Dubai: April and May are expected to be the busiest months of the year for Dubai as the emirate hosts a range of events that will help boost visitor numbers in the emirate, according to industry experts.
The Indian Premier League and the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) are some of the events that are being held during the two months.
Also, 14,500 Chinese visitors from cosmetics company Nu Skin are touring Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi this month.
The number of hotels in Dubai is expected to meet the demand of tourists, said Yousuf Wahbah, head of transaction real estate for the Middle East and North Africa at global consultancy Ernst and Young (EY).
By the end of 2016, at least 140 new hotels will be added to Dubai’s current stock of 612, adding almost 30,000 new rooms to the 85,000 the emirate currently has.
Hotel guests for April and May in 2013 stood at 929,000 and 910,000 respectively, an increase of 13 per cent and 16 per cent compared to the same period in 2012, according to Issam Kazim, CEO of the Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM).
Double-digit growth
Kazim, however, did not provide a forecast for the number of visitors during the two months this year.
“At this stage it’s not possible to say whether 2014 numbers for these months will experience similar double-digit growth, however, it is likely considering current patterns,” he told Gulf News in an emailed statement.
Hotels said that they expect occupancy to reach around 0- 85 per cent during the two months, while some expect occupancy to exceed that rate.
“We expect the overall hotel occupancy to remain strong during these months with many hotels closer to the main event venues reporting full occupancy levels during the events,” said Rashid Aboobacker, senior consultant at TRI Hospitality Consulting.
Hotel revenues in Dubai are likely to go up 8-10 per cent in April compared to the same period a year ago, driven by higher occupancy and food and beverage revenues, he said, adding that revenue growth in May is likely to remain “modest”.
“These months are expected to have a positive impact on overall annual tourism revenues,” Wahbah said.
Some hotels pointed out that they have the capacity to accommodate guests during the two months.
“We have just opened the second tower of JW Marriott Marquis Dubai and are well equipped to host visitors in April and May. In February 2014 we added 294 bedrooms to our inventory, taking the bedroom count to 1098,” said Bill Keffer, general manager of JW Marriott Marquis Dubai.
Business travellers
Keffer added that the hotel will continue to release rooms in the hotel’s second tower until the third quarter of the year, when it reaches 1,608 rooms.
Meanwhile, Accor’s hotels will not increase capacity to meet the demand of visitors, according to Christophe Landais, managing director for the Middle East at the French hotel operator.
Even with trade events such as ATM and the Arabian Hotel Investment Conference that kick off in May, the number of business travellers is less compared to the first quarter of the year, according to Rohit Rattan, director of sales and marketing at Emirates Grand Hotel.
“Although corporate travel diminishes as compared to the first quarter, there still remains a good influx of travel from the leisure front and more is expected as a result of Easter Holidays falling through towards end of April,” Rattan said.
