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Synonymous with being a corporate destination, hopes for Kuwait as a meetings and incentives powerhouse rest on the implementation of a 20-year tourism master plan.
Kuwait is known as a predominantly business-traveller oriented destination, certainly not associated with a luxury incentive offering boasted by some of its Middle Eastern neighbours.
The meetings and conference industry primarily resides in Kuwait's hotels and in terms of the infrastructure provided to conduct meetings business, everything is in place.
But meetings industry professionals - including hotel management - generally feel that the lack of tourism outside of business circles is seriously restricting Kuwait's meetings offering - particularly in terms of incentive travel.
Many feel that Kuwait has a lot to offer the meetings and incentive industry, it just needs to develop its product, a view shared by PR and marketing manager for Marriott Kuwait City, Amal Mikahil.
"Kuwait has the ability to cater to all meeting requirements related to business. It has all the facilities that enable it to cater to large conferences too - we had the NATO conference last year," he explains.
"With regards to incentives, Kuwait is still in the beginning, we believe that Kuwait needs to continue to work on developing incentive requirements."
This opinion is endorsed by general manager of Mövenpick Hotel and Resort Al Bida'a, Gary Moran, who says, "Kuwait is starting to position itself as an inbound GCC business tourism destination with a strong emphasis on business traveller meetings and exhibitions".
Current figures suggest 15% of the inbound business to Kuwait is linked to the meetings and exhibition industry, however, Moran says "as for incentives, due to the country's restrictions, it is still a very new segment that needs developing".
And it would appear that the Kuwaiti Government is of a similar opinion.
"A 20-year tourism master plan is being developed by Kuwait in co-ordination with the World Tourism Organisation and United Nations Development Programme," Moran explains.
"It is to be implemented next year and will include major developments in the country's hotels and resorts."
Furthermore, changes in immigration and investment regulations and an increase in the number of meeting incentive travel packages will certainly go some way to address the issue.
As it stands
In the meantime, Kuwait's meetings market is predominantly local, with the majority of hotels stating 90% of their business is with Kuwaitis.
