Mon 2 May 2005
Like I said in the previous post, I have been traveling ALOT recently! And im talking about those annoying one day overnight trips, which really are not much fun at all. Anyway, I went to Doha on Friday, and came back on Sunday after missing my Saturday flight bcz of a stupid accident on the way to airport that delayed everyone at least 30 mins bcz of traffic!
So anyway, in Doha, I stayed at the Sheraton. It is a pretty old hotel, around 25 years old or something. It was actually very comfortable, highspeed WiFi connection in rooms, great working area with fax and all that, and so on. The view from the room was very nice, looking down to the swimming pool and the beach area. This hotel would be considered the 3rd or even 4th best hotel in Qatar. I am very sad to announce that the 4th best hotel in Doha is better than our best hotel here in Kuwait.
How the hell do we want tourism to flourish when we dont even have the basic facilities for tourists?! What would you consider the best hotel here in Kuwait? For tourism I would argue that the Hilton is the best, not because of how good it is, but because its the only one available!!
Wallaaaa ya jima3a inna Doha was boring, there was absolutely nothing to do! We have sooo much more here in Kuwait, but for some reason there is no attention whatsoever at the potential this country has! We have culture, we have ancient history, we have modern history, we have great beaches, we have beautiful camping areas, we have museums and art galleries, we have good shopping, we have…we have…we have…but we dont have any vision!
I have a friend who tried to come to Kuwait 4 times in the past 2 years and she was never allowed or given a visa…why? Bcz she’s a female under 25!? Last month, a client was coming from Dubai for a meeting and going back, he wasnt allowed to get in the country bcz his South African passport isnt good enough to give him a visa while the other people from his company came…and so on! Many examples of shit management we have here!
Countries beg people and spend millions promoting themselves for others as a destination, and we think we’re God’s gift to earth, and that its a privilage to come in, so we might not even consider you?!
I know we discussed this tourism issue in this post, but it still pisses me off when I see how far behind we are when we have the potential to become leaders!!
The question I was asked most by people I met in Doha was “What do you think the reason is for Kuwait’s decline since the 60s & 70s?”
Walla galby ita3assar 3ala hal deera willy gaa3id isawoona feeha!
17 Responses to “Back from Doha!”
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May 2nd, 2005 at 6:52 pm
We got greedy and not that good greed.
The greed we had is Hassad. People were making money, and being powerful and others wanted the same but didn’t have the drive or ambition to do it honestly so they lied, cheat etc.
We need to have the greed to achive as a whole, not as individuals. And when someone achives something great say Hamdil Allah for that person also generates wealth for Kuwait.
May 2nd, 2005 at 7:43 pm
tourists want alcohol and freedom to enjoy the beach without being heckled by teenage perverts and 3agad..
and to tell you the truth, if i was partly involved for expanding the journalism issue in kuwait, i would be for the permiting alcohol to be sold here..
i mean, in the 70s we had discos and bars and ABBA even had a concert held in Al 7amra cenima (which by the way, is-has-will be demolished).. as far as i know, there werent major problems in society.. sure kuwaitis drank but they were very few.. as many as the ones who currently drink at home i think..
there were more tourists then than we have now obviously, and like Q said, we have A LOT of potential to be just as successful as Dubai is.. that helicopter pad/tennis court that was high up in the air was BRILLIANT!
May 2nd, 2005 at 8:35 pm
Q,
You forgot the Meridian! You look out the window and you see a cemetary in which a7mad Aljaber was buried in. C’mon you can’t find that in Doha or Dubai!
Failaka would be a beautiful Island if it were developed well. You’ve got some history in it, great space, not too far from mainland, and well, it’s an island. Few years ago I went there just for fun, and it looked like a ghost island! The most promising tourist attraction there was baqalat el 7abayeb.
Galba matrooosa.
You know what’s really developing now? South Kuwait. Abu7laifa and F7ai7eel. Lots of resorts being developed there along the coast. Hopefully it’ll reduce the pressure on Kuwait City.
May 2nd, 2005 at 9:00 pm
As long as you have reactionary MPs beamed in from the 14th century, and the idiots who vote for them… you can kiss your dreams of tourism goodbye!
May 2nd, 2005 at 9:02 pm
Btw, ABBA never made it to Kuwait. There was a huge buzz about them coming but it never materialized because there wasn’t a suitable venue.. NOT because it was against 3adatna w taqaleedna
May 3rd, 2005 at 5:58 am
yes they did!! my parents went!
May 3rd, 2005 at 10:31 am
snooke , your parents parents ( your grandfathers ) made them think they went to abba , no problem , everyone parents had to do something like that for time to time
oh and Q , u enjoyed Qatar ? they are building like crazy there now ,but most of it seem without reason , i mean come on who would want to go there ? yet they are building around 7 hotels and they had 4 new in the last 2 years
while they did fine with 3 pre 1995
May 3rd, 2005 at 10:51 am
forza, thats very true! They really are building alot of hotels and stuff that seems just too much, although I wish we could do 10% of that because we need these facilities more than they do!
Also, I found out that there is something weird about their buildings….apparently the government doesnt build anything, they buy private buildings, ya3ny as a private sector, all you have to do is build a decent building and the government will buy it from you to use it!! Ya3ny there are many buildings old and new but very few of them are actually used as offices and businesses, it really doesnt make much sense!
May 3rd, 2005 at 11:04 am
our decline since the 60s and 70s is because of the influx of unwanted cattle from across the borders and are running the country. Oh and Snookie, tourists don’t necessarily want alcohol and clubs and bars to enjoy their stay. Take Iran for instance, alot of tourists go to iran because of it’s historical significance and the amount of archaeological sights available there. (the tourists who go there want to experience the culture more than drinking booz all night, which they can do back home). The same goes to Kuwait, if there is no alcohol, no clubs and no bars, and ALOT of archaeological sights buried underground just dig them and renovate them rather than build a city over it like in sabbiya or that heritage village in Kwuait City. Why in the world would someone want to build a disney-style heritage village if the real old village is buried underneath? The cattle that’s running the country should migrate back to where they came from.
May 3rd, 2005 at 11:56 am
Q8Sheikh, thats partially true, but you also have to remember that whoever is coming for vacation wants to relax. When people work, they rarely get a chance to drink, so a vacation is a time when you can relax and unwind and have a few drinks without worry! So I will have to agree with snookie in that alcohol is a must for tourism to really grow!
May 3rd, 2005 at 1:51 pm
Q… Believe it or not, I’m not in favor of bars and clubs in Kuwait, for the sole reason that several generations have grown up without alcohol here, and they would either go apeshit or completely reject the concept, based on their inclinations.. I also don’t support liquor stores like Grey McKenzie opening here for the same reasons
If alcohol consumption can be regulated, where one can at least enjoy a bottle of wine at a restaurant.. then that would be fine. Another option is to limit it to hotels, and issue very strict licenses like in Dubai.. yes Dubai!
But then the whole issue is 7aram and that’s what we have to live with.. not any business vision
May 3rd, 2005 at 2:47 pm
Zaydoun, that was the case in Doha apparently, where alcohol can only be consumed in hotels and restaurants that are in hotels.
I dont think people would go apeshit about it, its available anyway, and I believe we still have moral values where most people would respect themselves and their families by not making fools of themselves in public. I really think it will be like the locals in Bahrain.
May 3rd, 2005 at 4:27 pm
Bahrain never banned alcohol, so all Bahrainis grew up with it … booze was never a big deal to them. Some drink, some don’t
Note when you’re traveling next time wherever Khaleejis go.. It’s usually the Kuwaitis and Saudis who make the most noise and get into trouble because they start their binge drinking the second they arrive, if not on the plane.. Bahrainis don’t do that because they don’t need to cram as much booze as they can.
For us, there is the fear of generations who WILL go nuts with the SUDDEN availability of alcohol
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