Worldwide suppliers descend on Dubai as hotel industry builds for bright future

A huge range of products and services vital to the day-to-day running of any hotel will be assembled under one roof by 199 exhibitors from 24 countries at The Hotel Show, the Middle East's leading hotel and hospitality event, taking place at Airport Expo Dubai from Monday to Wednesday (May 19-21).

Visitors to the exhibition will include leading hotel owners, developers and operators who will be bringing with them extensive shopping lists for the dozens of new hotel properties under development, and the scores of existing properties needing refurbishment, or a replenishment of existing supplies.

"While the last few months have brought a great deal of uncertainty for the hotel business in the Middle East, and the industry has taken major losses, the climate has changed dramatically in recent weeks," said Joanne Evans, director of event management and marketing specialists, Streamline Marketing, organisers of The Hotel Show.

"Most of the major hotel operators in the region are shrugging off the effects of the war in Iraq and looking positively to the future. They are planning a new generation of hotels and resorts to prepare for the growing numbers of tourists and business travellers the region expects to attract in the years ahead, and this means major business potential for the hotel suppliers gathering in Dubai this week."

She was speaking at today's official joint press conference for The Hotel Show, and The Office Exhibition, the two events which run simultaneously in adjacent exhibition halls. Bernard Walsh, managing director of dmg World Media, owners of the two exhibitions, and Awad Al Seghayer, Manager, Events, Sites and Heritage, for the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, also addressed the press conference.

Held under the patronage of H.H. General Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, UAE Minister of Defense, and Chairman of the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), The Hotel Show is fully supported by the DTCM and the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and has the support of the UK's Department of Trade and Industry.

The official opening of the event will take place at 11am at Airport Expo Dubai on Monday. Entrance is free for trade visitors.

The Hotel Show's international exhibitor line-up includes manufacturers in air conditioning, audio visual, video conferencing and sound systems, bathroom supplies and bed linen, building materials, cutlery and crockery, carpeting and curtains.

Also taking part in the hotel supplies showcase are leading producers of computer hardware and software, fitness, spa and pool equipment, buses, vans and limousines, landscaping services, management and reservations systems, telecommunications systems, uniforms, and dozens of other products and services vital to a hotel's day-to-day operations.

Exhibitors at The Hotel Show will have access to business centre facilities sponsored and supplied by Alpha Data, one of UAE's largest and most diverse information technology companies.

Highlighting the new business potential for hotel suppliers in the Middle East, a recent survey by UAE-based TRI Hospitality Consulting showed that 120 new hotels will open in Dubai in the next 15 years. Further research showed that the pattern of development will bring more new hotels in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Lebanon, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait, Morocco, Syria, Qatar, Tunisia, Yemen and Libya.

Leading the regional revival, Dubai recently announced another startling project destined to highlight the emirate's place on the world tourism map.

Following on from its remarkable Palm project, the first phase of which is adding 35 hotels, Dubai has unveiled another spectacular offshore development consisting of 200 islands strategically positioned to form the shape of the world map.

The announcement came with figures which explain Dubai's policy to invest in tourism, as it is now estimated that the number of visitors to the emirate is predicted to rise from five million a year currently to 15 million by 2010.

For months the source of so much negative exposure for the region, Iraq is now being viewed in a different light, as redevelopment plans for the country point to major new business opportunities in the Middle East, with hotel developers and operators recognising huge opportunities in the reconstruction of Baghdad and other leading cities.

Among the major hotel chains to recently confirm further Middle East development are Rotana, Accor, Le Meridien, and InterContintnetal Hotels Group.