Day: September 26, 2023

Hoteliers predict that the emirate will be bustling with activity when the Cop28 world climate conference begins in November. Dubai is expected to experience a boom in winter tourism as hotel room rates climb and bookings soar.

A total of 70,000 tourists from all over the world are anticipated to visit the emirate during the key UN conference, which takes place from the 30th of November to December 12.

The National talked to hoteliers and business professionals who forecast that during each of the two weeks of a major event that will get worldwide notice, occupancy rates will soar.

According to a top expert, hotel rooms in Dubai have begun to sell out quickly because the convention’s opening weekend falls on the UAE’s National Day.

According to The National, the price of a hotel room for the first day of Cop28 are expected to be up to five times what they already do.

“Cop28 will ensure that the city is undoubtedly buzzing with activity,” said Kostas Nikolaidis, the account manager for the region’s Middle East and Africa at the hotel analytics provider STR. “Cop28 in addition to UAE National Day on a Saturday, the second of December, and along with every other celebration taking place throughout Dubai during this at busy the cold period, will make sure the city is buzzing with activity.”

Nearly 30% of all lodging options are already reserved for both the initially scheduled couple of days of Cop28 and New Year’s Eve, according to data on hotel demand.

The demand is anticipated to increase as the two days approach. Without a doubt, these days will result in a stellar performance for Dubai’s hotel sector.

As expected, a Saturday, December 2, which happens to be National Day, has received the highest reservations so far. According to information provided by CoStar, the parent firm of STR, about one-third of all lodging options in Dubai had already been reserved for that evening.

For the opening night of Cop28, scheduled for Thursday, November 30, almost 32% of all rooms in Dubai have already been reserved.

The Abu Dhabi government’s department of Culture and tourist has cut government fees imposed on hotel rooms and restaurants in the emirate in order to promote the hospitality and tourist industries in the region. The updated pricing schedule will take effect on September 1st, 2023.

The emirate’s Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs – Abu Dhabi issued a statement in which it stated that “this adjustment of fees aims to continue to grow the Emirates as a tourist and culture destination while strengthening backing for its flourishing hospitality sector.” The government of Abu Dhabi revised its fees, reducing the tourism cost for visitors from 6% to 4%, eliminating the municipality’s fee of AED 15 per room each night, eliminating the 6% tourism fee, and eliminating the 4% municipality fee for hotel restaurants.

After the pandemic, tourism in the emirate has recovered. In the very first half of 2023, Dubai has surpassed levels of foreign tourism prior to the pandemic. Between January to June 2023, the Emirate of Dubai welcomed 8.55 million foreign visitors, beating the 8.36 million visitors it had in the first half of 2019 before the epidemic. In the first half of 2023, Dubai’s average hotel occupancy rate of 78% was among the highest in the world.
For the first half of 2023, Abu Dhabi International Airport’s traffic has seen a dramatic increase. 10,258,653 people passed through the gates of Abu Dhabi International Airport between 1 January to 30 June 2023, according to government statistics, a 67% increase over the 6,158,376 passengers handled over the same period in the previous year.

Additionally, 67,835 flights were recorded at Abu Dhabi International Airport, an impressive 36% more than the 49,919 flights that were made during H1 2022.

Towards the end of the year of 2023, Abu Dhabi hopes to welcome over twenty-four million tourists. The goal for the emirate’s diversification still heavily relies on tourism.

In order to encourage the expansion of the tourism industry in the emirate, the Abu Dhabi Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Affairs has teamed with the Franco-Dutch airline firm Air France-KLM. Through this agreement, daily flights from Abu Dhabi to Paris increase the emirate’s global connection.