Comments on UAE mega projects in Arab News, 1 Aug 2018

Dr. Nasser Saidi’s comments (below) appeared in an Arab News report titled “Sky is the limit as UAE mega-projects cement Emirates’ position as top destination”, on August 1, 2018. The full article can be accessed here and can be downloaded here.
 
“The quality of UAE tourism and infrastructure is quite high already,” said Dr. Nasser Saidi, a former chief economist and head of external relations of Dubai International Financial Center.
“If you compare it with other countries in the region, it has the most developed and integrated infrastructure, especially from a transport and logistics point of view, from air, roads, ports, airports, metro and rail.”
Saidi said that high-quality infrastructure in hotels and conference centers made the UAE a leader in the region.
“Adding to the infrastructure always helps, but it will have a marginal impact given the existing infrastructure,” said Saidi, who was Lebanon’s minister of economy and trade and minister of industry between 1998 and 2000. “What is important is to diversify the nature of the activities for tourists.
“If you have new types of activities, that will attract more visitors.”