Dubai hotel sector gearing up to welcome Expo 2020 visitors

Dubai’s hotel sector is gearing up for Expo 2020 Dubai, the world’s largest and most impactful event ever to take place in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region, from 1st October, 2021, to 31st March, 2022, while recovery from the COVID-19 is gaining momentum globally and the UAE is getting ready to celebrate its Golden Jubilee.

With Expo 2020’s theme of ‘’Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’’, as well as one or more of its sub-themes of Opportunity, Mobility and Sustainability, Dubai will welcome visitors from every corner of the globe to join the making of a new world, as it brings together the planet in one place to reimagine tomorrow.

The UAE services and business sectors, spearheaded by the hotel, travel and tourism industry, have been working tirelessly to make visitors to Expo enjoy a safe, inspiring and unforgettable experience during the six-month world event.

Wego, which specialises in travel services and online reservations stated that various countries are awaiting the start of Expo 2020 Dubai. The company revealed that it witnessed, through its website, about 533,000 searches during July, on flights and hotels for the period in which this event will be held.


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This indicates the increasing demand that Dubai is witnessing, and the rapid recovery of the business tourism sector, noting that in light of the preparations for Expo 2020 Dubai, hotels have begun to allocate packages and extended stay offers specifically for visitors to the exhibition, the company stated.

Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) revealed that until May 2021, there were 128,545 hotel rooms in Dubai. There were 715 hotel establishments, including 134 five-star hotels.

Dubai Tourism’s statistics showed that the emirate welcomed 2.06 million international overnight visitors from January to May 2021.

The emirate has one of the highest number of hotel rooms in the world, according to a study by travel site Insider Monkey. Dubai has 100,000 hotel rooms available for visiting guests.

Dubai has hotels such as Burj Al Arab and The Address and hosts seven hotels from the 12 tallest in the world including the Gevora Hotel (356.3 metres), JW Marriott Marquis Dubai (355m), SLS Dubai Hotel and Residences (336m), Rose Rayhaan by Rotana (333m), Burj Al Arab (321m), Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel (309m) and Millennium Plaza (294m).


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The Dubai hotel sector is building more hotels despite the challenge and impact of COVID-19 on global tourism and travel.

Expo 2020 Dubai will be the largest cultural gathering in the world and will provide inspiring experiences for 182 days. More than 200 entities will contribute to these experiences, including countries, multilateral organisations, companies, and educational institutions, as well as millions of visitors, to create a version that is the largest and most diverse.

Dubai’s business events sector continues to build on its momentum as one of the first cities in the world to reopen for international meetings, with a busy calendar of high profile conferences, meetings and incentives on the horizon through the rest of 2021 and into 2022.

Following on from the resumption of international tourism to the city in July 2020, Dubai welcomed international business events from October 2020 and immediately saw a healthy pipeline of conferences and exhibitions taking place across the city, according to a press release issued by Dubai Tourism on Tuesday.

With meeting planners recognising Dubai’s ability to safely host events and its prudent handling of the global COVID-19 pandemic, that is now poised to continue in the second half of 2021, through the hosting of Expo 2020 Dubai and into the rest of 2022.

Among the major congresses and conferences coming to Dubai in the coming months are the Congress of the Société Internationale d’Urologie, Society of Petroleum Engineers Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, International Astronautical Congress, World Chambers Congress, LPG Week, Gastech and Africa Oil Week. Meanwhile, major incentive groups visiting the city will include AFC Life Science, Amway, Sunhope, Jeunesse and OMNILIFE. Issam Kazim, CEO of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing, said: “Driven by the leadership of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, the city was among the first in the world to restart its business events sector, providing a vital platform for associations, businesses and organisations to resume their face to face meetings and drive knowledge development in key sectors.

 “We understand the importance for the meetings industry globally to restart physical events, and thanks to the efforts of stakeholders across the city, this all continues to be done in environments that prioritise the safety of all delegates, participants and organisers,” Kazim said. With Expo 2020 Dubai commencing on 1st October and lasting six months, the city is poised to welcome a number of major corporate and incentive groups that will be looking to take advantage of the opportunity to allow delegates to experience and explore the world’s greatest show during their time in the city.

WAM