multi- viewed island.
- Transportation services have scored well for their motto of developing strong ties with the domestic society and vendors.
- The higher economic growth and per capita GDP make various tourism inventories available to the large extent of local community.
Weaknesses
Despite having many stronger issues, the industry also poses some weak aspects:
- Some restrictive policies and laws are creating hindrance to the smooth pave of global tourism.
- Geographically, the country is smaller than many other GCC nations which somewhat restricts it from gaining full competitive advantage in cultural and geographic sectors.
- Among the sports-tourism variables, car rallies are not re-founded at an original speed because of the risk possibility of some undisclosed weapons in some of the desserts.
Opportunities
The home country’s tourism industry poses a large number of optimistic view since the sector earns about $4999 million in 2006-07 fiscal year with an annual growth rate of 3.7% and average contribution of 7.3% in the economy, some potential opportunities regarding this can be shown as:
- Administrative support for the improvement of existing fleet for meeting the rising demand,
- Government attempt for building sophisticated local tourism plan.
- Steps for reformulation of rigid rules and regulation for huge investment regarding the plan for 20 new lodgings has established with adequate package subsidy, furnishing offshore lands, recent trading and open zones for polishing the country’s destination positioning. Moreover, Failaka Island is becoming the most significant natural site of Kuwait for the investment of $3.3 billion with a prior expertise of 115 concerned companies.
- According to Kuwait’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry, this sector is predicted to guide a dependence of more than 20 neighboring companies in Arabian tourism market 2009.
Threats
Some threatening factors are:
- Over modernization, can be a focal issue for structural change of many ancient communities.
- Approximately 79% of nationalists go outsider for spending their leisure, which would significantly reduce the portion of total revenue.
- Existence of over-rules and formalities would be liable for decreeing flexible minded spectators.
Conclusion
After getting a proper list for assessing the Kuwait tourism inventory, it is logical to go through the marketing assessment of that. This may start from selecting target customer segments as can be referred to local population of regardless all aged individuals ready to enjoy different patterns of fun and excitement according to their choice.
For example, youths would mostly prefer to have a trip of sports tourism, artifacts, island picnic, boating or fishing while mid-aged group would prefer mostly enjoying through shopping, visiting theaters, or just simply spending their time by good accommodation at hotel suits. Old-aged personnel are generally most interested in historical aspects, heritage and dining experience.
However, it is essential to prepare individual pricing, distribution and promotional strategies for attracting each group of potential national and domestic visitors. For further clarification, a listing of market-related SWOT factors along with positioning map and BCG growth trend in a matrix would be most helpful for the proper visualization of the overall Kuwait tourism industry from expansion to distribution.
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