Despite fledgling world economies because of a weak dollar, the development of tourism facilities in the Gulf is set to increase over the next few years. Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide has plans for a dozen new locations across the Middle East. Kip Horton, Starwood‘s Vice President of Sales for Europe, Africa and the Middle East, said Starwood will cater to a different kind of Middle Eastern travelers. “There's a whole new level to the Middle East, of people educated outside the region, forming the new middle class of the Middle East and they want to travel too,” he said. Previously, Horton said, a major factor to catering to the Middle Eastern market would have been hosting royal dignitaries at the hotel for an extended period of time. However now that has changed, a rising middle class in the Middle East has given Starwood a new section of the market to cater to. “It's not just about getting an Emir or a King to show up, we are here more and more for that middle class Middle Eastern customer,” Horton said. “Customers that want to take their daughters on a graduation trip to six countries in six days, hopefully that's who we're reaching out to and that's the market we appeal to.” Starwood has 48 hotels in the Middle East, ranging from Sheratons in Damascus to Meridien hotels in Dubai, with 16 new projects on the way. Nine of the 16 projects will be completed in 2010-2011 whereas the rest are to be completed in 2008-2009, with hotels opening in Qatar and Dubai. Both regions have the fastest growing economies in the Middle East, according to the Wall Street Journal web site. With new agreements allowing GCC citizens to travel freely from country to country within GCC states, the Kingdom's underdeveloped tourism market has seen rapid, sporadic development of different areas. Infrastructural development of natural landmarks such as the Wahbar crater outside of Jeddah and the recent re-development of public park areas within major cities have been part of plans by the Supreme Commission for Tourism (SCT) to develop a non-centralized tourism industry. The Supreme Commission for Tourism (SCT) recently issued courses to certify Saudi tour guides in order to provide experts in the field of tourist areas/landmarks. __
