The FIFA World Cup could not come at a better time for hotels in Dubai, as they are expecting hordes of customers to watch the games at their food and beverage outlets, providing a welcome extra revenue boost during the slow summer period.
The World Cup, which will be held over 31 days beginning 11 June, is one of the most popular sporting events in the world, with an expected cumulative TV audience of over 26 billion across the globe (according to FIFA statistics for the 2006 event). Hotels in Dubai will be looking to tap into the excitement, which is sure to attract large crowds of football-crazed fans to bars and restaurants in the emirate.
The fact that the tournament is taking place during the slow summer season is seen as an added stroke of luck for the hospitality sector in Dubai. 'It's the best thing that could happen in the middle of June...it's perfect,' says Thomas Kathmann. 'If it would have been later people would already have been on vacation. But this is a time when everyone is still here yet business is usually going down. So we are quite positive.'
Kathmann says his only concern is the timing of the matches, as some will start while people are still at work. 'The first one will be shown at 15.30 in the afternoon, and the second one at 18.00, so both are a little too early for the normal person like us who is still at work. The match at 22.30, which will be the main match, will be fine, but the first two matches we have to see how it goes. If everything would have been two hours later it would have been better,' he said.
