Abu Dhabi in Club Med running
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Abu Dhabi in Club Med runningAbu Dhabi is ahead in the race to win the Middle East’s first Club Med resort.Although both Dubai and the UAE capital are in the running, the French resort operator is leaning towards Abu Dhabi because it has more available beachfront, according to reports in Abu Dhabi broadsheet The National.Club Med bosses also claim to be impressed with Abu Dhabi’s environmental policies and its tourism strategy, which focuses on preserving culture and nature.Club Med resorts were once the domain of young fun-loving Brits but following a re-brand, the operator now focuses on luxury family all-inclusive stays.”At the moment we are starting discussions with groups in Abu Dhabi and we are assessing some potential sites,” Club Med vice president of global development Gregory Lanter told The National.The company has previously turned down opportunities to bring its brand to Dubai, he said.”We have been offered some plots in Dubai,” Lanter explained. “Four years ago, we were offered something on the Palm, but we considered that it was too artificial for us, even though it’s a very nice product and attracts a lot of guests. It’s not what we want for our brand and for our guests.”Club Med signed an agreement last Monday with Oman’s Muriya Tourism Development company to open a luxury resort in Salalah, located on the south coast of Oman, which is expected to open by the end of 2012.”The first really good opportunity we had [in the region] was in Oman,” Lanter continued.”Oman is probably the country that fits best the spirit of Club Med, in the sense that we are looking for cultural aspects and natural settings.”We’re trying to avoid any artificial things. Our basis is people relationships - we like people of different cultures to be able to meet.”Club Med has 80 resorts in 40 countries and last year had 1.2 million customers holiday at its resorts.
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