A U.A.E. paper has said that by endorsing the expansion projects of the Jumeirah Group at a cost of AED 8 billion in 11 countries, Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, has shown that he has a remarkable eye to the future. The expansions will see an addition of over 4,000 hotel rooms over the next three years.
The endorsement came during the visit of Sheikh Mohammed to the Dubai Holding office, where he reviewed the development plans of the Jumeirah Group until 2017. Sheikh Mohammed underscored the fact that companies in the U.A.E. are ambassadors of our success: “Our national companies in the sectors of aviation, hospitality, ports, property development and others tell the U.A.E.’s success story to peoples worldwide.” A huge plus factor that is beefing up tourist arrivals in the country is its high safety and security quotient. A report in August last year said among the countries in the region, the U.A.E. reported the largest number of rooms in the total active pipeline: 32,107.
“Dubai is the nerve centre of tourism, trade and a gateway city for the Middle East,” said The Gulf Today in its editorial today.
In recent months it has witnessed a spurt in affordable but top quality accommodation, with the demand for luxury hotels heading the list.
And it is not just Dubai which is making impressive strides. Even other emirates, such as Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, are showing healthy figures. Next week, Abu Dhabi’s tourism industry will embark on a five-day, five-city roadshow of China as it looks to build on mounting inbound tourism from the Asian giant. The roadshow comes as China climbs Abu Dhabi’s hotel guest rankings. In the first quarter of this year, some 32,259 Chinese checked into the emirate’s hotels and hotel apartments which was a 208 per cent rise on Q1 of 2013.
“Even the number of tourists checking in the Northern Emirates hotels, especially from Germany and Russia, is on the upswing. On Sharjah’s tourism horizon is the Sir Bu Nair Island tourism project, slated for completion in 2017. The island will harbour a five-star hotel and resort, hotel apartments and an amphitheatre among other attractions,” added the paper.
The Hotel Classification Project of Ajman Tourism Development Department, ATDD, has been named the Best Tourism Project in the Middle East and North Africa at the MENA Travel Awards 2014.
“Truly the hospitality industry in the U.A.E. is on song. The prospects of this industry remain very bright as major global property developers continue to inject generous doses of investments into the nation,” concluded the paper.
Source : WAM News Agency for United Arab Emirates
