Dubai hotels reap DSS dividends

Dubai Summer Surprises, the region's leading entertainment event has put the pep back into the summer, turning the Emirate into the region's favourite tourist destination.

Hoteliers and accommodation industry experts in Dubai have stressed that the tourist boom now being realised by the Emirate is the dividend of a decade-long revitalization effort assiduously exerted by officials in charge of the tourism industry in the Emirate, headed by executives of the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing.

"Hotels in Dubai have been hitting the highest occupancy rates in the region during the summer months since the onset of DSS activities," said Mohamed Khouri, Director of the Golden Sands Hotel Apartments.

"Dubai has become the first tourist destination option for Gulf families and European tourist delegations that come during the summer to enjoy large-scale discounts offered by different shopping malls during the DSS," he added.

Such considerable tourist inflows have increased the hotel occupancy to an average of 80 per cent during the summer months, a high percentage compared to the pre-DSS summers, he noted.

Hosni Abdel Hadi, General Manager of the Carlton Tower in Deira, said the skyrocketing growth achieved by Dubai hotels is the best evidence of the resounding success notched by the DSS.

"Dubai hotels are continuing to achieve high growth rates estimated at between 80 and 85 per cent and these rates are set to surge to 92 per cent during August," he added.

Nasrullah Abdeen, General Manager of Jumeirah Bab Al Shams Desert Resort & Spa, underscored the high occupancy rate achieved during the summer months, attributing it to the enticing reductions that in some cases reached 50 per cent on hotel rooms and meals in addition to free shuttle services from and to Dubai airport and shopping malls hosting DSS activities.

"Hotel sales increased during the first half of this year due to the considerable rise in the number of hotel guests specially those coming from Asia, particularly Japan," he added, putting the increase in the tourist inflows at 35 per cent over the same period last year.

He attributed the immense increase in tourist arrivals to the economic boom now enjoyed by the Emirate that has, he said, now become the investment magnet for Japanese investors.

Henrick Morio, General Manger of the Jumeirah Beach Hotel said, "The Dubai Magic promotion provided by the hotel is a valuable addition to the entertainment package we offer to our guests. It features free access to the Water Park, Wild Wadi and Sindbad Club that showcases a wide variety of games for kids below three years of age."

Fadi Atwan, the Customer Accounts Director at Sheraton Dubai Creek, stressed the high performance rates achieved during the current summer months, noting that the occupancy rates have hit 92 per cent, which is almost identical to that achieved during the peak season.

He attributed the rising tourist arrivals during August to the fact that a majority of Gulf families take Dubai as a transit destination on their way back home from other tourist destinations in Asia, Europe and Australia.

Tareq Dawoud, Director of Sales at Grand Hyatt Dubai, said the hotel witnessed an occupancy rate of between 80 and 85 per cent during the second half of July, and that this percentage had reached 90 per cent in the first half of August, expecting it to jump to 95 per cent by the end of the month.

Michael Nogent, General Manager of Movenpick Dubai, said the immense growth witnessed by the hospitality sector in the Emirate is a "logical outcome of the continued successes notched by DSS and the leaps secured by the tourism sector."

"The decline of the US Dollar against other currencies except the UAE Dirham has contributed to the increasing number of European tourists, especially the Britons, during July and August," he said, expecting a 5 per cent increase in hotel occupancy rates over the coming period.