HCIMA chief executive applauds Dubai’s growth

Philippe Rossiter, chief executive of the global tourism and hospitality body HCIMA, pointed to Dubai as “a world-class example of how to build a sustainable economy with tourism as one of the foundation stones”.

Rossiter was in Dubai to meet with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) chapter of HCIMA. His visit included site tours of the upcoming Grosvenor House West Marina Beach by Le Meridien (opening summer 2005) and the Palm Island development, as well as the newly opened Bab Al Shams Desert Resort & Spa, operated by Jumeirah International.

Key to his visit was a focus on Le Meridien and Jumeirah International properties in the city, as two market-leading examples of world-class international and home-grown flags.

Rossiter said, “Both these groups have really given the industry a ‘how-to’ guide on operating targeted mixed portfolios across room stock and food and beverage.

“Against the backdrop of phenomenal investment in Dubai, the hospitality sector here has all the tools it needs to push the boundaries of excellence.”

Government figures have targeted 15 million visitors to Dubai by 2010, with annual figures already reaching over 5 million.

The World Tourism Organisation (WTO) named Dubai as the fastest-growing destination in 2002 and its Tourism 2020 Vision report predicted that the Middle East will be the second fastest growing region in the world in terms of inbound tourism, forecasting 26 million visitors by 2010 – and 15 million in Dubai alone. These figures are expected to increase to 69 million by 2020. 

Tourism is now only a few percentage points behind the traditional revenue earners in Dubai – retail, manufacturing, transport and oil. Indeed, much of the city’s non-oil trade – 90 per cent of GDP – can be attributed to tourism, either directly or indirectly.

Rossiter added, “To feed this growing sector, Dubai looks set to need another 30,000 tourism and hospitality sector employees within the next three years.”

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