With year-round sunshine only a mid-haul flight away, it’s not surprising the Middle East is increasing in popularity.
From the glitz of Dubai, to the authenticity of Oman, there’s plenty to tempt the most demanding customers.
And with new destinations Syria and Lebanon coming on the scene, it’s time to sharpen up your expert knowledge.
Lisa Hillyard has spent 25 years in travel, and now works as a Travel Counsellor.
She regularly sells trips to the Middle East, and Travel Weekly picked her brains to get the best advice on how to sell this area.
Pick the right destination
The Middle East is diverse, so there’s something that will appeal to everyone.
Dubai, the daddy of the Emirates, has risen – literally – from the desert over the past 15 years. It tends to be a Marmite destination, inciting a love-it-or-loathe-it reaction.
“There’s an element who love Dubai, and I’m part of it,” Hillyard says. “I love what it’s trying to achieve, being biggest and best, and rolling everything into one destination. It appeals to those who love Sun City, Las Vegas and Disney.
“The glitzy hotels and gourmet restaurants appeal to discerning couples; the golf, skiing and desert activities to upmarket stag groups, while Wild Wadi water park, dolphin encounters at Atlantis, The Palm and kids’ clubs at most of the leading hotels, make it great for families.”
Abu Dhabi, another of the Emirates, is making a name for itself in the leisure market because of the huge tourism investment. The luxury hotels are already there, and a suite of cultural buildings (including an outpost of the Louvre) are being constructed, and are scheduled to open in 2011.
As well as desert adventures, visitors can go out of the city for sights more usually associated with sub-Saharan Africa. Sir Bani Yas island is a wildlife reserve where giraffe, cheetah, emu and antelope can be seen on game drives.
Oman is quickly emerging as a great destination for those searching for authentic Middle Eastern experiences. Cities such as Muscat and Nizwa are full of meticulously restored historic buildings, and safaris can be taken into the desert.
With 1,060 miles of coastline along the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, it’s a wonderful beach destination too. The diving is great, especially off the Daymaniyat islands, and at Musandam, a peninsula at the very north of the country.
“Muscat contrasts perfectly with Dubai – I went on a trip with Travel Counsellors and adored it,” Hillyard says. “It’s serene and respectful, and perfect for couples.
“Bahrain is where the boom in the Middle East really started, but it has been taken over by other destinations,” Hillyard says. “I’d sell it as a long weekend – you can take city tours, visit the border and see the causeway to Saudi Arabia, and take a trip around the Formula 1 circuit. Alcohol is available too.”
Israel offers a combination of Red Sea sun at the established resort of Eilat, and a range of cultural sights suitable for the escorted tour market. Jerusalem and other Holyland destinations, such as Bethlehem and Nazareth, are a pull for many.
Tel Aviv is an up-and-coming city with a party atmosphere, great beaches and the historic streets of Old Jaffa. Tourists can coat themselves in Dead Sea mud, or head into the Negev desert.
“However, don’t forget to warn customers that an Israel stamp in their passports can limit travel in other Middle Eastern countries,” Hillyard says. Advise customers to get the stamp on a separate piece of paper, rather than their passport, to avoid any future travel limitations.
Another great option for escorted tours is Jordan. “There are incredible places to see, like Petra,” Hillyard says. This rose-red city was carved into the mountains sometime around 100BC, and parts of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade were filmed here. There is also the crusader castle of Kerak, the Dead Sea and the mosaic city of Madaba, in the shadow of Mount Nebo, where Moses was allegedly buried.
Syria may not be the first destination that springs to mind, but operators such as Cox and Kings, Page and Moy, Longwood, and Imaginative Traveller are featuring it in their programmes.
It is packed with historical remains, including the Crac de Chevalier crusader castle, the oasis city of Palmyra and the city of Damascus, so it’s perfect for adventurous types who want to get off the tourist trail.
Lebanon provides a similar opportunity, with the Roman remains at Baalbeck and Tyre and the cosmopolitan city of Beirut waiting to be explored.
Suggest a twin break
Maximise your commission by twinning these breaks with destinations outside the Middle East for longer holidays. “I sell a lot of twin-centre honeymoons,” Hillyard says. “The Middle East mixes well with Indian Ocean destinations.”
Emirates connects Dubai to Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Mauritius, the Seychelles and South Africa, and Oman Air is launching new routes to Male and Colombo later this year.
Be aware of cultural differences
“Anyone travelling to the Middle East needs to be aware and respectful of cultures and traditions,” Hillyard advises. “Give clients solid information on where they’re going and the kind of etiquette that’s expected,” she says.
“Some of this seems like common sense,” Hillyard adds. “Behaviour that is acceptable in Ayia Napa or Faliraki is not in the Middle East. But don’t assume that people will understand – tell them.
“For example, in Oman, shorts and beachwear are acceptable by the pool, but elsewhere, women need tops with sleeves that cover their shoulders, and legs need to be covered to the knee.
In Dubai, alcohol is available only in the hotels, so if having a beer at lunchtime is going to make or break a trip, it’s something to think about.”
Legal issues
Anyone going to Dubai needs to be aware of the rules on prescribed drugs, as certain medications sold over the counter in the UK are illegal there, for instance codeine. It can be taken (in quantities necessary for the length of stay) if clients take a doctor’s note to prove it is prescribed.
“I spoke to the embassy before my mum went to Dubai, as she was prescribed codeine. She decided not to risk taking it with her,” Hillyard says.
A list of restricted medicines can be found on the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Health website.
