Abu Dhabi, Doha and Dubai: Going online – a Comparative Analysis of their Visibility on a Booking Website

The aim of this article was assess the visibility of the three cities of Abu Dhabi, Doha and Dubai on the internet on the basis of data collected from a booking platform. The internet has revolutionised the way humans and machines interact, the way humans advertise and market their goods and services including tourism products. This article focuses on the accommodation sub-sector. The article was compiled using primarily secondary data available on the internet. No primary data was collected. The findings reveal that Dubai is relatively stronger as compared to the other two cities, purely on the basis of available accommodation facilities in which it showed preponderance on the basis of available rooms. It emerged as a city strong in architecture, shopping and entertainment as well as desert safaris. While closer to Doha on the parameters investigated, Abu Dhabi finds itself in the middle between the other two cities in relation to accommodation. It is strong in respect to high-profile sporting events, and emerges as an excellent cultural/entertainment city. Doha came out in the findings as a city ideal for relaxation and beachfront activities. The article suggests that destination entities like tourism authorities must find ways to use Online Travel Agents (OTAs) such as Booking.com to popularise their facilities and destination for visibility.