As they say, if things have gone so bad they can only get better, and rightly so. The hospitality sector, after having taken a strong hit in the global financial slump, is on the recovery path, according to industry experts.
Dubai is a strong example of that. The emirate's hotels, which saw room rates drop to almost 60 per cent over the last year, are expected to see a pick-up in rates by end-2011, according to hospitality consulting firm CBRE Hotels. Dubai had the 16th most expensive room rates in the world last year, according to consultancy Hogg Robinson Group.
Latest numbers show that Dubai hotels recorded the highest RevPAR (revenue per available room) - an industry benchmark - in the world as of March 2010, according to Deloitte analysis of selected STR Global hotel performance data for the Middle East.
The emirate's RevPAR during this period was $199.24 (Dh731.6), comparable to $200.82 during the corresponding period in 2009. It further said the emirate witnessed occupancy levels of 79 per cent during the same period, compared to 71.6 per cent in the corresponding period in 2009, reflecting a growth of 10.4 per cent.
Clearly, the positive numbers bucked the overall downward trend for the Middle East as a whole. According to recent STR Global data there are 60,000 hotel rooms in Dubai, with 30,000 more in the pipeline.
Industry body STR Global recently said Middle East hotels posted the highest occupancy, room rates and RevPAR in the world last year despite it being one of the toughest years.
Alex Kyriakidis, Global Managing Partner of Tourism Hospitality and Leisure at Deloitte, said although the global economic crisis exacerbated the decline last year, hotels in Dubai and across the UAE achieved some of the "strongest average room rates and RevPAR" globally.
According to Khalid A bin Sulayem, Director-General, Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, tourism in Dubai has grown in the first quarter of this year. He said the number of guests at hotels and short-stay apartments reached 2,095,883 in the first quarter against 1,995,018 for the same period last year, registering a rise of five per cent.
All these factors have once again managed to lure some of the biggest names in the hotel industry to make a comeback at this year's Arabian Travel Market, which begins in Dubai today and runs until May 7.
DTCM positions Dubai as world's top tourist destination
The fast emergence of Dubai on the world tourism map and its spectacular performance is undoubtedly the result of aggressive global marketing and promotional agenda being pursued by the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM).
The department, in co-operation and co-ordination with public and private sector organisations, has been successfully developing the appeal of the destination that offers tourists the opportunity to explore traditional Arabian hospitality along with a contemporary lifestyle.
Continuing its aggressive marketing and promotional drive in 2010, DTCM will be highlighting the strengths and attractions of the emirate's vibrant tourism industry in 36 overseas travel exhibitions and hosting exclusive road shows and workshops in 10 countries.
The DTCM Director-General Khalid A bin Sulayem said: "Dubai's tourism product offering has considerably expanded last year and more changes are expected this year. Last year, the global tourism industry too underwent rapid changes due to the global economic downturn, requiring fast-rising destinations like Dubai to adopt strategies to remain at the cutting-edge of the highly-competitive business."
Further highlighting the department's vision, Bin Sulayem said it is "to position Dubai as the leading tourism destination and commercial hub in the world" and that DTCM's mission is "to strengthen the Dubai economy through the development of sustainable tourism".
PROMOTING BRAND DUBAIi
Clearly, the growth achieved by the Dubai tourism industry and huge inflow of foreign investments in different economic segments reflect the department's constant efforts to enhance the image of and awareness about Dubai.
The department has come a long way since it was established in January 1997, replacing the Dubai Commerce and Tourism Promotion Board (DCTPB) that existed for nine years.
Dubai embarked on the long journey to achieve the long-term goals of the emirate in a big way and established six overseas offices within seven months of the DCTPB's inception in 1989.
The DTCM is the principal authority for planning, supervision and development of tourism in Dubai. It currently oversees the licensing of hotels, hotel apartments, tour operators and tour guides.
The department also manages heritage sites and visitors' information bureaus and the region's first and only dedicated cruise terminal, which has been expanded further to accommodate four cruise ships simultaneously from the 3,450-square-metre facility from February 2010.
According to the DTCM data, hotels and hotel apartments in the emirate played host to 7.58 million guests in 2009, up by one per cent compared with the previous year's figures, reflecting the unfaltering global interest in Dubai as a year-round business and leisure destination.
