Expo 2020 Dubai will boost growth of hospitality sector

Sajjad Ahmad, Staff Reporter

The tourism and hospitality sector in the UAE is growing and will get more acceleration leading to the Expo 2020 Dubai to meet the rising demand of visitors travelling to Dubai from over 192 countries.

Top executives from global hospitality brands shared their expectations and preparedness with Gulf Today during the Arabian travel Market 2019.

Timothy Kelly, Executive Vice President and Managing Director of The Royal Atlantis Resorts & Residences, said this year ATM is very unique because there is a lot of discussion about the upcoming Expo 2020 Dubai, which is going to be a big boost for the overall economy of the UAE. Tourism and hospitality sector is also looking forward to the global exhibition by announcing more projects to meet the rising demands of tourist inflow.

He added, “For us the market was very stable and productive in terms of growth last year, we are now focusing on Russia, China, South and North America to bring visitors from these destinations to Dubai market.”

About the expansion plan Timothy Kelly said, “We are going to deliver The Royal Atlantis in third quarter of 2020. The 42-storey development will have almost 800 guest rooms and more than 230 serviced apartments upon completion. We are going to expand the water park by about 30 per cent. We will have the largest water park in the world that will feature the longest slide in the world next year.”

Kevork Deldelian, Chief Operating Officer of Millennium Hotels and Resorts Middle East and Africa, said the occupancy rate is still very decent in the GCC market and will see a huge increase leading to Expo 2020 Dubai.

Millennium Hotels and Resorts, Middle East and Africa unveiled its new hotel development pipeline with 14 hotels due to open in 2019 at the ATM 2019.

By the end of 2019, Millennium Hotels and Resorts will be operating over 50 hotels in the Middle East and Africa, growing from 26 properties in 2016.

He said, “The additional 14 new hotels along with the existing portfolio of 40 hotels in the Middle East and Africa region will help grow tourism demand in the GCC including UAE, which will be hosting the World Expo 2020 and is expected to receive 25 million visitors in six months.”

He concluded, “We have introduced two contemporary products (Millennium Place and Studio M) to suit the varied budgets of our valued customers. “

Shailesh Grover, General Manager of The S Hotel Al Barsha, said that Arabian Travel Market provides a platform to business for growth. We are looking to cash in on this opportunity in expand in the GCC market. He added, “The fast-growing halal tourism segment boosts the global travel industry. Muslim travellers from different countries are looking for travel experiences that cater to their specific needs and wants and this is driving the sector’s phenomenal growth. This positively impacts our strategy which is well-aligned to cater to this market. Our first S Hotel in the Middle East, The S Hotel Al Barsha is positioned to cater to the demands of Muslim and non-Muslim travellers from GCC and global markets.”

Jean Faivre, SVP Hospitality at DAMAC Hotels and Resorts, said that the Dubai property and hospitality market is gaining momentum with every passing day to get ready on schedule and fulfil the demands Expo 202 Dubai is going to bring.  He added, “We see an amazing growth in the hospitality sector in the region. A lot of new projects are developing. We have signed a big agreement with Rotana during the ATM.

“We have today 25,000 units build and we have 40,000 units to be delivered in the next coming 18 months. We are launching in September Damac tower by Paramount, a 4 tower block consisting of 2,000 units out of which 1,200 will be apartments and 800 will be for a full hotel.”

DAMAC Hotels & Resorts is delivering the DAMAC Maison Privé, DAMAC Majestine, Radisson Dubai DAMAC Hills and DAMAC Esclusiva  in 2019.