Established in 1979, the Kuwait Hotel Owners Association (KHOA) has been instrumental in shifting the hospitality and tourism sector in Kuwait, benefiting hotel owners and hoteliers and placing the foundations to enable the sector to develop, sustain its growth and operate at par with international standards.
Four decades of milestones later, KHOA continues to endeavor towards achieving the mutual interests of hotel owners and hoteliers. The association is setting the standards for a healthy business environment by initiating the development of a larger and self-driven local hospitality and tourism industry that benefits those operating in it and the local economy at large.
Our vision at the Kuwait Hotel Owners Association is to transform Kuwait’s hospitality and tourism sector into a self-driven industry by promoting for the development of a local tourism open to visitors from around the world, ultimately supporting the diversification of the local economy.
KHOA Achievements
Establishment of KHOA
KHOA was established with five-founding hotel members. The mission of the association is to place standards in the market to enable hotels to maintain profitability in the competitive environment.
Launch of Kuwait Chapter, La Chaîne des Rôtisseurs
KHOA partners with La Chaîne des Rôtisseurs - creating the Kuwait Chapter in an aim to share the love of gastronomy, good food and values of excellence that unite the continuation of great culinary traditions.
The “minimum room rates agreement” was signed by Kuwait’s hotel owners, making it the first hotel rates benchmark in the country and the first success for the vision of KHOA.
Azzad Trading Group, an affiliated of KHOA, is established to supply food and consumable goods to hotels and restaurants. The company remains one of the leading food suppliers in Kuwait. Azzad owns a travel arm, Azzad Travel & Tours.
KHOA established the “Kuwait Tourism Services” company and launches the first ever annual Hala February Shopping and Leisure Festival in Kuwait. Hala February will continue to be organized annually until 2018.
In an aim to benefit occupancy levels in hotels, KHOA was successful at approving a government decision that enabled hotels to issue entry visas to visitors to Kuwait, mandated that they reside in the hotel that issued the visa for them.
Development of Kuwait Tourism Master Plan Strategy
KHOA develops the “Kuwait Tourism Master Plan Strategy” in cooperation with World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
KHOA partnered with Smith Travel Research (STR), a global leader in
delivering
data that is confidential, accurate and actionable, and comprehensive solutions to
support clients in
strategizing
and competing
within their markets
. The
partnership
enables KHOA to provide members with performance and competitive reports,
outlooks and three
-
year budget planning insights.
KHOA has been instrumental in benefiting hotel owners and hoteliers in Kuwait. We collaborate with the local government to attend to their needs, advance the tourism sector, increase their exposure in the GCC, trend the local culture and more importantly, provide them with the resources that enable them to grab opportunities for profit.
In its capacity as the representative of the hotel sector in the State of Kuwait, KHOA plays a significant role in building a positive relationship and open communication channel with the Government of Kuwait. KHOA has brought solutions to common challenges over the decades by liaising on the rooms rate agreement, Kuwaitization ratio, water and electricity tariff, entry visas and the circular on 60-year old employees.
Among the larger challenges are ways to increase the occupancy in local hotels. KHOA is therefore active in advocating for the establishment of the General Authority for Tourism in Kuwait in cooperation with the Government of Kuwait as well as in recognizing the local hotel sector as a stand-alone industry.
KHOA is also very active in participating in trade events in the hospitality and tourism sector such as the Arabian Travel Market (ATM), aiming to increase exposure on local tourism and attract guests mainly from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. KHOA is also a sponsor and participant in HORECA Kuwait which attract regional hospitality brands.
These initiatives are supported by the Association’s market analysis division. The division has partnered with Smith Travel Research (STR), a global leader in delivering data that is confidential, accurate and actionable, and comprehensive solutions to support clients in strategizing and competing within their markets. It offers partners comprehensive daily reports on performance of the market in addition to an annual “Kuwait Three Years Outlook" report during the period of budget planning to support local hoteliers.
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Four decades of milestones later, KHOA continues to endeavor towards achieving the mutual interests of hotel owners and hoteliers. The association is setting the standards for a healthy business environment by initiating the development of a larger and self-driven local hospitality and tourism industry that benefits those operating in it and the local economy at large.
From this vision, KHOA is serving the sector at many levels by providing an optimal business environment and transparency for hotel operators, playing a significant role in propelling tourism in the State of Kuwait, promoting its members internationally, and most significantly, enabling operators to benefit from a fully-established and reliable system that offers support, lobbying, training and outlooks.
With these, the Association has become the sole official representative of the hotel sector in the State of Kuwait. It holds a strong relation and communication platform with the Government of Kuwait and Kuwait Chamber of Commerce and Industry through which it introduces solutions for the sector’s challenges to drive its long-term development.
A key milestone in that direction was the development of the “Kuwait Tourism Master Plan Strategy” in which KHOA played a significant role in its completion in 2005 in cooperation with World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), as well as managing Kuwait’s annual Hala February Shopping and Leisure Festival.
KHOA is presently active in advocating for the establishment of the General Authority for Tourism in Kuwait in cooperation with the Government of Kuwait as well as in recognizing the local hotel sector as a stand-alone industry.
Today, KHOA encompasses 15 hotel-members in Kuwait, including locally-developed boutique hotels, international chains and internationally-managed hotels, resorts and spas.
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