10 tea-time facts about Dubai’s tourism

At the 29th edition of the World Travel Market held last week in London, Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing(DTCM) had its biggest ever participation; 102 people were there to woo potential tourists.

DTCM said that it was there to assure people that Dubai has not been affected by the global economic downturn, and to promote the emirate as a world class tourism hub, which isn’t a difficult task. Dubai boasts the world’s tallest building, the Burj Dubai, man-made islands in the shape of the Palm tree, and the Dubai Mall, one of the largest shopping malls in the world.

The following are interesting facts about Dubai’s tourism and they suggest that the emirate is likely to beat the credit crunch—

1. According to the results for the second quarter of 2008 (the latest available from the DTCM), hotel revenues stood at more than AED3.2 billion. The total number of five-star hotels operating in Dubai up to June 2008 is 48 (out of a total of 340 hotels), and the average room occupancy rate was 80 percent. (22 new hotels are due to open this year)

2. Europe has been the largest market for Dubai’s tourism industry since 2002. According to the DTCM, the number of visitors from Europe has exceeded 1.3 million so far this year.

3. Dubai hosted seven million tourists in 2007, with ambitious projections for 10 million by 2010 and 15 million by 2015. To cater to that, it plans to have 141,000 hotel rooms by 2015.

4. In May this year, Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the chairman of the Dubai City of Aviation Corporation said that “Dubai is sure of over 40 percent growth in tourist numbers over the next three years.”

5. Emirates has started operations at Terminal 3, its exclusive section at the Dubai International Airport. The terminal adds 11,000 square meters of retail space to the existing duty free airport. Today, the Duty Free shopping area features 29 stores, and the terminal also features two Zen Gardens to “create an oasis of calm within the busy airport environment.”

6. At the new terminal, first class passengers enjoy the following complimentary offers at the lounge— half-back massage, mini-manicure, express reflexology, and basic hairstyling (blow-dry, trimming, beard-shaving).