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Travel and Tourism

Sheikh Ahmed attends Department of Economy and Tourism’s first ‘City Briefing’ of 2023

The briefing was attended by more than 1,200 executives from various sectors including aviation, travel, hospitality and retail.

15 June, 2023

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Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed attends Dubai's first 'City Briefing' of 2023

Business travel & tourism.

Over 1,200 key executives from across tourism ecosystem attend industry gathering

Dubai: Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Second Deputy Ruler of Dubai, attended the Department of Economy and Tourism’s (DET) first ‘City Briefing’ of 2023, on Thursday.

The gathering provided participants the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the Dubai Economic Agenda, D33, and highlighted the crucial role assigned to the city’s tourism sector in ensuring the success of the 10-year agenda.

“The Dubai Economic Agenda is a bold and ambitious plan…to create a legacy that will be celebrated by future generations, as we foster a climate of innovation, sustainability and inclusivity to pave the way for a future where Dubai stands proudly among the world’s top three premier destinations. With great optimism for 2023 and beyond, we will press on with determination and a renewed focus on delivering exceptional experiences for our visitors from around the world,” said Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General of DET, who presided over the gathering, attended by over 1,200 executives from across the tourism ecosystem including aviation, travel, hospitality and retail sectors.

18% YoY increase in international visitation and 80% hotel occupancy

For the fourth successive month this year, Dubai’s tourism sector delivered a stellar performance, welcoming 6.02 million international visitors from January to April, an 18 per cent year-on-year increase, compared to 5.10 million visitors during the same four-month period in 2022.

Dubai’s hotel sector has also demonstrated resilience and strength, with an average occupancy of 80 per cent during the January-April period this year, among the highest in the world, exceeding the 76 per cent level achieved by city hotels during the corresponding period in 2022 and nearly matching the pre-pandemic 83 per cent occupancy in 2019.

Hotel supply reached 148,949 rooms in 814 hotel establishments at the end of April 2023, a 26 per cent growth over the pre-pandemic figures of 118,449 rooms in 722 hotel establishments at the end of April 2019. Moreover, the average length of stay by guests has increased by 13 per cent to four nights compared to 3.5 nights in 2019, indicating Dubai’s appeal as a destination for longer-stay travellers. According to data from industry expert Amadeus, search and booking volumes for Dubai remained steady from September 2021 to April 2023, with searches and bookings to Dubai during January to April 2023 nearing pre-pandemic levels and especially close to the high numbers seen during the Expo and pre-World Cup 2022 period.

Issam Kazim, CEO of the Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM), presented an overview of the industry and shared valuable insights into visitor trends and marketing strategies. He stressed the importance of collaboration with stakeholders and partners to ensure Dubai remains the preferred destination for global travellers and highlighted the various global campaigns that have successfully showcased the diversity of Dubai’s offering, further reinforcing its position as a must-visit destination.

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Tourism recovery sees Dubai welcome 6.17 million visitors from January to May

The latest tourism data was revealed by Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism at its first ‘City Briefing’ for 2022

Dubai’s tourism rebound continues to inspire global tourism recovery with the city welcoming 6.17 million international overnight visitors from January to May. This is a 197 per cent year-on-year (YoY) increase from the same five-month period in 2021, which saw the city attracting over two million international travellers.

The latest tourism data was revealed by Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) at its first ‘City Briefing’ for 2022, a bi-annual event that provides an in-depth industry outlook to stakeholders and partners.

Attended by more than 1,200 key executives, the event also discussed future strategies to further reinforce the city’s position as a global hub for business, investment, talent and tourism.

Helal Saeed Almarri, director general, Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) said, “The remarkable vision and leadership of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, have always been an inspiration to us all and this is reflected in the city’s continued success, as we focus on enhancing its position as a global hub for economy and tourism.”

“We are building on the massive momentum generated by a successful Expo 2020, to drive growth across all our tourism pillars from cultural to culinary experiences, while working towards achieving the ambitious goal of making Dubai the most visited destination and the city of the future that will be the best place in the world to live and work, ” he added.

#Dubai ’s successful tourism recovery sees city welcoming 6.17 million international visitors from January to May 2022, a 200% year-on-year (YoY) increase from the same five-month period in 2021. https://t.co/2cI13Yncdg pic.twitter.com/Q5xWW09AH7 — Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) June 23, 2022

“As we look ahead to the remainder of 2022 and beyond, we will harness the key elements that have ensured the industry’s steady growth year after year since we reopened to international visitors in 2020, providing an unparalleled diverse destination that offers unique value and memorable experiences for our guests. This can only happen with the support of our stakeholders, as well as restoring trust among travellers in Dubai as a safe destination,” he noted.

The new tourism figures from DET show that overall, Dubai hotels maintained an average occupancy level of 76 per cent from January to May 2022 compared to 62 per cent during the corresponding period in 2021.

According to data from hotel management analytics firm STR, Dubai ranked number one globally in hotel occupancy, ahead of other international destinations including New York (61 per cent), London (60 per cent) and Paris (57 per cent), for the January-April 2022 period.

Issam Kazim, CEO, Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM), opened the day’s programme by providing an overview of the industry featuring valuable visitor and marketing insights, in addition to an update on the activities that are underway to encourage more families and global travellers to select the city for their summer vacation.

The ‘Stay More, Pay Less’ campaign is a citywide initiative supported by over 60 hotels and resorts, providing guests with a discounted offer. The offer includes a stay for seven nights and pay for only five nights or stay for five nights and pay for only three nights.

“Dubai’s positive performance is also testament to the city’s resilience and the success of our recovery strategy. As we strive to leverage a robust domestic market and the growing international visitation, we are confident that the summer season will serve as an ideal launchpad to further accelerate the industry,” added Issam Kazim.

He also briefed participants on the global campaigns and all of Dubai’s attractions. This includes the Dubai Presents, which highlights ‘must visit’ attractions across the city through trailers featuring Hollywood and Bollywood stars, to Dubai being selected as the leading global destination in Tripadvisor Travellers Choice Awards 2022. The event also highlighted the drive to position Dubai as a global gastronomy hub which recently received a strong boost with the launch of Michelin Guide Dubai.

Read: Revealed: Dubai’s first Michelin-starred restaurants

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Sheikh Hamdan attends the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism City Briefing

Dubai: His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, attended Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism’s City Briefing, held at Atlantis The Palm on 14 December.

His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said the tourism sector is a vital pillar of Dubai's economy and is playing a key role in achieving the goals of the Dubai Economic Agenda D33. Reiterating Dubai's commitment to enhancing its status as a preferred global tourist destination in partnership with major international industry players, he said: “Dubai’s robust partnerships with leading travel and hospitality companies are key to fostering the growth of this crucial sector, both on a local and global scale. Hospitality is an integral part of the Emirati cultural fabric, a value deeply embedded in our ethos. Dubai remains dedicated to enhancing the infrastructure and services and making the strategic investments needed to provide an exceptional experience for visitors from across the world."

The bi-annual City Briefing for stakeholders and partners, organised by the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), further highlighted Dubai’s transformative role in championing the ongoing evolution of global tourism, in line with the city’s ambitious Dubai Economic Agenda D33, which seeks to consolidate Dubai’s position as one of the top three global cities for business and leisure.

Participants at this event, presided over by His Excellency Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General of DET, were also briefed on the D33 Agenda, the 10-year roadmap for Dubai’s development that was launched at the beginning of 2023 by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

The ‘City Briefing’ event, which deep dives into the latest destination developments and discusses the future outlook for the tourism industry, was attended by over 1200 industry executives and professionals. The new DET data released during ‘City Briefing’ demonstrates an overwhelmingly positive industry performance. With tourism sector growth in 2023 outperforming pre-pandemic results across travel and hospitality, Dubai welcomed a record 13.9 million visitors from January to October 2023 compared to 13.5 million during the corresponding period in 2019.

Key regions contributing to Dubai’s tourism success

In the first 10 months of the year, the GCC and MENA regions accounted for 29% of international inbound tourism to Dubai, with Western Europe contributing 19%, and visitors from South Asia totaling 18%. Eastern Europe, Russia and CIS contributed a combined 13% share of total visitation, a notable increase from the 8% achieved over the same period in 2019. North Asia and Southeast Asia contributed a further 8%, up from 4% in 2022. 

Dubai maintains high hotel occupancy of 76%

Average hotel occupancy between January to October this year has reached an impressive 76%, up from 74% in the same period in 2019. The achievement is particularly notable given Dubai has also recorded 13% and 22% increases in hotel establishment and room capacity respectively, since 2019. According to the latest STR Global Hotel Monitoring Update, Dubai ranked 4th globally in occupancy, after other global destinations New York and London and ranking just 0.01% behind third-placed Paris. At the end of October 2023, Dubai’s hotel sector had grown to 149,076 rooms in 818 hotel establishments, compared to 122,185 rooms in 724 hotel establishments at the same stage in October 2019.

Dubai’s performance reveals that searches and bookings for Dubai in Q3 2023 surpassed pre-pandemic levels, which further evidences the city’s global appeal, as well as the range of choices available for visitors planning a trip to Dubai.

Dubai’s rising stature as a top global liveability hub

At the City Briefing, DET highlighted Dubai’s position as a top global liveability hub with a string of accolades reaffirming Dubai’s position as the best city in the world to visit, live and work in. In addition to being ranked the No.1 global destination in TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards 2023, Dubai was named as the world’s No.1 city to relocate to, based on a recent survey published by leading financial services provider Remitly. Dubai was ranked the best city in the world for remote workers in the top 20 list of the 2023 Executive Nomad Index compiled by property consultancy Savills. The UAE was also named as the second safest country in the world in 2023 by Numbeo, the world's largest database of user-contributed data about cities and countries.

His Excellency Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General of Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism, commented: “Our achievements in the first 10 months of 2023 indicate that we are firmly on track to achieve our goals in line with the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to cement Dubai’s position as one of the top three global cities, as envisaged under the D33 Agenda. At this pivotal stage of our tourism journey that has also energised the progress of global tourism, it's important to acknowledge the synergy that has fuelled this exceptional performance, which is essentially the collective resilience and the continued support of our stakeholders and partners.”

His Excellency Issam Kazim, CEO of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing, said: “The City Briefing underscored how Dubai has taken its leadership role in transforming global tourism to a new level. Under the guidance of our visionary leadership, and in collaboration with our stakeholders and partners, we are truly proud of the success achieved as a city, further validated by the accolades and achievements, as well as our numerous strengths citywide including ease of access, commitment to safety and security, a unique lifestyle and exceptional service at all touchpoints, that continue to shape Dubai’s success story. As we gather today to strategise our path forward, we are filled with optimism that both domestic and global tourism will continue on a high-growth trajectory, and have no doubt that 2024 will see us achieving new milestones, as we continually strive to realise the goals of the D33 Agenda.”

City Briefing

The day's proceedings commenced with His Excellency Issam Kazim, CEO of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM), delivering an industry overview through a comprehensive presentation, which encompassed valuable insights into visitor patterns and marketing strategies. Furthermore, participants were briefed on global campaigns including the latest ‘Winter Sun’ proposition targeting Europeans, and the successful Africa content strategy focused on music, showcasing Dubai and shedding light on its diverse offering.

The event also highlighted notable achievements such as Dubai's recognition as the No.1 global destination for the second year in a row in the Tripadvisor Travellers Choice Awards 2023. Two Dubai-based restaurants secured a place on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2023 List while the second edition of the Michelin Guide Dubai featured a total of 90 restaurants. The number of two MICHELIN-starred restaurants increased from 2 to 3, one MICHELIN-starred restaurants rose from 9 to 11, and Bib Gourmands from 14 to 17. Many other Dubai restaurants received acknowledgment in the Gault&Millau culinary guidebook published by the renowned food critic brand. The bi-annual briefing also highlighted the importance of strategic partnerships to further drive messaging and reach wider audiences, notably Dubai’s partnership with Real Madrid which underlines the potential that can be achieved when two leading brands collaborate to support growth plans.

Ahmed Al Khaja, CEO of Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), highlighted key features of Dubai's Retail Calendar for 2023, featuring iconic citywide festivals, events, activations, and experiences. This includes the highly anticipated 29th edition of the Dubai Shopping Festival, which commenced on 8 December 2023.

Year of Sustainability  

As the UAE’s Year of Sustainability draws to a close, the city’s commitment to developing maritime sustainability was highlighted with the recently announced Dubai Reef project. This is also exemplified by initiatives like the citywide sustainability movement, ‘Dubai Can’ which demonstrates Dubai’s pledge to support marine life, enhance marine biodiversity and further aspirations to establish Dubai as a leading global sustainable city. With sustainability a key pillar of its growth strategy, DET also shared updates on various initiatives aligned with Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan, the D33 Agenda, the Net Zero 2050 initiative and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. 

DET currently leads Dubai Sustainable Tourism, an initiative that supports the tourism sector to achieve its sustainability goals through various programmes and activities including the 19 Sustainability Requirements, making Dubai the first city in the world to establish mandatory sustainability requirements as part of the hotel classification system and the Dubai Sustainable Tourism Stamp, which is awarded to hotel establishments that have gained the highest ranking for compliance with 19 ‘Sustainability Requirements’. Another mechanism highlighted at the event was the Carbon Calculator, a system to help stakeholders and partners identify cost saving opportunities.

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Dubai’s Tourism Sector: Outlook and Key Drivers

Dubai’s tourism sector success is driven by strategic partnerships, sustainability initiatives, and its emergence as a global hub for relocation, remote work, and leisure.

By Giulia Interesse

Dubai experienced an unprecedented surge in its tourism sector throughout 2023, achieving its highest-ever annual tourism performance with a remarkable growth of 19.4 percent in international tourists, totaling 17.15 million visitors. This achievement not only highlights the emirate’s global appeal but also underscores its dedication to offering innovative and diverse tourism experiences.

As Dubai remains a magnet for travelers worldwide, its booming tourism sector not only signifies economic prosperity but also reinforces its prominent position in the regional tourism landscape.

This article provides insight into Dubai’s exceptional tourism performance in 2023, with a focus on the economic implications that fuel the emirate’s tourism growth.

Dubai’s tourism performance in 2023

Source regions.

Dubai’s tourism sector demonstrated strong performance in 2023, reinforcing its status as a preferred destination for travelers from key traditional and emerging markets.

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Middle East and North Africa (MENA) regions collectively contributed 28 percent of the share, highlighting Dubai’s appeal to neighboring markets.

Western Europe and South Asia accounted for 19 percent and 18 percent of arrivals, respectively, while the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and Eastern Europe recorded a 13 percent share.

North Asia and Southeast Asia region contributed 9 percent of arrivals, followed by the Americas with 7 percent, Africa with 4 percent, and Australasia with 2 percent.

Hotels outperform pre-pandemic levels across all metrics

According to official reports from the city government, Dubai’s hospitality industry, which plays a vital role in the emirate’s reputation as a premier destination and the overall growth of the tourism sector, maintained robust performance throughout 2023. It surpassed pre-pandemic levels across all key hospitality metrics, including occupancy, occupied room nights, guests’ length of stay, average daily rate (ADR), and revenue per available room (RevPAR).

With the average hotel sector occupancy reaching 77.4 percent in 2023, Dubai ranked among the world’s highest, showing a notable increase from 72.9 percent in 2022 and surpassing the 75.3 percent average occupancy recorded in 2019. This achievement is particularly remarkable considering the overall 19 percent increase in room supply observed in 2023 compared to 2019.

Moreover, the number of occupied room nights reached an unprecedented high of 41.70 million in 2023, indicating an 11 percent surge from the previous year (37.43 million). This growth represents a significant 30 percent rise from the pre-pandemic figures recorded in 2019, which stood at 32.11 million occupied room nights.

Key drivers of Dubai’s tourism sector

Dubai stands as a global livability hub, offering residents and visitors a unique combination of opportunities, safety, and world-class amenities. The emirate’s recognition extends across various fronts, highlighting its appeal to travelers, driven by a number of reasons, and foreseeable trends.

Destination of choice for relocation and remote work

Dubai earned top accolades in 2023, being named the No.1 city worldwide to relocate to by financial services provider Remitly. This recognition underscores Dubai’s allure for those pursuing new opportunities and a superior lifestyle.

Additionally, property consultancy Savills identified Dubai as the premier city globally for remote workers, emphasizing its conducive environment for professionals embracing virtual work arrangements.

Strategic partnerships and collaborations

Dubai embarked on strategic partnerships and campaigns to showcase its offerings to the world. Collaborating with Real Madrid Club de Fútbol, Dubai reinforced its status as a dynamic global hub.

The city also hosted record-breaking stunts, such as Red Bull Air Race Champion Luke Czepiela’s landing on the helipad of Burj Al Arab Jumeirah, symbolizing Dubai’s spirit of pushing boundaries and achieving new heights.

Cultural enrichment and collaborative ventures

Dubai fostered collaborations with renowned figures like Academy Award-winning composer Hans Zimmer, transcending traditional concert experiences to explore the city’s cultural essence. Zimmer’s “Sounds of Dubai” captured the city’s vibrancy, contributing to its global image as a hub for culture and collaboration.

On the same line, through Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), the emirate continued its legacy as an international entertainment hub, hosting diverse year-round events, including the iconic Dubai Shopping Festival, which showcases the city’s vibrant retail and entertainment landscape.

Sustainability

In July 2023, the Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) introduced the Dubai Sustainable Tourism Stamp, a novel initiative under the Dubai Sustainable Tourism (DST) program. This initiative acknowledged 70 hotels for their exceptional adherence to DET’s ’19 Sustainability Requirements’. Developed in collaboration with Dubai’s hospitality sector, the stamp aims to expedite efforts in achieving sustainability goals within the tourism sector. It serves as the recognition of a hotels’ unwavering commitment to sustainable practices.

Another notable sustainability endeavor is the ‘Dubai Can’ initiative, which launched the ‘Refill for Life’ campaign advocating for the use of reusable bottles. The initiative encourages individuals to refill their bottles through 50 water fountains installed across the city. Additionally, Dubai Can unveiled the Dubai Reef project in December 2023, one of the largest marine reef developments globally. The Dubai Reef initiative aims to enhance fish stocks, promote sustainable fishing practices, and bolster food security while also mitigating carbon emissions and fostering marine biodiversity.

Rise as a global cruise and yacht tourism destination

Dubai also solidified its position as a global cruise and yacht tourism destination, attracting enthusiasts worldwide. In 2023, the emirate won the Best Port award at the CRUCEROADICTO AWARDS in Spain, a prestigious accolade recognizing outstanding cruise lines, ships, and ports chosen by global cruise travelers.

Beyond its thriving cruise industry, Dubai has also become a premier destination for global yacht tourism. With 15 marinas, over 3,600 berths, and comprehensive support facilities for pleasure crafts, superyachts, and gigayachts, Dubai attracts yacht enthusiasts from around the world. During the winter season, from October to April, an increasing number of yachts visit annually, drawn by Dubai’s strategic location offering access to picturesque yachting destinations in the region and the stunning coastline of the UAE.

Investing in Dubai’s tourism sector

Investing in Dubai’s tourism sector is a compelling prospect for investors, drawn by the city’s commitment to innovation and industrial expansion.

Benefiting from government policies and initiatives fostering tourism, Dubai offers a conducive business and cultural environment. The city’s diversified tourism offerings, including avant-garde entertainment, cultural experiences, and adventure tourism, appeal to a broader demographic. This diversification not only widens investment opportunities but also mitigates risks by tapping into multiple facets of the tourism sector.

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AHMED BIN MOHAMMED ATTENDS DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMY AND TOURISM’S FIRST ‘CITY BRIEFING’ OF 2023

The event, held at the dubai world trade centre, highlighted the crucial role assigned to the city’s tourism sector in ensuring the success of the 10-year agenda..

H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Second Deputy Ruler of Dubai, attended the Department of Economy and Tourism’s (DET) first ‘City Briefing’ of 2023.

Organised for key stakeholders and partners, the industry gathering provided participants with the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the Dubai Economic Agenda, D33, that was launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum , Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to further consolidate Dubai’s status as one of the top three global cities. The event, held at the Dubai World Trade Centre, highlighted the crucial role assigned to the city’s tourism sector in ensuring the success of the 10-year Agenda.

In addition to the focus on the D33 Agenda, the latest data and industry outlook for 2023 and beyond were also shared by DET at the ‘City Briefing’ presided over by Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General of DET. The briefing was attended by over 1,200 top executives from across the tourism ecosystem, including aviation, travel, hospitality and retail sectors. The gathering has enabled stakeholders and partners to be aligned with domestic and global marketing initiatives and activities rolled out by DET while exploring ways to continue accelerating the momentum to reinforce further the city’s position as an international hub for business, investment, talent and tourism.

Helal Saeed Almarri said: “The Dubai Economic Agenda, D33 is a bold and ambitious plan developed under the visionary leadership of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, to create a legacy that will be celebrated by future generations, as we foster a climate of innovation, sustainability and inclusivity to pave the way for a future where Dubai stands proudly among the world’s top three premier destinations. With great optimism for 2023 and beyond, we will press on with determination and a renewed focus on delivering exceptional experiences for our visitors from around the world.”

“We also extend our heartfelt gratitude to each and every partner who has stood by our side, supporting the vision of Dubai and contributing to our collective achievements. Indeed, the success of the D33 Agenda will be intricately linked to the wholehearted support of our valued stakeholders and partners. Their unwavering commitment and shared belief in our city’s potential have propelled us forward, enabling us to overcome unprecedented challenges and transforming them into opportunities for growth in spite of a tough and highly competitive global environment. Their remarkable dedication and passion have been the driving force behind our city’s continued trajectory towards becoming the most visited international destination and the best city to live, work and invest in,” Almarri added.

18% YoY increase in international visitation and 80% hotel occupancy For the fourth successive month this year, Dubai’s tourism sector delivered a stellar performance, welcoming 6.02 million international visitors from January-April, an 18% YoY increase, compared to 5.10 million visitors during the same four-month period in 2022.

Dubai’s hotel sector has also demonstrated resilience and strength, with an average occupancy of 80% during the January-April period this year, among the highest in the world, exceeding the 76% level achieved by city hotels during the corresponding period in 2022 and nearly matching the pre-pandemic 83% occupancy in 2019. According to a STR Global Hotel Monitoring Update, Dubai ranked first in occupancy, with a rate of 79.9%, only 2.9 percentage points below the pre-pandemic levels of 82.7%, placing it ahead of other global destinations like London, New York, Los Angeles and Paris. The report also revealed that Dubai ranked first in Gross Operating Profit per Available Room (GOPAR), with a rate of USD145 (AED530), just 9% below pre-pandemic levels, followed by Paris (USD 113) and Singapore (USD 102) respectively.

Hotel supply reached 148,949 rooms in 814 hotel establishments at the end of April 2023, a 26% growth over the pre-pandemic figures of 118,449 rooms in 722 hotel establishments at the end of April 2019. Moreover, the average length of stay by guests has increased by 13% to four nights compared to 3.5 nights in 2019, indicating Dubai’s appeal as a destination for longer-stay travellers. According to data from industry expert Amadeus, search and booking volumes for Dubai remained steady from September 2021 to April 2023, with searches and bookings to Dubai during January to April 2023 nearing pre-pandemic levels and especially close to the high numbers seen during the Expo and pre-World Cup 2022 period.

Issam Kazim, CEO of the Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM), presented an overview of the industry and shared valuable insights into visitor trends and marketing strategies. He stressed the importance of collaboration with stakeholders and partners to ensure Dubai remains the preferred destination for global travellers and highlighted the various global campaigns that have successfully showcased the diversity of Dubai’s offering, further reinforcing its position as a must-visit destination. DET’s continuous efforts to promote Dubai across its international markets was directly responsible for driving 57% of the total visitation of 14.4 million international visitors in 2022, generating millions of prospective travellers for the future, especially an anticipated substantial increase in travellers from 2023 to 2025. These marketing activities have further influenced 11 million individuals to plan their Dubai trips and also inspired six million people to add Dubai to their ‘bucket list’ of destinations to visit between this year and 2025.

Dubai’s outstanding tourism performance has garnered international recognition and accolades, including being ranked as the No.1 global destination in the TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards for the second successive year. And secured third place among Top 10 prominent global cities, ahead of New York, London, Tokyo, Sydney, Johannesburg, Paris and San Francisco, based on rankings published recently by UK-based The Economist. The city’s thriving gastronomy sector has also been recognised in the 2023 edition of both MENA’s 50 Best restaurants and the MICHELIN Guide Dubai, marking the continued success of Dubai’s diverse and vibrant food scene. The event also turned the spotlight on Dubai’s position as a global hub for cruise, yachting, gastronomy and destination weddings.

Kazim highlighted the exciting ‘Kids Go Free’ campaign, which aims to encourage families and global travellers to choose Dubai as their summer vacation destination. Hotels, entertainment centres and attractions are participating in this citywide initiative, offering families and children the opportunity to enjoy memorable experiences at attractive discounts and also free of cost for kids all summer.

Kazim also briefed participants on DET’s unique 360 marketing approach that deploys the full range of traditional, social and digital media platforms, as well as leveraging the power of celebrities, influencers, opinion leaders and gamification to drive awareness of Dubai’s diverse destination proposition among international audiences. He provided a glimpse of the extensive in-market activities carried out by DET’s overseas offices and over 3,000 global partners including travel trade and airline partnerships for leisure tourism, international roadshows and familiarisation trips for the travel trade and global media. On the domestic front, Dubai enjoyed huge success at the 30th edition of the Arabian Travel Market last month, which saw DET organising the biggest ATM Hosted Buyers Programme, attracting a record participation of 450 buyers from 31 different markets and countries, representing all regions.

Ahmed Al Khaja, CEO of the Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), discussed leveraging festivals and events to increase visitation and reinforcing Dubai’s position as an international hub for leisure and business events and the MICE industry. He presented the diverse festivals and events sector in Dubai that are a part of the Retail Calendar including the iconic Dubai Shopping Festival and Dubai Food Festival, as well as the upcoming Dubai Summer Surprises, Eid in Dubai-Eid Al Adha celebrations, and the second edition of the Dubai Esports and Games festival, in addition to retail offers and promotions that residents and visitors can avail themselves of this summer in Dubai.

Stakeholders and partners have pledged their support for the D33 Agenda and the continued success of the industry, and remain committed to working with DET to make the city a top destination for business, investment and tourism.

Alexander Lee, Chief Commercial Officer, Jumeirah Group, said: “Today, Dubai is one of the top five most visited cities in the world, with one of the fastest growing luxury markets. It’s a city with incredible appeal to everyone from around the world. As a luxury hotel operator and owner of high-end residences across the city, Jumeirah Group continues to see rising demand for its products and services, both from traditional feeder markets but increasingly from new international markets, as Dubai advances its position as a leading global destination.

“The luxury hospitality sector is becoming increasingly competitive with a strong pipeline of hotels and resorts due to enter the market to support Dubai’s ambitious tourism targets,” he added. “The city is truly paving the way towards being the world’s best place to live and with plans to double the size of the economy over the next decade as part of the Dubai Economic Agenda, D33. This is an interesting time for Dubai and it represents an attractive proposition for many brands like ours, to expand our business and realise our true potential,” Alexander Lee continued.

Timothy Kelly, Executive Vice President and Managing Director, Atlantis The Palm, Atlantis The Royal Resort & Residences, said: “The opening of our new ultra-luxury resort Atlantis The Royal has been tremendously successful, welcoming international visitors from over 200 countries. We have exceeded our financial expectations with a strong occupancy performance and immense demand for our many celebrity chef branded restaurants. As we attract new customers, our iconic resort plays an important role in upholding the bold and far-reaching vison of the D33 Agenda. In addition, Atlantis, The Palm continues to break hotel visitation and waterpark records resulting in one of the best years in our history. A key focus across both resorts is culinary innovation and offering the best gastronomy experiences. We recently maintained our Michelin stars at Hakkasan and Ossiano, and Dinner by Heston Blumenthal was awarded its first star within only four months of opening. As tourism continues to evolve in the region, we fully support the ambitious goal of the D33 Agenda to position Dubai among the top three global destinations for tourism and business.”

Aligi Gardenghi, Vice President, Operations, Arabian Peninsula, Hilton, said, “Dubai welcomed more than six million visitors between January and April 2023, and at Hilton we have seen great momentum in the first half of the year. Looking to the future, this momentum is set to continue, supported by great initiatives such as Dubai Economic Agenda, D33, which is set to make the city a global business and financial centre. As the city grows, sustainability is top of mind for governments and businesses – with the UAE’s hosting of COP28, great initiatives such as Dubai Can and a major focus on ESG by companies such as Hilton. Hilton is well placed and committed to support Dubai’s ongoing growth, with several pipeline properties planned.”

Sandeep Walia, Chief Operating Officer, Middle East, Marriott International, said: “Dubai remains one of the better performing markets for Marriott International. We know there continues to be a strong demand for travel across the globe and Dubai is an attractive destination for all kinds of travellers. This a market that has something for everyone, and we are proud to have a fabulous portfolio of properties in the city that align with the diversity of experiences this destination offers for every type of traveller. Our year-to-date performance in Dubai has been very encouraging as the city welcomed an influx of regional and international travellers. While leisure travel continues to lead our performance in Dubai, we have been pleased with the upward trajectory of the business transient and MICE sectors in the city. We are confident that the momentum for the travel sector in Dubai will continue through the back end of the year.

“The market’s strong performance continues to solidify Dubai’s position as a global hub for business and leisure while also supporting the overall D33 Agenda outlined by the visionary leaders of Dubai. The tourism sector is an integral part of the city’s economy, and Marriott International remains committed to working closely with the Department of Economy and Tourism and organisations across the country to drive continued growth and success in this destination.”

Duncan O’Rourke, Chief Executive Officer Premium, Midscale & Economy Division – Middle East, Africa & Asia Pacific at Accor, said: “Accor currently operates 56 hotels in Dubai, offering over 14,000 rooms across the Premium, Midscale, and Economy division. Guests can choose from renowned brands such as Swissotel, Pullman, Movenpick, Novotel, Mercure, Adagio, and Ibis to experience world-class hospitality during their stay. This year, we are witnessing positive demand from key markets such as India, the UK, and Saudi Arabia. However, the UAE market continues to be a strong driver of our results.”

“We are delighted to report a notable increase in occupancy levels of +10% compared to the same period last year, a testament to Dubai’s remarkable appeal as a destination, offering a diverse range of cultural, leisure and business experiences. We are confident that the D33 Agenda will stimulate an increase in corporate travel demand, thereby driving the need for long-stay options in the mid-range brand segment and state of the art facilities to accommodate Meetings & Events across the city.”

Fathi Khogaly, General Manager of Grand Hyatt Dubai, said: “In recent years, Hyatt Hotels Dubai witnessed significant expansion across its existing and new properties. One notable project is the state-of-the-art Exhibition Center that opened at Grand Hyatt Dubai in May 2022 and has since played an instrumental role for the Hyatt Group in Dubai to surpass previous years’ performance. The venue attracted large conventions and events competing with other destinations across the globe, supporting the city’s vision in line with the D33 Agenda.

“Hyatt Hotels Dubai experienced a remarkable beginning to the year, with all revenue streams demonstrating superior performance compared to the previous year. We will continue to create innovative experiences for visitors from around the world, including the development of one of the world’s largest urban water parks. Hyatt Hotels Dubai are committed to supporting Dubai’s vision to attract more visitors into the city and further solidify its position as a global economic and tourism hub. A distinguished initiative that Hyatt Hotels Dubai have started since the beginning of the year is to make the hotels completely paperless, disrupting traditional hotel processes and aligning with the sustainability goal of the D33 Agenda.”

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Mark Willis

Ceo india, middle east, africa & turkey, accor.

Mark Willis is a key industry opinion leader in the IMEA region, with over 420 hotels in the current portfolio and more than 120 hotels in the pipeline. He is undoubtably an industry heavy weight due to his leadership style, strategic decision making and extensive experience in the industry. His forward-thinking leadership and understanding have positioned this region as a key market for the company globally, both in results, as well as expansion plans. Throughout his tenure as CEO, Mark has led the team through a global crisis, while ensuring results were delivered, team members were taken care of, partners were supported, and guests were reassured.

A clear success is the way Mark lead and managed the region during the difficult period of Covid. His leadership and mentorship ensured that teams, partners, and guests were always informed on Accor strategies and activities that were implemented to support the different stakeholders. Successful activities included the opening over 20 properties per year since he has joined the Accor Dubai office (even during Covid), as well as ensuring that financial results were achieved even during the most difficult times. Another standout achievement has been the hugely successful opening and launch of lifestyle brands in the region such as SLS, 25 Hours and Hyde Dubai.

Area Senior Vice President, Middle East & Africa, Radisson Hotel Group

Tim Cordon has been with Radisson Hotel Group (RHG) (formerly Carlson Rezidor) for nearly two decades. He began his progressive career in the UK in 2003 as General Manager at Radisson Blu Hotel Manchester Airport which, at the time, was Rezidor’s largest hotel in the UK and where he successfully positioned the hotel in the group’s top 20 performing hotels worldwide.

In 2006, Cordon was recognised with the Alpha Forum Prize – “Younger Manager” award by the British Travel and Hospitality Hall of Fame. He then took on several leadership roles in two of the group’s key properties in London before making Dubai his home in 2015, taking on the role of Regional Director of Middle East & Africa (MEA). In 2017, Cordon was appointed Area Senior Vice President for MEA responsible for leading operations and delivering business growth and profit across the group’s largest area. Cordon has played a crucial role in Radisson Hotel Group’s expansion in the region, hitting key milestones for the group worldwide and setting in place an ambitious five-year development plan to reach 100 hotels in the Middle East by 2025. By 2019, Cordon looks after 50 properties in the Middle East with a total of 10,944 keys and 57 properties in Africa with a total of 11,373 keys.

As Area Senior Vice President for MEA, Cordon continues to contribute to the group’s regional milestones as it remains on track to reach its goal of having 100 properties in the next three years, as well as becoming one of the top three hotel groups in the world. Under Cordon’s leadership, the group continues to unleash the power of its portfolio, consisting of nine strong brands, driving significant growth across the Middle East and Africa. In fact, Cordon made the Middle East the fastest-growing region for the group and the region that recovered best during 2021, growing RevPAR to 85.6% of pre-pandemic comparable.

In the unprecedented times of COVID-19, Cordon ensured the hotel group remained resilient and on track for the rebound of the travel and tourism market. During the pandemic, he ensured all hotels followed stringent health and safety measures, including launching the Radisson Hotels Safety Protocol.

As travel started to rebound in 2021, Cordon remained optimistic and encouraged partnerships with industry peers and the public sector to rebuild the hospitality industry and ensure the safety of travellers, partners, and team members.

With a mission to be recognised as one of the top three hotel groups in the world by 2025, Cordon’s visionary leadership helped secure various awards for the group including the Leaders in Hospitality Awards 2022. The group won the Innovation of the Year category and Radisson RED Dubai Silicon Oasis won the Mid-Market Hotel of The Year award. The recently opened Radisson Resort Ras Al Khaimah was highly commended in the Leading New Hotel category. RHG also took home an award at this year’s Sustainability Innovation Awards for its Hydroponic Farm Project, in its commitment to contributing to the Net Zero by 2050 initiative that Dubai has set out. Sustainability has always been vital, as Cordon raised awareness of environmental responsibility and implemented sustainability programmes to reduce the hotels’ carbon footprint.

Cenk Ünverdi

Regional general manager, rixos hotels.

Cenk Ünverdi brings 15 years of experience in the hotel industry, wonderfully spent with Rixos, one of the most prolific lifestyle hotel brands globally. Being the Regional General Manager, he currently oversees 5 hotels in UAE and gearing for upcoming hotels in the wider GCC region. Through Cenk Ünverdi’s vision, Rixos Hotels has been successfully recognised globally and continuously expanding its footprint in the region. With his leadership, the brand awareness has reached new peaks and have been visible across prestigious channels through strategic partnerships with highly-acclaimed brands such as UAE Pro League, Mubadala, RAKBANK, Aquaventure, Dubai Parks and Resorts, and Dubai Expo 2020 amongst others. Cenk Ünverdi’s passion for digital landscape and innovation plays a significant role in the success of various campaigns especially after the brink of pandemic resulting to 20% of the business. In 2021, his initiative to diversify the brand and grow the business to overcome 2019 pre-covid levels resulted in the highest increase in all business performance metrics.

Rixos Hotels is a fast, young, energetic, and growing brand and Cenk Ünverdi has been leading a successful and competitive team on a relentless quest to establish the brand as the leader in setting the stage for memorable 360° guest experiences. The brand introduced revolutionary entertainment and wellness programs in the Middle East, from staged shows to exciting creative activities for children at Rixy Kids Club to action-packed challenges at Exclusive Sports Club.

General Manager, Shangri-La Dubai

Hakan Ozel, the General Manager and Luxury Hotel Operator of Shangri-La Dubai has not only played an integral role in making Shangri-La what it is today but is a leading example in the broader industry due to his reputation for having a forward thinking and passionate approach coupled with robust experience. His contributions and impact across two decades of experience in a variety of locations with signature properties, has been exceptional. Some of his key accomplishments include being: highly knowledgeable in operations, renovation, refurbishment, and improvement projects; instrumental in turn-around properties, projects and crisis management by driving take-over, rebranding, and revamping efforts; a successful executive in turn-around projects and crisis management; appointed several times by corporate office for related leadership roles; vital in pre-opening many hotels.

What makes Hakan distinguished is his mindset and personality. He employs unique and highly successful strategies such as using a competitive approach to drive business results while strengthening collaborative partnerships among stakeholders. He understands that character is a differentiating element in hotels, and he brings this to life with creative and innovative ideas.

Hakan is not only highly experienced and meticulous but is also caring, compassionate, and strongly committed to the financial success of the business. His impact on the company has resulted in collective exponential growth in terms of team happiness, productivity, and goal realisation. In addition, he has been continuously developing his career and personal intellectual assets to ensure that he will assume higher responsibilities in the group in the future, while continuing to take innovative management standards and practices to places they’ve never been before in the present. He is a rarity and each and every contribution he has made has been nothing short of amazing.

Thomas Peruzzo

General manager, armani hotel dubai.

An international hotelier of Italian and Danish descent, Thomas began his career in sales and marketing in Germany. Prior to joining Armani Hotel Dubai, he held senior management roles at Artprojekt Hospitality and Grand Hotel Heiligendamm in Germany, among others. As General Manager, Thomas is responsible for driving the commercial strategy and the all-round operations of Armani Hotel Dubai, ensuring that it sustains its status as one of Dubai’s most admired properties. He is mandated with strengthening the hotel’s brand identity as well as outreach to new international markets. He is also responsible for leading activities across operations, marketing, and administrative functions through an innovative approach and collaborative management style. Recent projects have included spearheading the 2020 launch of the UAE’s first kosher restaurant and the opening of a dedicated salon area within Armani/SPA. He is also committed to ensuring strong levels of productivity and resource use efficiency. Staff welfare and happiness is another key area of focus and Thomas maintains an open-door policy for all Armani Ambassadors as well as fostering a culture centred on team member empowerment. Thomas thrives on the fast-paced, dynamic, unique, and rewarding demands of his role and his passion for the industry and Armani Hotel Dubai is driven by its amazing team members.

Thomas is not only an innovative character by nature, but he is also committed to ensuring strong levels of productivity and resource efficiency, exemplified most clearly in the recent partnership agreement signed with Ferrari to transform Armani/Pavilion into Downtown Dubai’s most successful outdoor Ramadan venue.

It is Thomas’ overall character that exemplifies him as a leader in the hospitality industry and as a role model for many young hoteliers on the rise.

Outside of work, he makes time to enjoy the Armani Hotel Dubai experience for himself as he explains: “There are so many special corners within the hotel, however, there is something magical about our restaurant terraces. When the weather in Dubai is pleasurable, there is nothing better than having dinner al fresco on one of the terraces overlooking The Dubai Fountain show. It is truly a magical experience.

Richard G. Haddad

Chief executive officer, jannah hotels & resorts.

Richard Haddad has years of experience in the hospitality industry and has been the CEO of Jannah Hotels & Resorts for the last 4 years, in his reign we have seen many improvements across different fields and departments, including his strategic planning skills which impacted the increase of the group’s profits, helping to maintain and grow the reputation of each hotel. Richard’s vision for Jannah Hotels & Resorts is to expand to global market and showcase the Bedouin hospitality culture and expand halal tourism by tapping into the international market.

Richard has contributed to many achievements towards the group’s development, reputation, positive RGI results, overall improvement and much more. Since he joined Jannah Hotels & Resorts in September 2018, Richard oversaw the hotel and restaurant development including the launch of, Sahara Café an Arabic concept in Ras Al Khaimah during August 2020; Terrace at Cocina Restaurant an Arabic and International concept in Abu Dhabi during September 2020; EDGE Creekside Hotel, Dubai in January 202; Second branch of Feta Restaurant, a Mediterranean concept, in Dubai during January 2021; Halo Halo Restaurant and Asian concept in Dubai with 2 branches during January 2021; and the new cloud kitchen multi-concept that launched January this year.

In addition, he ensured the overall improvement and beautification of all the properties under Jannah Hotels & Resorts including the renovations that took place at Jannah Hotel Apartments & Villas RAAK and Jannah Marina Hotel Apartments.

Due to Richard’s outstanding business strategies and leadership, all properties within the group have seen a remarkable growth in the year-to-date numbers, looking at the “Revenue Generation Index”, we saw a 76% growth against last year at Jannah Marina Hotel Apartments, 129% growth at EDGE Creekside Hotel and 10% growth Jannah Burj Al Sarab, Abu Dhabi.

Richard understands the important of staying loyal to employees and the impact this makes on guest satisfaction, with his team’s help, he implemented a new service philosophy called “The Jannah Way – Culture and DNA”. The successful launch of the new DNA is just the foundation of how we want to celebrate our service culture. All guest service starts from within, in order for us to offer unparallel guest services, we had to focus on our people and the value they bring to the brand. Our Safir (which translates to Ambassador in English), is our most valuable asset in the organisation, and it is our mission to work as a family, not a team, in creating an environment that fosters pride, joy, and respect wherein the true spirit of Bedouin Hospitality thrives at every level.

Chief Executive Officer, Jumeirah Group

As Chief Executive Officer, José Silva is responsible for growing the Group’s luxury portfolio through international expansion overseeing the next phase of dynamic growth whilst building on Jumeirah’s extraordinary success over the past two decades, driving the company to a new era in luxury. Currently Jumeirah Group has 25 properties across 8 countries, with 50% of the portfolio located outside of the United Arab Emirates including hotels in London, Capri, Mallorca, and then Shanghai, Nanjing, and Guangzhou in China.

He has enabled Jumeirah Group to weather the greatest economic storm of the 21st century (COVID-19) and has already broken historical performance records for Jumeirah Group throughout its 25-year history in Q1 of 2022. This has been achieved through restructuring the organisation, prioritising equal representation of women across the business, investment in talent and realignment of roles to foster a more agile business that can respond to the changing market and consumer dynamics, and identifying opportune moments to invest in product and guest experiences to expand the brand offering, delivering strong financial and reputational results

With his eyes firmly set on establishing Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts as a globally recognised luxury hotel brand operating in the pure luxury segment, José Silva continues to be the driving force behind Jumeirah Group’s growth into key cities and destinations around the world.

Yigit Sezgin

Chief commercial officer – india, turkey middle east & africa, accor.

Yigit Sezgin has lived around the globe in 8 cities during the last 25 years and held senior executive roles in multinational companies such as Hilton, Ritz Carlton and Radisson Hotel Group. In his last role as CEO of BLG Capital he managed a portfolio of luxury and lifestyle real estate and hospitality developments such as Aman Resorts, Peninsula Hotel, Soho House, W Istanbul, Ritz Carlton & Mandarin Oriental Residences, Galata Port. He holds a wide range of successful achievements and a proven track record especially in Emerging Markets with strong experience in M&A, integrations, leadership, strategic marketing, brand management, commercial performance and business development. In his current role as the Chief Commercial Officer at Accor Hospitality, he oversees a portfolio of 42 Brands in 41 countries in charge of all Commercial Functions, Mergers & Acquisitions, lifestyle platform and Integrations.

Over the past 3 years of him being Chief Commercial Officer, Yigit has led the commercial activities to achieve a growth of +7 points in RGI for the region, and under his leadership, PR activities have led to an overall coverage of over 10,000 features for the region which has resulted in more than 6.9 Billion views YTD 2022, especially leading in the Middle East & Africa against its main competitors.

He has also led a number of projects namely: The integration of Turkey and India into the Middle East and Africa region in 2021 adding more than 100 properties to the existing portfolio; the integration of Rixos brand global management under his leadership into the Dubai IMEA office; launch of ALL – Accor Live Limitless; creation and launch of Kitch In in 2021; and the launch of the All Inclusive Platform following the success of the Rixos Brand.

Yigit holds a Master’s Degree from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management, from Bosphorus University in Istanbul.

Monther Darwish

Founder and managing director, palazzo hospitality.

Over the last years, Palazzo Versace Dubai’s managing director Monther Darwish put the property on the map, coming up with innovative campaigns aimed at increasing occupancy and revenue. As a result, the property had one of the highest occupancies amongst city resorts in 2021/2022.

July 2022 set a milestone for the businessman, who launched Palazzo Hospitality, a new management company for luxury hotels, residential buildings and lifestyle brands that aims to reinvent the world of personalised luxury. Leveraging on the trusted expertise of a team of hospitality experts, Palazzo Hospitality will bring to the market a diverse range hotel brands, from ultra-luxury beach resorts to business and art properties. Founded by Monther Darwish, the company is dedicated to building world-class hospitality products.

The launch of Palazzo Hospitality comes after the success of the ultra-luxury hotel in Jaddaf Waterfront, which has witnessed an immense success due to the market positioning through different campaigns and new business products, like the e-commerce platform aimed to offer guests the ease to purchase an experience at Palazzo Versace Dubai.

The hotel’s e-commerce platform has generated millions in revenue. Darwish says: “Being an independent property gives you the freedom to experiment and that’s the beauty of Palazzo Versace Dubai. We’re free to throw into the market any crazy idea and our audience just likes how unique we are. We’ve been thinking outside the hospitality box for a while, bringing in new initiatives and projects that haven’t been implemented anywhere else in the industry. Our ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ idea was a tactic to attract younger guests, the new generation who like to experience luxury with ease of purchase”.

Palazzo Versace Dubai was also the first property to introduce a bidding platform for stays, while the F&B segment continued to be a focus for the property. F&B revenue increased, too, as Palazzo Versace Dubai came up with unique concepts that proved to be successful among UAE residents. The ‘Into the Jungle brunch’ at Giardino, Palazzo Versace Dubai’s all-day dining restaurant, was a concept focused on child-friendly activities and a great F&B offering. It has been fully booked every Friday since it launched in July 2020.

In 2022, the hotel revisited its strategies and formulated new ones to continue to bring in guests and stay above its competitors.

David Allan

Cluster general manager, radisson hotel group.

David has an ability to inspire and lead his team while continuing to fight at the forefront and his capability to communicate and comfort the owners and external stakeholders are only some of the traits where David differs distinctly from many of his contemporaries. Despite the challenging times, the hotels have been able to sustain a retention rate of over 90%, demonstrating the loyalty to his team and their commitment to each other. Everyone in the team has been a big part of supporting the wellbeing of others amidst the social distancing. From keeping the team healthy and fit by organising isolated fitness regimes, fun runs, or simply coming up with new ways of entertainment such as stay-home hobbies, story sharing, or cooking ideas, David was committed to supporting everyone’s mental wellbeing. Looking back, the teams have not only made it through 2020 with a smile, but they have also been able to achieve budget and forecast on the second half of 2020, a remarkable achievement given the circumstances. Looking at the financials for 2021, the hotels are in line with their forecast and ahead of budget for the first 6 months. His colleagues and team members will assure you; David is not only someone who lives and breathes hospitality, he is a true leader that does not only take care of business continuity but also understands what is required to meet the expectations of stakeholders, employees, and communities. “David is a highly gifted and very experienced General Manager who has not only coped with the arduous challenges of opening three full service hotels in three years, whilst continuing to manage all of them, but has successfully navigated a way through the pandemic growing market share, maintaining high levels of guest satisfaction and exceeding financial expectations. Whilst David has numerous achievements to be proud of, including being the first hotel to organise a vaccination day with DHA, he is most proud of not making any employees redundant despite the challenges of the pandemic, speaks volumes about his character”, said Bert Fol, Regional Director Arabian Peninsula & East Africa, Radisson Hotel Group.

Taking the lead for three hotel openings with total 1046 rooms within 4 years, in a competitive market, wasn’t tough enough, the biggest challenge has been the uncertainty of the past 16 months. Throughout the past year, the tourism and hospitality industry has very evidently been impacted by the crisis, leading to most hotels across the globe choosing to temporarily close due to low occupancy or restrictions. There is no doubt that this has been a difficult time for everyone, but no matter the circumstances, David would always try to emit calmness, underlining his commitment to his team, ensuring everyone’s wellbeing comes first while refusing to compromise on anyone’s job security. David did not only manage to retain all 369 team members across the three hotels, despite the very difficult cash flow situation that the hotels went through during the pandemic, he also secured business during the hard-hit period of the strict lockdowns and travel restrictions, by working closely with the Dubai Healthcare departments and offering support. Whilst many hesitated, David, recognised early that this new kind of business would help them to survive and get through the most difficult months. While the first weeks of lockdown and COVID-19 landscape and more than 700 repatriate stays, the teams had to learn to fully adapt. Between PPE equipment, strict hygiene measures, and self-isolating repatriates, David made sure to stay close to his team, while supporting and supervising them on this honourable journey. From controlling expenses, repurposing the hotel for essential service use, and temporary closure of another, David has had many factors to consider, but never forgot his responsibility towards his team members. Throughout the lockdown, David didn’t step foot out of the hotel, ensuring that his teams were looked after and never shied from questions. He made it a point to address all concerns as much as possible through personal interactions at the hotel as well as weekly newsletters. On the top of the agenda; transparency and support. Although the hospitality industry has had one of its most difficult years in terms of cash flow, David had made it his priority to support those with financial concerns be it rent or other commitments, through temporary accommodation in one of the hotels or financial support where possible. In terms of revenue results the grou had a record breaking profit conversion of 19.7 Million, a great achievement which could only be realised by a great team working under an exceptional leader.

Artashes Avetisyan

Founder and ceo golden group.

Artashes Avetisyan is an experienced Chief Executive Officer with a demonstrated history of working in the hospitality industry. Skilled in business planning, management, hospitality management, customer service, and strategic planning. He is a strong business development professional graduated from Yerevan State University and Public Administration Academy.

The Golden Group has become one of the leading groups in hospitality in Armenia. It was established in 2000 and now owns 2 hotels in the Republic of Armenia; Golden Palace Hotel Yerevan, with 36 luxury suites; and Radisson Blu Hotel Yerevan, with 142 rooms and suites. Both hotels have a 5-star classification according to the international classification standards.

In addition to the luxurious outlets, exceptional design, and two exceptional locations, the welcoming service completes the picture. The group staff do their best to provide excellent service and meet guests’ expectations, making their stay memorable and delightful under the leadership of Artashes. Artashes’ main mission for the group was to put hospitality service at the highest level in Armenia in order to provide guests with exceptional customer service and memorable experiences, that results in welcoming the guests back on another wonderful occasion, which he has been able to successful achieve in a short space of time.

In addition, Artashes has also founded 3A Hotel Management Company, which handles the entire operational management of the hotel, starting from pre-opening and beyond.

The ideology of his vision is to continue to apply and set the highest standards of service quality and, in that way, justify and uphold the reputation that he has among guests, partners, competitors, and the wider community. Artashes looks forward to embracing the changes that modern life brings and become more attractive in the market and more interesting to guests and partners. It’s no coincidence that the group has been repeatedly recognised as the regions guest’s choice. The Golden Group is continually growing and doing its best to make the hospitality industry in Armenia even more fascinating.

Bill Keffer

Cluster general manager, jw marriott marquis dubai and dubai marriott harbour hotel & suites.

Bill Keffer is the Cluster General Manager of Dubai Marriott Harbour Hotel & Suites and the iconic JW Marriott Marquis Dubai, a flagship of the JW Marriott Brand that opened in 2012 as the world’s tallest hotel. Bill is leading the hotel team of over 1,000 associates and more than 50 nationalities and is responsible for every aspect of this 1,608-room landmark, having already led the team to significant operational success.

Hailing from the Southern state of Tennessee in the US, Keffer has held managerial positions with Marriott International for over 25 years. Beginning his career in the Four Seasons Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, Keffer joined Marriott International in his home state of Tennessee sometime later, followed by positions in Florida and New York. In 2000, Keffer decided on a move to Asia and spent two years in Japan as the Food and Beverage Director of the Renaissance Hotel, Sapporo, followed by three years in South Korea as Director of Operations in the JW Marriott, Seoul. 2005 he saw a move to Europe taking on the role of Area Director of Operations in the United Kingdom and Ireland until 2009, when he came to the UAE as General Manager of Marriott Dubai Harbour Hotel and Suites. Throughout his career, Keffer has been the recipient of several prestigious awards including Continent General Manager of the Year 2012, Continent Hotel of the Year 2011, Global Hotel of the Year for 2011, three individual recognitions for Leadership and Engagement Excellence between 2010 and 2012, Food and Beverage Excellence in 2011, Operational Excellence in Asia Pacific Region 2005 and a special award for ‘Investor in People’ in Middle East and Africa, 2011. In his past assignments he was actively engaged in local community projects and business councils, winning a “Contribution to Culture” award in the Marriott Business Council and “Spirit to Serve” Community award in Dubai. With career spanned over 2.5 decades and counting, served in three continents for multiple owners and at the iconic properties backed with numerous awards and accolades, Bill’s committed and dedication to the industry is truly legendary.

Bill’s wealth of experience in the industry allowed him to lead the iconic 1,608 key hotel through the pandemic without having to close the hotel doors, a feat which was unachievable by many hotels across the globe, especially one of this size. Regarding revenue generation, Bill and his team adapted the hotel’s sales strategy during the pandemic, diversifying into long stay business for the hotel as well as reaching out to new markets, such as Israel. These new strategies helped maintain and support the business during the tough times and into 2021 helped drive more demand leading the hotel to achieve budget year to date. His kind and friendly demeanour combined with charismatic personality makes him approachable and well-trusted by his team which is reflected in the Associate Engagement results in 2021 where the hotel achieved 90% Engagement. And like a true mentor, Bill was overjoyed when promoting Nick Patmore (ex. Food & Beverages Director) to Hotel Manager last year. Nick’s promotion was a result of F&B exceeding its budget by 5 % in 2021, a huge achievement following a year where the hospitality and F&B industry were badly hit, helping for a speedy recovery for the hotel. If you were to ask Bill to pinpoint his favourite achievements, the avid animal lover would shout out the cat shelter project he has been part of lately. Teaming up with associates from the hotel, the group is facilitating over 25 stray cats at the staff accommodation in Ras Al Khor where our furry friends are well looked after.

Christophe Schnyder

Managing director, sofitel dubai the palm.

Christophe Schnyder is a seasoned leader within the hospitality industry, with over 30 years of experience that spans across several iconic hotels around the globe, spending the last 20 years in Dubai, UAE. His personality exudes passion and drive to deliver results through his team. Christophe is well recognised in the industry for his innate ability to develop strong performing teams through empowerment and deep trust, with several of his direct reports moving on to become senior leaders and general managers within the industry. During his illustrious career, Christophe spearheaded several high-profile openings including the iconic Burj Al Arab, Jumeirah Al Qasr & Dar Al Masyaf, and more recently Sofitel Dubai The Palm. His eye for detail and drive for success is acutely tangible in the success story each of these hotels have been since day one. Under Christophe’s leadership, Sofitel Dubai The Palm has established itself as the flagship Dubai property for the Sofitel brand and Accor, which continues to shine as an exceptionally profitable asset since its opening in 2013. He is a true reflection of the brand, which radiates modern luxury celebrating the most sophisticated living. Hard work and passion have led Christophe to where he is today, but he translated it with being personable towards his team, individually recognising and rewarding his team members for excellence.

With a keen on eye on customer experience Christophe worked closely with the owning company to drive profitable long-term investment into the hotel that will continue to enhance the guest experience in an ever evolving Dubai hospitality scene.

Christophe is a visionary leader that understands the importance technology plays in the future of hospitality and in the customer journey. He quickly embraced the digital transformation of the hospitality industry and enabled the hotel to swiftly integrate two technologies that helped drive incremental revenue and improve customer journey.

Slim Zaiane

General manager, kempinski hotel mall of the emirates.

A hospitality veteran of more than 20 years, Slim Zaiane’s career path has taken him from Geneva to London to Dubai in senior management roles with several luxury hotel brands. In order of keeping this exciting and challenging, his day-to-day role involves being around guests and overseeing the hotel’s operations, logistics, management, and team. He thrives in achieving excellence in both guest and employee satisfaction and enjoys being extremely hands-on in all areas of the hotel to achieve the highest level of service. The most challenging part of this role is to make sure all my colleagues are appreciated in the same manner and to constantly improve and provide a healthy work environment while maintaining a work-life balance.

Slim’s leadership is responsible for launching of the newly open SPA and other hotel outlets. As well as the strong CSR activities which include: supporting constantly the local community by generating funds during the stollen event to be donated; the funds raised to support the Red Crescent and Senses residential care; supporting the medical hospital crew during Covid by extending free meals for the them to support them during the peak time of the pandemic; and supporting various local school charities.

The hotel saw a RevPAR growth of 79% in 2021 despite the difficult market conditions, enhanced quality scores are at the highest for the last 10 years. He has also successfully positioned the hotel as one of the top luxurious leisure destinations in Dubai, winning different hotel and general manager international awards. Achieving LEED platinum accreditation for the hotel and supporting ALUMNIs from different international hotel management schools to integrate the hotel industry once newly graduated is one of Slim’s priorities, along with ongoing mentoring and development plans to the senior management team resulting in reducing turnover.

Naim Maadad

Chief executive & founder, gates hospitality.

With over 39 years in the hospitality world across Australia, Asia, & the Middle East in various senior management roles, Naim has launched and operated some of the world’s best Hotels, Resorts, Spas & Lifestyle Food & Beverage Concepts. Naim’s career has exposed him to some of the best properties around the world and he has been fortunate to partake and orchestrate several amazing openings and operations. In 2010, Naim established “Gates Hospitality” a homegrown Hospitality Company representing handpicked Concepts catering for the affluent life-stylers. Gates Hospitality, the owning company of well-known homegrown brands such as Ultra Brasserie, the internationally acclaimed concept; Reform Social & Grill Dubai, Folly, as well as Publique, Dubai’s premier “Apres Ski chalet”, Bistro Des Arts, Six Senses Zighy Bay and Red Farm London at Covent Garden London.

Covering a wide spectrum of positions within senior leadership, including the role of Managing Director for both Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas and The Anantara Group respectively. During his time with these exclusive properties, Naim was instrumental in nurturing sound relationships with owners, securing the best possible locations, negotiating, and formalising contractual agreements, and appointing teams to infuse and reflect the ethos of the brands. Being based in the Middle East over the past 20 years, Naim has witnessed tremendous industry growth, gained a deep cultural understanding and has been endorsed by principals and organisations alike. He has also achieved a selection of awards from reputable publications and organizations recently including ‘Hospitality Entrepreneur of the year’ at the Leaders in Hospitality Awards by Hotel & Catering in March 2022, a Gold ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ award in December 2021 as well as ‘F&B Heavyweight’ at the Leaders in Hospitality Awards by Hotel & Catering in November 2021.

Rabih Fakhreddine

Founder and ceo, 7 management.

2021 has been a grand year for 7 Management with CEO Rabih Fakhreddine firmly at the helm, leveraging every possible opportunity and fearlessly taking the year by storm. A key player in the industry, Fakhreddine has amplified the nightlife landscape in the region with 7 phenomenal launches under his belt. While many were proceeding with caution, Fakhreddine was trailblazing with perseverance, determination, and unparalleled enthusiasm. Fakhreddine was the visionary behind several concepts that helped cement Dubai’s global dining and nightlife reputation, by introducing famous Beirut exports such as Seven Sisters, Antika Bar, BO18 DXB, February 30, and Cafe Beirut to the UAE market. Additionally homegrown concepts such as The Theater and Lucia’s that have already proved ground-breaking players within the regional landscape. Recognised as an entertainment leader in the region, 2021 has honed and elevated Fakhreddine’s ability to envision, conceptualise, and create aspirational brands that strike the balance of experiential excellence, thrilling entertainment, and a quality culinary offering. 2021 was the year that Fakhreddine kept his finger firmly on the pulse of this ever-evolving city, whilst also setting his sights further afield. Fakhreddine enhanced the nightlife scene in both KSA and Qatar with the successful launch of Antika Bar. Hailing from Lebanon, Fakhreddine has always been a visionary at heart. Working for many years in the corporate world he knew that his true passion lay on the other side of his comfort zone. With an absolute passion for the hospitality industry, he created 7 Management that has gone from strength to strength in 2021, with plenty of robust expansion plans on the horizon. 7 Management has tapped into the explosive power of this sector, resulting in a new payment option, where clients can pay with cryptocurrencies at all the Food and Beverages outlets.

Timothy Kelly

Executive vice president and managing director atlantis resorts and residences.

Timothy Kelly, the Executive Vice President and Managing Director of Atlantis Resorts and Residences has grown the business from strength to strength after coming on board in November 2017. Although he has seen many successes over the years, these are a few of the most recent achievements to date: He successfully navigated Atlantis, The Palm through some of the most challenging years in hospitality history, not only to survive but to thrive, resulting in 2021 being the best year financially for the company since opening in 2008 (whilst also caring for over 3,000 colleagues).

Tim is not only leading the way for resorts in the Middle East but creating a product that is game changing on a global scale. During the pandemic, Tim took the move to embark on the world’s largest waterpark expansion and increased the waterpark by a third, so that with an additional tower and 28 new rides and attractions, we’re now home to the largest waterpark in the world offering over 105 different experiences to our guests. He also shook up the entertainment sector by bringing a slice of Ibiza to Dubai with Palmarama at WHITE Beach – a first of its kind partnership that had never happened before in the region that brought world class entertainment to the city in the middle of the pandemic in a responsible way.

2020 was a wonderful opportunity for Atlantis to give back to the community from a social standpoint and had the opportunity to do so in the partnership with the world-renowned artist Sacha Jafri. For over six months, Tim donated the space for Sacha to create the world’s largest canvas which was sold at a glittering auction at the resort for a staggering $62 million, raising money for children in need across the globe. This also achieved the Guinness World Record for the world’s largest painting.

In June 2021, Atlantis, The Palm announced its commitment to do business in ways that are good for both people and the planet with the resort’s first sustainability initiative Atlantis Atlas Project.

Tim is considered a hospitality heavyweight not only for his achievements, but mostly for his visionary leadership to helm not only one of Dubai’s, but one of the world’s leading entertainment destination resorts.

Guy Hutchinson

President & ceo, rotana hotel management company psjc.

Strategic, engaged and result driven, Guy Hutchinson is responsible for developing and executing the strategic direction of Rotana and devising and implementing short- and long-term strategies to help the company realise its expansion plans. In addition, he provides executive oversight of all aspects of Rotana’s day-to-day operations. Spearheading the company’s expansion, Hutchinson led the introduction of 28 new hotels across 13 markets, launched a franchise model for the Group and oversaw the opening of new Global Sales offices in Paris, Milan, Amsterdam, and Istanbul to drive business from these key markets. Furthermore, he spearheaded the launch of a new brand at the recent ATM, Edge by Rotana, to complement our existing portfolio of products.

Hutchinson joined Rotana’s feted executive team with prestigious recognition of his own. The international hotelier’s career is notable for its creative leadership and his success in change management, repositioning, and building high performing teams.

Rotana has achieved a number of milestones as it continued its tenacious expansion over the past 12 months. The leading hospitality group has signed seven hotels last year, which include its expansion in Qatar and signings in Egypt.

In 2021 Guy Hutchinson continued to spearhead the management of the pandemic across the Rotana portfolio, swiftly instigating several successful measures, some of which include the Rotana Safe Space Program that remains today. His quick thinking and bold efforts in the initial stages of the pandemic mitigated the impact on the overall business and his team, and soon pushed the hotels into a commercial recovery phase

Panos Panagis

General manager of hormuz grand muscat, a radisson collection hotel and district director, radisson hotel group, oman.

Panos Panagis is a highly creative, detail oriented leader with a strong work ethic and passion for his job, he likes to challenge himself daily, whether it be cultivating his skills or developing talent in the Industry. He is dedicated, committed, compassionate and, more importantly, a man with vision and wealth of knowledge. His innovative strategies demonstrate his commitment to ensure high levels of productivity and resource efficiency. He continues to priorities health and safety of guests and staff. His’ primary focus is to deliver a personalised and engaging luxury experience by combining distinctive characters of Oman’s local culture with his international experience. He has implemented various organisational changes to make business agile and adaptive to the current market trends, while maintaining and creating long-lasting relationships with partners and guests. Panos’ overall character makes him a role model for young hoteliers and a leader in the hospitality industry. One of his greatest passions is mentoring young leaders; empowering them within his team and across the company so that they can grow professionally and achieve their goals.

His passion and expertise in the hospitality industry is unmatched; he is truly a one-of-a-kind leader. In the hospitality industry, Panos demonstrated excellent leadership, robust resilience, and unwavering determination to deliver results during the most challenging market conditions. In addition to working as GM at Hormuz Grand Muscat, A Radisson Collection Hotel, one of the most iconic properties in the capital, Panos Panagis’ contributions to Radisson Hotel Group extend far beyond one five-star luxury hotel with 231 rooms. During his tenure at Hormuz Grand Muscat, Panos led his team to achieve several awards, including World Luxury Hotel & Restaurant Awards for ‘Luxury Hotel in Oman & Luxury Restaurant in Oman’. During the pandemic, Panos and his team adapted the hotel’s sales strategy, diversifying into long-stay business and targeting the domestic market with staycation and food and beverage offers, which helped maintain business. Captains led by example, so he ensured that no job was too small, ensuring support for all departments.

Adib Moukheiber

Ceo, zaya hospitality.

Adib Moukheiber is best known for his time leading one of the region’s most private and luxurious hospitality projects in the world, Zaya Nurai Island. As the former head of the ultra-luxury boutique Zaya Nurai Island, Moukheiber is no stranger to welcoming the most discerning UAE residents, as well as celebrities.

With a BA in Hotel and Tourism Management from Notre Dame University, Adib joined Zaya Nurai Island, Abu Dhabi in 2016 as the General Manager prior to this he was the Director of Sales for the Middle East and GCC at Hotel President Wilson (Starwood Luxury Collection) Geneva, Switzerland. During his time at Zaya Nurai Island he achieved great success in terms of revenue and worldwide recognition and managed to generate strong performance during COVID in 2020 and 2021 before assuming his current role as CEO of Zaya Hospitality where he leads the organisation to new heights with his vast experience and leadership skills.

Aloki Batra

Ceo, five hospitality.

Aloki Batra has been aptly referred to as ‘Mr Brightside’ for his perennially optimistic approach to leadership at the world-famous FIVE Hotels and Resorts, (which includes the iconic FIVE Palm Jumeirah and Instagram favourite FIVE Jumeirah Village, FIVE Zurich and FIVE LUXE, JBR). With an innovative spin on traditionally relied upon approaches and an out of the box philosophy that has yielded stratospheric results – including rapidly selling out all of FIVE Palm Jumeirah’s luxury residences for approximately US$400mn, Aloki has helped create a brand value for FIVE Hotels and Resorts that enjoys over 60% of all its bookings coming in directly through FIVE’s very own proprietary website/reservations teams. All-in-all Aloki’s marketing prowess has resulted in FIVE Hotels and Resorts in Dubai successfully welcoming over 3.79mn guests of over 192 nationalities to FIVE’s award-winning F&B venues and over 4000 events with over 360 top DJs in 1,784 days. Two FIVE Hotels have been ranked #1 with occupancy rates of over 95% and a TrevPAR that is 253% higher than its competitive set. FIVE Jumeirah Village is the most reviewed hotel on Booking.com with over 30,000 reviews with a rating of 9.

The imaginative powerhouse behind hugely successful homegrown concepts such Dubai’s iconic rooftop nightlife destination, The Penthouse, chic Italian luxury haute spot, Cinque and gourmet MSG-free Chinese favourite, Maiden Shanghai at FIVE Palm Jumeirah along with award-winning immersive street-food dining experience serving all your food-cart favourites from every delicious corner of the world, Soul Street. He has completely conceptualised and executed in-house, FIVE’s award-winning array of venues – each of which enhances the seductive appeal of the FIVE Vibe.

Looking ahead, Aloki plans to continue to evolve and encourage pioneering strategies at FIVE Zurich and capitalise on its’ already established key markets. He continues to lead FIVE’s portfolio, focusing on dynamic growth and bringing even more luxury lifestyle concepts to life.

Antonio Gonzalez

Ceo, sunset hospitality group.

Sunset Hospitality Group was founded in 2011 by Antonio Gonzalez with a vision to create unique experiences around the world through a diverse mix of hospitality concepts.

Under Antonio Gonzalez’s leadership, Sunset Hospitality Group (SHG) achieved excellent results, with overall business growing massively, making it one of the UAE’s most reputable hospitality investment and management companies. For the last 13 years, he has worked tirelessly to introduce new hospitality concepts that bring people together to create memorable experiences. As a result, the Group is now present in 9 countries across 26 brands with a proven record in delivering a blend of high-quality services at exceptional locations.

In 2021, Sunset introduced ten new brands, including SUSHISAMBA, Aura Skypool Lounge, METT Hotels and Resorts, Isola Ristorante Italiano, Folie Restaurant & Sea, and RAISE Fitness & Wellness, taking its portfolio to over 30 venues. The Group received 25 awards and nominations from the industry’s award-giving bodies. Sunset welcomed the year 2022 with the opening of DREAM, a dinner and show concept that received amazing reviews from guests and the media worldwide. It was followed by L’Amo Bistro Del Mare, which was rated One Toque by Gault&Millau Guide.

The Group is expanding regionally and internationally, with the Black Tap burger joint entering Riyadh in June of 2022, while METT Hotels & Resorts, with its first hotel in Bodrum, is eyeing new locations in other parts of the globe. New concepts opening in the next few months are Mott 32, a luxury Chinese restaurant originally from Hong Kong, in Address Beach Resort, and ATTIKO, a signature outlet for guests looking to unwind and celebrate, opening in W Hotel Mina Seyahi.

Celebrating its first ten years in 2022, SHG aims to reach over 50 operating venues in 14 countries and will continue to expand with a robust pipeline of new openings for 2023 and beyond, not only in the Middle East but also in Spain, Italy, Greece, and Morocco, to name a few, confirming its status as the leader in hospitality management in the UAE.

Paul Bridger

Chief operating officer, rove hotels.

Paul Bridger, a British National is a proven hospitality leader with more than two decades of diverse experience across Europe, Middle East and Asia, Paul Bridger is the Chief Operating Officer of Rove Hotels, the smart, new value hospitality brand created as a joint venture between Emaar Hospitality Group and Meraas Holding. His journey with Rove Hotels started in 2016 at the brands first opening and he has been overseeing the initiation, planning, and achievement of the brands objectives since.

Paul Bridger has led Rove hotels since its first opening in Downtown Dubai. The brand has carved out a new niche in the region’s hospitality scene for its fuss free service, unique approach, and quick growth. In the past 12 months the group has continued to go from strength to strength, with new openings and signings in prime locations and further unique twists on the region’s hospitality scene.

As the Head Rovester, Paul has always laid a keen focus on guest satisfaction. A testament to all these efforts is shown via a quick search on one of the OTA sites or TripAdvisor, with the Rove Hotels consistently occupying the top spots in their category. TripAdvisor recognised some of the brand’s hotels as ‘best of the best’ (TOP 1% Worldwide), and Hotels.com have recognised them through the ‘Loved by Guests’ Awards 2021. Other recognition has been in the Leaders in Hospitality Awards 2021’s and LIV Hospitality Design Awards ‘Interior Design Hotel’, to name a few.

Jochem-Jan Sleiffer

President, middle east, africa & türkiye, hilton.

In his current role, Jochem-Jan is responsible for Hilton’s portfolio of hotels in the Middle East, Africa & Türkiye, where Hilton has more than 170 hotels across eight market-leading brands and more than 29,000 Team Members. Under his leadership, Hilton’s portfolio in the region will more than double in the coming 3-5 years, with 180 hotels in its development pipeline across luxury, full-service and the mid-market brands.

Under Jochem-Jan Sleiffer’s leadership, Hilton is ushering in a new golden age of travel in the region – as the industry recovery continues to gather pace around the world. With a proven strategy focused on workplace culture, ESG and growth, achievements include: Team Members voted Hilton in the top 4 Best Workplaces in the UAE and KSA in 2022 – making it the top-ranked hospitality company in both markets. Hilton will continue to focus on creating a fantastic workplace culture for its teams – and be a welcoming place to work for all. In June 2022, Hilton partnered with Bunyan for Training, a local affiliate of Swiss hospitality management school Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne, to train young Saudi talent willing to enter the industry. Hilton has partnered with organisations such as the SEDRA Foundation in the UAE – and such partnerships will continue to grow under the leadership of Jochem-Jan with a major part of his leadership focused on creating opportunity for People of Determination. Jochem-Jan works closely with the Dubai Executive Council – acting as a representative of the hospitality sector to advise on and promote inclusion of People of Determination in the industry.

Giacomo Puntel

Resort manager, anantara the world islands dubai resort.

For the last 6 years and even during the most challenging year of recent times, the pandemic during 2020, Giacomo has managed to deliver a profit year after year through leading by example and always pushing boundaries to achieve the impossible. Giacomo’s engagement with guests and team members alike are unique and personal. The term “engagement” has somewhat staled, but here it means showing genuine interest in the success of the organisation and for each individual team member. Giacomo’s leadership style prides itself on the notion that, interested and engaged people do not multitask, fidget with their smartphones, or otherwise dilute their attention and participation during interactions and meetings. Giacomo actively listens, proactively comments on other contributions and offers constructive feedback or insights to other queries. Giacomo is solution-focused with those relying on him. Giacomo gracefully frames his contributions and feedback in a constructive and supportive manner, which typically has a positive effect on others. For Giacomo, leadership charisma does not mean being “larger than life,” a “dynamic speaker,” or having a strong “executive presence.” Rather, Giacomo fundamentally stands out in his ability to focus on others and not on himself. This “service to others” is at the core of his genuine charisma, it is inspirational in his messages and his ability to bring people together to realise a common goal and share in that success. Giacomo’s charisma coupled with substance and empathy makes him a very powerful asset to the organisation. He has over 26 years of experience. Inspired by his passion for wines and food from the start of his career, his priority has always been to ensure that his team and his customers are always satisfied.

Over the years Giacomo has increased profitability for the hotel and his latest achievement is the successful opening of the only resort located in The World Islands archipelago, Anantara World Islands Dubai Resort, on 18th December 202.

Panos Loupasis

Vice president development, middle east, eurasia and africa at wyndham hotels & resorts.

As the Vice President of Development, Middle East, Eurasia and Africa at Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Panos Loupasis has overseen a number of important developments in the region for the brand. In particular, Panos was at the forefront for the significant growth across the MEA market over 2021, including the signing of eight hotels with a total of 1,279 rooms as well as the opening of five hotels and 809 rooms.

As a key member of the Wyndham’s leadership team, Panos supports the brand’s focus on the recovery and growth in a new era of travel post pandemic. At the forefront of development for the hotel group, Panos has personally signed up to 60 opportunities over his time at Wyndham, with the latest including the largest Tryp hotel with 672 rooms when signed and Wyndham Dubai Marina at 497 rooms.

Professionally, Panos is passionate about advancing the GCC tourism sector and has contributed his expertise, as a member of the advisory board for the AHIC (Arabian Hotel Investment Conference) and the AHIF (African Hotel Investment Forum). By working with partners – from governments to airlines, tour operators to franchisees – Panos, alongside the Wyndham team, continue to rebuild confidence in tourism, as people begin to explore once again in this new era of travel.

Bani Haddad

Founder and managing director, aleph hospitality.

In 2015, Bani Haddad founded Aleph Hospitality, a leading independent hotel management company, working for hotel owners in the Middle East and Africa to maximise their assets. In contrast to traditional hotel management models in the region, Aleph Hospitality manages hotels directly for owners, either on a franchise basis for branded properties or as a white label operator for independently branded hotels.

Introducing the 3rd party management model to the region was quite a pioneering move by Bani seven years ago and it remains his legacy to hospitality in this part of the world. In seven short years, Bani Haddad has taken the hotel management portfolio to 12 operating hotels, 947 keys, and 12 signed hotels in the pipeline, 2,000 keys, in the following countries: UAE, Lebanon , Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Monrovia, Cameroon, and Ghana. In addition, Bani has established preferred partner status with leading hotel brands, including Marriott, Hilton, and Hyatt. Aleph Hospitality has earmarked a portfolio of 50 hotels in the Middle East and Africa by 2026. Bani’s hands-on and human leadership style has remained consistent, and Aleph’s company culture of empowerment has made it an attractive employer, with a hotel employee turnover below 5%.

Prior to founding Aleph, Bani successfully developed, launched and managed several major international hotel brands. As Regional Vice President Middle East & Africa for Wyndham Hotel Group, Bani grew the portfolio from six hotels to 49 operational hotels and 20+ under development, developed five new brands and expanded the company’s portfolio to the African continent. From fundraising and developing 40 Holiday Inn Express hotels in the GCC at Hospitality Management Services and setting up HMS as an independent hotel management company to pre- and post-opening operations at Starwood and Disneyland Resort Paris, Bani has first-hand experience in virtually every aspect of hotel management. Under Ban Haddad’s visionary guidance, Aleph Hospitality almost doubled its revenues over the past 12 months driven by the group’s portfolio expansion.

Fathi Khogaly

Area vice president & cluster general manager, grand hyatt dubai.

In January 2006, Fathi Khogaly became the Resident Manager at the Galleria complex at Hyatt Regency Dubai, where his main goal was to rejuvenate the residence and the shops at the Galleria. This was successfully done, where the outcomes were quite remarkable. These steppingstones simply laid the foundations, and later brought him to being appointed as the Hotel Manager in 2007 and 2009, and later General Manager in 2013 and 2016 of each property respectively.

By 2022, Fathi Khogaly added to Grand Hyatt Dubai’s extensive fleet of facilities. This included an Entertainment-plex, known as the Megaplex, which consists of Tiger Jax, a sports bar with an arcade and bowling alley; Primi by Panini, an extension to the hotel’s flagship delicatessen, Panini, and Roli Poli, a brand-new Kids Playground for all the little ones. Another key addition was orchestrating the opening of Grand Hyatt Dubai’s latest MICE venue – The Grand Hyatt Dubai Conference & Exhibition Centre. This blockbuster expansion project has added over 5000 sqm of state-of-the-art events space, and features a new exhibition hall, a pre-function area, a VIP majlis, and 2 levels of exclusive parking. Built in record time, Grand Hyatt Dubai’s Conference & Exhibition Centre was designed specifically to become one of the most renowned events, conference and exhibition venues within the destination.

Fathi Khogaly and Hyatt Hotels proved to be the complete match with their genuine common ideologies and beliefs, primarily being about care, which was also the epitome of Hyatt’s purpose– we care for people so they can be their best.

During his tenure, he continues to demonstrate in many ways how he cares for people, most notably how he cares for the associates that work with him.

Head of Emaar Hospitality, Emaar Hospitality

Mark Kirby began his journey with Emaar Hospitality Group in 2014 as Hotel Manager of the prestigious Armani Hotel Dubai and subsequently rose to the position of General Manager. Under his leadership, the hotel achieved widespread global awards including 27 service-related accolades in 2018. Moving forward with an appointment as Area General Manager, he managed the Group’s iconic flagship hotel, Address Downtown, as well as other Downtown Hotels in the Group’s portfolio, such as Address Fountain Views, Address Sky View, Palace Downtown and Vida Downtown Residences, before assuming his current role as the Head of Emaar Hospitality Group. While being a resilient force behind the success of Emaar Hospitality Group, he has been successfully expanding the group’s portfolio to key gateway cities and tourist markets internationally.

Mark pioneered the international expansion of Emaar Hospitality Group within the UAE including Address Beach Resort Fujairah and Vida Beach Resort Umm Al Quwain. He also led the successful debut of Vida Beach Resort Marassi Al-Bahrain, the first extension of Vida Hotels outside of the UAE and Address Istanbul, a hotel situated in the heart of the luxury Emaar Square on the Asian side of the city, Address Istanbul is a destination unto itself with unlimited possibilities. Mark’s involvement was instrumental in the signing of Diriyah Gate Development Authority to launch Address Hotels + Resorts within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which has allowed Emaar Hospitality Group to make its mark as one of the leading developments in the region.

He leads his team with true passion to allow growth and evolution within the industry. Popular for his approachability and willingness to mentor staff at all levels with the little details as well as critical matters, he has mentored many protégés over the years, from junior levels to those in middle management positions.

Sandeep Walia

Chief operating officer, middle east, marriott international.

Sandeep Walia is the Chief Operating Officer for Marriott International in the Middle East. With over 25 years of international experience in the hotel industry, Sandeep is currently responsible for leading the operations of Marriott’s properties in the Middle East (including Egypt and Turkey) which features over 200 operational properties and more than 100 properties in its pipeline. The company has more than 40,000 employees across its portfolio.

Sandeep took on his role as Chief Operating Officer for the Middle East mid-2021. In the last 12 months, Marriott has grown its portfolio in the region with the addition of more than 25 properties. Highlights include: Introduction of Ritz-Carlton in Jordan with The Ritz-Carlton, Amman; debut of Le Meridien in Qatar with Le Royal Meridien Doha, Residence Inn in the UAE, MEA in Qatar with Marriott Executive Apartments City Center Doha; and openings of The St. Regis Dubai, The Palm and The St. Regis Downtown Dubai and W Dubai – Mina Seyahi in the UAE.

Sandeep is passionate about the opportunity to develop the future leaders of this region’s industry. The company is committed to investing in young local talent to ensure the success of the region’s travel and tourism sector is unwavering. One of the ways the company is empowering youth is by developing the next generation of hospitality professionals through its Tahseen program – a hospitality training program that was developed by Marriott to specifically focus on fast tracking local hospitality leaders.

Vice President F&B Strategy and Development Hilton EMEA

Emma Banks is responsible for F&B strategy and development across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, a remit which spans seventy countries and supports Hilton’s trading and future pipeline of hotels. Over the course of Emma’s career, she has seamlessly transitioned from independents to large global hospitality companies. She joined Hilton in 2019 with a mission to make the company the clear leader in F&B. In a short time she has made a major impact, bringing a wealth of exceptional F&B talent into the business to build a strategic commercial platform, while being actively involved in Hilton’s various ESG initiatives.

Emma Banks’ leadership style is underpinned by assertiveness and empathy – the sweet spot that will have a person not only marching up the figurative mountain, but most importantly with hundreds of people behind them.

Emma is renowned for being a dynamic changemaker who naturally gravitates towards challenging environments, preferring to view each hurdle as an opportunity. Her prerogative has always been to surround herself with top talent and let them shine. She sees her role very clearly: to have a clear plan, underpinned by a well thought out strategy then through creating a purpose-led culture of support, encouragement and recognition watch her team flourish and watch the results come in. Emma’s success has been determined by the standards she has set for herself, walking the walk as a role model in all facets of life. A dynamic changemaker, Emma has always blazed a trail for her people and the planet in equal measure – motivated by doing the right thing because it is the right thing to do.

CEO & Founder, Gates Hospitality

With over 30 years in the hospitality world across Australia, Asia, & the Middle East in various senior management roles, Naim Maadad has launched and operated some of the world’s best hotels, resorts, s& restaurants.

His philosophy and approach is to connect likeminded investors, operators and brands to define concepts, successful portfolios and continue on shaping the hospitality industry. He is instrumental in nurturing sound relationships with owners, securing the best possible locations, negotiating, and formalising contractual agreements, and appointing teams to reflect the ethos of the brands.

Today, Naim is the CEO and Founder of Gates Hospitality, owning a range of popular and award-winning homegrown brands in Dubai, London, and Oman.He has established the company from the ground up to the empire it represents today. These brands under the umbrella of Gates Hospitality include Michelin recognised and awarded folly, internationally acclaimed concept Reform Social & Grill, Dubai’s premier apres ski chalet; Publique, an authentic French Bistro; Bistro Des Arts, homegrown healthy concept Ultra Brasserie, Red Farm London and award-winning resort and spa Six Senses in Zighy Bay.

Leading a team of 700 colleagues across Gates Hospitality, he is considered one of the industry’s most respected spokespeople, nurturing the careers of many new faces of the future.

Founder & CEO, 7 Management

A visionary at heart, with a passion for creating new experiences and concepts, Rabih stepped out of the corporate world in 2015 to follow his long-standing aspirations to achieve great things in the F&B and entertainment industry. Equipped with an unwavering vision of growth and development, he established 7 Management with its inaugural launch of Seven Sisters; a luxurious oasis of music and cuisine within the heart of Beirut. Seven Sisters acted as a catalyst for the development of the food, beverage and entertainment brands that followed shortly afterwards in Beirut, Dubai, Doha, Riyadh and Erbil. Antika, Sayf, The Theater, February 30, B018.DXB, Café Beirut, Black Flamingo and Lucia’s are just a few of the stellar homegrown creations of 7 Management with plans to expand into North America and Europe.

Winner of several awards, Rabih was named Best Nightlife Entrepreneur of the Year 2022, as well as being included in the Middle East F&B Power 50 List. He was also featured on the Hotel & Catering News, as one of the Top 30 Hospitality Heavyweights in the Middle East, being one of the region’s Top CEOs. He is a member of the Young President’s Organization UAE (YPO) – UAE Chapter and board member of the Global Smile Foundation.

Managing Partner, ADDMIND Group

When it comes to nightlife, Elie Saba, Managing Partner at ADDMIND knows what the people want.

Elie’s experience from his early days within the company led him to manage the entire day life and nightlife portfolio of ADDMIND, including WHITE Dubai and Abu Dhabi, WHITE Beach at Atlantis The Palm, Pure WHITE in Dubai Harbour, La Mezcaleria in Downtown, JBR and Abu Dhabi, Babylon in DIFC, Ria at The Palm, Bazaar in Meydan and many more. Elie’s experience and understanding of all aspects of the operation coupled with his drive, dedication, and passion for the industry have led to the success of the group.

Elie, who has been with ADDMIND for over 15 years, has played a crucial role in the company’s growth and development. With his keen business sense and innovative ideas, he has been instrumental in driving the company’s growth and expansion. Elie’s contribution to business development within the group coupled with his impressive network of contacts has helped to increase the company’s revenue and solidify ADDMIND’s position as one of the top players in the industry.

As the Managing Partner at ADDMIND, he continues to drive the company forward to even greater success in the future. His dedication to excellence and commitment to making a positive impact have earned him the respect and admiration of his peers and colleagues.

Natasha Sideris

Restauranteur, founder & ceo, tashas group.

Natasha Sideris is the maverick of the dining scene in South Africa and the UAE. Beyond that, she is a restaurateur, passionate about creating a space that has beautiful food, stunning environments, and engaging service for every guest who walks through the door. Quality and perfection are at the heart of her brand and are the core pillars behind Natasha’s success as an entrepreneur and restaurateur.

Seventeen years after opening the first tashas café, Natasha has created several formidable brands, expanded internationally, published two best-selling cookbooks, and changed the lives of thousands of team members along the way. Under her astute and passionate leadership, the group is growing from strength to strength with multiple international award-winning restaurant concepts including tashas cafés, Flamingo Room by tashas, Avli by tashas, Galaxy Bar, and the soon to open Bungalo34.

Natasha’s vision of excellence, creativity and extreme attention to detail has won her public and professional recognition. With 16 restaurants in South Africa and 9 in the United Arab Emirates, Natasha Sideris is an undisputed leader in the F&B Industry. She has developed a household name that customers have come to know intimately, where friends and family gather regularly and where quality is constant.

Umut Özkanca

Vice chairman, doğuş hospitality & retail group.

As a second-generation restauranteur, Umut has the makings of a phenomenal restauranteur in his blood. Excelling from aculinary point-of-view from the tender age of 9 to becoming the Vice Chairman of d.ream Group (Doğuş Restaurant Entertainment and Management), the largest restaurant and retail group out of Turkey, Umut’s career trajectory is an achievement in itself.

His first restaurant at the age of 24 was awarded Best Restaurant in Turkey, and through hard work and determination, his ventures collated several global accolades. Of his most recent achievements, and one closest to his heart is launching his dream project, Rüya in London. For Umut, that journey was a start to making Rüya the intersection of culture, history, and rich Anatolian cuisine with polished modernity. A passionate and driven individual with an innate vision for the F&B scene on a global scale, Umut still has some tricks to spare to impress the audience of the region with his creative culinary concepts.

Co-founder and CEO, Lavoya Group

After more than two decades in the industry, restaurant pioneer Walid Hajj took on a new challenge and co-founded the new group Lavoya in 2021. His start has been something to behold.

In the past year alone, Walid has launched three hugely popular franchises: Joe & The Juice, Dave’s Hot Chicken and Barbar and has proved once more what a savvy operator he is, continuously seeking ways to innovate and cater to developing market demands.

Lavoya’s most recent launch, Joe & The Juice, has already cemented itself in the UAE dining scene, with the first two stores in Dubai rocketing to the top of the global locations, ahead of cities such as London, New York, and Paris.

Dave’s Hot Chicken, the LA-born street food sensation, backed by celebrities Drake and Samuel Jackson also broke a global sales record in the first week of operation in both Dubai and Qatar openings.

Barbar was already an icon in Lebanon when it launched in Dubai and Riyadh, with a 45-year history to draw upon. Now, the Hessa Street flagship store and the outlet in Riyadh’s Tahlia Street, rank as the top two in the Barbar’s franchise, while the recently opened Doha branch is also making waves with the World Cup visitors.

Before establishing Lavoya, Hajj founded Cravia, one of the GCC’s leading food and hospitality groups that brought world-class franchises to the Middle East, including Zaatar W Zeit, Seattle’s Best Coffee, Cinnabon, as well as Five Guys in Saudi Arabia. Thanks to his astute vision and leadership, Five Guys in Saudi Arabia currently outperforms all the brand’s global counterparts in sales and revenue.

Today, the company’s portfolio includes over 100 franchised restaurants across the Arab-speaking world, employing more than 3,000 individuals.

From brand negotiation to achieving operational excellence, Hajj strategically directed the growth story of Cravia, from inception to its circa US$200 million acquisition in 2016.

The restaurateur possesses an intrinsic sense of the ingredients for success. He is selective about the projects he takes on and adopts a full-throttle approach in everything he does, reflected through his brands’ consistent and exponential growth. He’s able to build a loyal customer base with incredible ease, stemming from his acute understanding of what works, with a competent skill set comprising wise location identification, savvy price strategising and creative team management.

In 2023, Hajj plans to continue growing Lavoya Group. In three months, the group has grown from one store to 12 restaurants across three brands and three markets. Lavoya will end the year with 14 locations and will double that by the end of 2023. The company aims to be a 100-store operation by the end of 2024.

Antonio Gonzalez co-founded Sunset Hospitality Group (SHG) in 2011 with a vision to create unique experiences around the world through a diverse mix of hospitality concepts such as SushiSamba and Aura. Since then, he has played an integral role in the creation – from inception to launch – of more than 40 venues across nine countries. SHG has a further 20 new openings in the pipeline for before the end of 2023, including in Doha, Riyadh, Manama, and Abu Dhabi.

A Spanish national, Antonio has more than two decades of industry experience. His relationship with the Gulf and wider region started in 2006 when he was appointed general manager for Middle East and Africa at a FMCG/healthcare multinational. By 2009, he had set up Kalys Management, a management investment firm focused on hospitality projects in the region; by 2011 it had grown and evolved into Sunset Hospitality Group.

Possessing extensive knowledge of global hospitality markets;particularly that of the United States, Europe, Middle East, and Africa – Antonio has spent the past 12 years successfully creating and expanding SHG’s impressive portfolio of brands.These include METT, Black Tap, and Azure. He oversees all company operations and resources and has launched an array of high-end, themed restaurants throughout the past decade.

Rattled but robust, Antonio successfully navigated SHG through the pandemic in 2020, emerging with renewed ambition. In 2021, the company set about launching 10 new brands in the UAE and for this year, it revealed plans for 20 local and international launches by end of 2023, expanding SHG’s existing portfolio to more than 60 venues, including expansion into Spain, Italy, Morocco among other new markets.

Antonio has played – and continues to play – a pivotal role in establishing SHG as a regional hospitality portfolio, making him an F$&B all-star.

Manhal Naser

Awj investments.

Arriving in Dubai in 1998, Manhal established his first office in Dubai specialising in retail, where he owned and operated many fashion outlets in key malls across the UAE. Three years later, he received a lucrative offer to sell the business which he accepted, and then moved into the FMCG industry. Manhal went on to become the senior business director head for the Middle East and North African region, where he led FMCG brands for prominent companies such as Reckkit Benkcizer, P&G, etc.

With a passion for food and an entrepreneurial mindset, Manhal exploded onto the F&B sector full of creative, innovative ideas and thus Awj Investments was born. Established in 2014, Awj Investments is a fast-growing Food & Beverage Holding Group headquartered in Dubai. Awj set out on its culinary journey with five unique concepts, all strategically located across popular tourist and dining destinations in Dubai. These home-grown concepts include Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, and international flavours.

Armed with years of experience and a track record of proven performance, Manhal Naser is responsible for providing the overall leadership and strategic management for the company. He is a recognised expert and leader in the F&B industry with well-rounded experience covering concept creation, brand DNA, supply chain, adaptation, strategic management, market entry,regional and global expansions, partnerships, system integration, and driving performance change.

Panchali Mahendra

President, atelier house hospitality.

Panchali Mahendra has a rich background in hospitality having graduatedfrom some of the best hospitality schools, such as, IHM Aurangabad, The Oberoi Center of Learning & Development and University of Huddersfield, UK (here she was a gold medalist in Hospitality). Mahendra is extremely passionate about the F&B industry, with almost two decades of experience in the field. Her expertise in concept developing, feasibility, food & beverage, business planning, operations management, and turnkey, has been a strong force behind over 60 successful restaurants all over the world.

Mahendra co-founded Atelier House Hospitality with Mr. Ahmass Fakahany, Owner and CEO of Altamarea Group in 2017. After 5 successful years, Atelier House Hospitality has established a firm foothold in the region as a high-quality boutique player in the market under Mahendra’s leadership. She has brought in brands from overseas, developed and conceptualised locally grown brands, and provided consulting and operational support for the local market. AHH now has a presence in UAE, KSA, and soon India. Plans are in force to broaden their reach and capability in the Middle East.

Brands owned, managed and/or conceptualised include Marea (Michelin selected), 11 Woodfire (1 Michelin Star), Morini, Mohalla, RSVP, Host, Asma, Tides Bar. 2023 is set to unveil more concepts withMantra, Inja and more in the pipeline.

David Lescarret

Managing director, infini concepts.

Being a visionary hospitality professional, David impressive career in the hospitality industry, but globally and regionally, that has brought Infini Concepts to where it is.

Infini Concepts was founded in 2015 with a core team of less than ten members and has managed to successfully make an impact in Dubai with now almost two hundred dedicated members that share a mutual vision.

The group have launched projects including Tabū Dubai, The Other Side, Miss Tess, Cé La Vi and their newest, Hayal Dubai. Each brand has distinctive characteristics – bold, charming, stylish, gracious, vibrant, all with David’s personal touches.

As Managing Director at Infini Concepts, David oversees 5 venues and leads all new projects.

He continues to be the Director of Growth & Development for Europe and MENA regions.

Apart from the above David is also involved in facilitating the introduction of few international brands into Dubai in 2023.

Co-founder & CEO, Solutions Leisure Group

The UAE’s most awarded F&B leader, Amazon best-selling Author and CEO & Founder of Solutions Leisure Group, Paul Evans, started Solutions Leisure Group in the early hours of the morning on the shores of Hurghada beach, Egypt, with his friend and business partner, Freek Teusink.

Today, he has led the group to own and operate almost 50 venues of multi-award-winning bars, entertainment outlets and restaurants, internationally. Paul’s perseverance towards his vision, loyalty to his goals and objectives, outstanding leadership, and dedication to creating moments people live for have significantly set him apart from the fierce competition he faces daily.

His unparalleled commitment, skill and clarity has enabled him to continue to create moments people live for, from day to night. Operating a dynamic portfolio of 16 unique and diverse concepts, with several exciting additions in the pipeline.

CEO, Five Hospitality

As CEO, Aloki is a leading tour de force at FIVE Hospitality. His ethos at FIVE Hotels and Resorts reflects an ecosystem with high-quality property hardware and cutting-edge experiential software, which allows the brand to drive high performance (for both customer satisfaction scores and revenue records) and has, therefore, consistently outperformed competitors.

He is the creative genius behind hugely successful homegrown concepts such as Dubai’s iconic rooftop destination, The Penthouse, FIVE’s signature Italian, Cinque, and MSG-free, gourmet Chinese, Maiden Shanghai at FIVE Palm Jumeirah along with immersive street-food dining experience, Soul St. and Jumeirah Village Circle’s first ever nightclub, The Mansion at FIVE Jumeirah Village. Aloki has been recognised as one of the Top 100 CEOs in the Middle East while his relentless efforts to integrate sustainability and technology into the business enabled FIVE to be recognised as one of the Most Innovative Companies of The Year in 2022.

Sreejith Purushan

Director of f&b, radisson blu hotel, dubai deira creek.

Sreejith Purushan has over 18 years of experience in the hospitality industry. Beginning his hospitality career in 2005, Sreejith started out as a guest service agent in Starwood Hotels and worked various Food & Beverage positions in 5* Hotels & Resorts in Starwood, Taj, & Rotana around Middle East and India until 2011.

Sreejith has been with the Radisson Hotel Group for over 11 years and in 2017 became the F&B Manager at Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai Deira Creek, the first 5* hotel in Dubai. The hotel includes 15 food & B=beverage outlets and banqueting facilities which includes 2 ballrooms, 18 meeting rooms and an external catering operation that serves up to 4000 people.

Most recently, Sreejith was promoted to Director of Food and Beverage at Radisson Blu Dubai Deira Creek in 2019, taking over meeting & events sales and the hygiene & stewarding departments in addition to his food and beverage responsibilities. He is in charge of the financial performance and operations of the food and beverage for 15 outlets, 2 ballrooms, 18 meetings rooms and the external catering of 6 units.

Sreejith has been driving new revenue streams such as tour operators, government loyalty programs, partners and deliveries for the outlets as well as spearheading the re-launch of the multi-award-winning restaurant, Fish Market.

He pro-actively managed 2021 Ramadan with flexible pricing strategy resulting to a 36% increase in revenues YoY. In addition, Festive Season and New Year Gala dinner resulted in a 14.68% increase in revenue & 8.74% increase in Covers vs YoY.

Sreejith was able to secure an exclusive catering contract with Expo 2020. Due to high demand for catering services at EXPO, the team was able to establish a permanent team on site.

He was also able to lead responsible business initiatives as part of Radisson Hotel Group’s commitment to net zero by 2050. And worked on the vertical farm project with GreeenTech Vertical Farm, who now produces the greens that supply the Hotel’s Fish Market restaurant.

Rizwan Kassim

Owner, rikas hospitality group.

Rizwan Kassim has launched some of the city’s most popular brands, such as, La Cantine du Faubourg, Ninive, Mimi Kakushi and Twigg yby La Cantine.

Fast-forward another three years, and in 2020 the group launched Lana Lusa, a Portuguese restaurant and cafe at Wasl 51. Now, as homegrown concepts are being recognised more readily in Dubai, Rizwan is even more determined to expand Rikas Group in the UAE and abroad.

Mansour Memarian

Hotel manager, palazzo versace dubai.

Mansour Memarian, an Iranian chef with German origins who has 25 years industry experience, has had stints at some of the world’s best restaurants. He has held executive positions at many luxury brands including the Shangri-La Hotel, Qaryat Al Beri, Abu Dhabi, as well as the award-winning Chedi Andermatt in Switzerland. Before this, he was the Chef de Cuisine at the Burj Al Arab’s signature restaurant, Al Mahara.

Chef Mansour Memarian has brought extensive experience and a wealth of talent to Palazzo Versace Dubai, where he oversees the five-star hotel’s culinary and F&B operations including its six restaurants and two bars, as well as their catering services. In his role as Hotel Manager, Memarian heads all the operations, leading the culinary team in enhancing Palazzo Versace Dubai’s reputation for world-class, curated dining.

Andrew Clark

Director of food and beverage, sofitel dubai the palm.

Andrew is a seasoned F&B Director, bringing over 20 years of hospitality experience to the table. He spent years working his way across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East plus a few years on cruise ships to get to where he is today. Andrew leads with a passion for food & beverage and people. With a background in Psychology, combined with the years of experience in the Food & Beverage industry, Andrew is well placed to be running a large-scale, high-end food & beverage operation. In his time in the Middle East, Andrew has a proven track record with a ranger of 5 Star Hotels, from Corporate City Hotels, boutique hotels and now a luxury beach resort.

Andrews’ key philosophy is to ensure high quality produce combined with warm and welcoming service. Passing this simple message to the team has been a key driver of his success.

Spencer Ayers

Managing director, jumeirah restaurants.

Spencer leads Jumeirah Restaurants, a Dubai-based full-service hospitality provider, with an iconic portfolio of acclaimed homegrown brands, ranging from premium-casual to quick-service restaurants, casual dining venues and food trucks.

Spencer Ayers drove the seamless integration of Meraas into Sarood Hospitality and then again into Jumeirah Restaurants, the dedicated F&B brand established to absorb the companies and consolidate Dubai Holding’s array of culinary offerings under a single banner. Spencer also created the framework for Jumeirah Group’s dining strategy globally including the inception of a dedicated F&B Committee which he chairs.

Mehdi Debbiche

F&b manager, anantara al jabal al akhdar resort.

Since the pre-opening of Anantara Al Jabal Al Akhdar Resort, Mehdi has been instrumental in the resort’s F&B operations. He introduced new food and beverage concepts such as the In-Villa Cinema, Breakfast By design to create unique experiences for the guests as well as generated more F&B revenue.

“Mehdi is known for his flexibility and admitted level of innovations and creativity, making him one of the superstars at our mountain resort. Mehdi is always looking for ways to create the most memorable dining experiences for all guests as well as ensuring a great work environment for his dedicated team.” Commented Maren Kuehl, General Manager, Anantara Al Jabal Al Akhdar Resort.

Guillaume Ferraz

Managing director of day life, sunset hospitality group.

Guillaume Ferraz is the Managing Director for the Sunset Hospitality Group Day Life division, where he oversees all the group’s beachfront and pool experiences. He brings 20 years of experience to the role, spanning beach club and restaurant operations, overall team management and leadership, as well as strategic and commercial execution.

Guillaume’s wealth of experience has made him a well-rounded leader, where his passion brings pioneering ideas that drive long-term brand building and commercial success. His operational, leadership and commercial skills have led him to become a specialist in day life hospitality venues.

Andrea Zampolini

Managing director, roberto’s.

Andrea works tirelessly to ensure Roberto’s stays relevant through the years. Being a renowned DIFC institution for the past 10 years, the Italian venue has made its mark as an icon with its heritage and presence in the market as an original trendsetter. A true leader in fine dining, Roberto’s started its brand expansion plan in the GCC region with Andrea at the helm.

Clear and unique leadership skills make his management style inspirational, and since joining Roberto’s DIFC, Andrea has been able to make a great positive impact on the business. His focus is on the people, where guest satisfaction is at an all-time high and a staggering improvement in his team’s performance.

Yannis Stanisiere

Coo, coya restaurants.

Chief Operating Officer of COYA Restaurant & Pisco Bar, Yannis Stanisiere, is the guiding light of the COYA brand. He is responsible for enhancing COYA’s already exceptional service and special events across all nine of its global branches, and he is the key driver behind the luxury lifestyle brand’s expansion.

With over 28 years of experience, Yannis brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise with him. Joining COYA in 2021, he formulated an impressive strategy to unify and expand the brand and ensure its bright future.

Moving forward, the highly ambitious Yannis is excited to open another venue in Oman, Barcelona, Marbella and Istanbul. Through extensive market research, he is keen to introduce as many key countries and cities to the magic of COYA as possible.

Nicolas Budzynski

Chief executive officer, lpm restaurant & bar.

French-born Nicolas Budzynski describes himself as “a dynamic and self-driven restaurant professional with a passion for delivering unique experiences to my guests.” As a goal-oriented individual, he handles challenges with finesse with a forte in project and change management as alongside creating new concepts.

Since joining LPM Restaurant & Bar as Global Operations Director in 2019, Nicolas has achieved significant milestones with a humble approach. One of these was putting LPM Restaurant & Bar Middle East on the map and being officially recognised in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants Middle East and Africa debut list in 2022, ranking Dubai and Riyadh in 8th and 42nd place respectively.

Stephanie Reichenbach

Founder, nara.

Stephanie Reichenbach is a celebrated entrepreneur and founder of Nara Desert Escape, Nara Desert Oasis, Nara in the City, Sonara Camp, Sonara Camp Al Wadi, The Nest by Sonara, Nara Nomad Secret City Tours, Nara on the Sea and Hike of Happiness. The mother of four children previously worked as Head Private Banker East Africa for Citibank and Barclays for 18 years.

She founded Nara Desert Escape in 2018 with a lounge and a table in the middle of the desert with the aim to create a bespoke, eco-friendly, and sustainable a la carte desert camp experience. Rapidly, Nara grew to become the most unique desert escape in Dubai. It has been recognised by high luxury brands as their preferred venue to host the most celebrated events in the UAE.

Chris Wright

Ceo, the wright group.

Chris Wright is a Dubai-based entrepreneur specialising in the events and hospitality industries. A creative in every sense of the word, Chris Wright is the owner and CEO of The Wright Group, a creative consultancy and hospitality group founded in Dubai, UAE. His growing portfolio of businesses includes Secret Parties, Inside Lifestyle, SIN events, FamilyFest Brunches, Bash Events and Ladies Day Dubai.He also recently launched New York themed bar, in Bla Bla a healthy eating café and a gym.

Across his companies, Chris’ executes over 1600 seamless events annually from party brunches to ladies’ days to large scale festivals. Chris holds records for organising the most events in one city and is often referred to as the world’s biggest promoter by nightlife publications, and with 3 more new ventures in the pipeline, there is no sign of him slowing down.

Gabrielle F. Mather

Founder and ceo, restaurant secrets inc..

Gabrielle F. Mather has been a leading business incubator in the F&B world, helping new and seasoned entrepreneurs with 360 degrees turn-key consultancy and tailor-made services to open, operate and market their restaurants in UAE & GCC.

Moving into 2023, Gabrielle has plans to launch the region’s first F&B focused design studio that works on design with production layout expertise, functionality, operational work-flow and budgets.

Varun Khemaney

Co-founder and managing partner, vkd hospitality.

Always looking for value in locations, concepts, and cuisines, Khemaney was a co-owner of Tribeca Canvas NYC, where he worked alongside Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto to create a specialised restaurant focused on Japanese comfort food. This project fuelled him to turn his entrepreneurial attention to something closer to home, co-founding VKD alongside business partner and best friend Khalil Dahmash in 2016.

Varun and his team have been able to keep Miss Lily’s ontop of its game for the past 6 yearsOne of Varun’s greatest achievements in his career is the creation of his homegrown concept Honeycomb Hifi. Alongside his partners, Serge Becker and Khalil Dahmash, he was able to disrupt the F&B scene once again by introducing the region’s first listening bar.

Hadil Al Khatib

Founder, the broth lab.

The Broth Lab is a healthy homegrown F&B concept under the mother company, The Roost Rotisserie. Founder Hadil, is a certified holistic nutrition and a Gut Health specialist who is passionate about supporting and catering to busy mothers and fitness fanatics. Her passion is directed tp those that have no time to make bone broth from scratch and to provide them with easier and healthier cooking solutions.

In less than a year, The Broth Lab has successfully catered to different segments of customers through its efficient automated B2C business and marketing model. It’s B2B strategy as since the brand hit the shelves of all major hypermarkets and e-platforms around the UAE like Carrefour, Choithrams, Biobox, ripe organic, QualityFood, FarmBox and soon at Kibsons.

Hadil Al Khatib has managed to create a beautiful community offering help to women in the industry and support by collaborating instead of competing.

Founder, SLAW

Founder Ali Yazdi launched homegrown indie burger joint SLAW in Jumeirah 1just over 18 months ago in March 2021. Beginning with only seven staff members, the brand has grown to a team of 45 people who stand behind SLAW’s mission to deliver only the best to its customers.

In just under 2 years since its first opening, SLAW has recently expanded to Hessa Street, Barsha 1 and Last Exit, Al Khawaneej. Ali has established a whole new brand that endeavours to become one of the best burger joints amidst well-established names.

Founder, Roobaru

As the founder of homegrown Indian restaurant Roobaru, Hersh Suri always had the dream of starting his own restaurant. Now, at the age of 26, Hersh can proudly say that he has become that successful young businessman he once dreamt of. Since his inception into the world of F&B a short 3 years ago, Roobaru is his most successful achievement to date.

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I moved from Washington, DC to Dubai with 2 young kids. I'm a better version of myself here.

• Kiran Ali and her family were forced to relocate after a tree fell on their home in Washington, DC.
• They decided to move to Dubai, as Ali had enjoyed working there previously.
• Ali said Dubai offers a better quality of life, where she has more time to spend with her husband and kids.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Kiran Ali , an American who relocated to Dubai with her family. She works as a director of partnerships in a Fintech company. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

When a 150-year-old pine tree toppled and fell through my roof last April, my family of four had to relocate temporarily while it got fixed.

My husband and I had to find a place where we could both work and have childcare for our two kids, who were 6 months old and 4 at the time. We also saw it as an opportunity to explore somewhere new. We considered New York and San Francisco, but then thought this could be a once-in-a-lifetime chance to pick up and go somewhere farther, and decided on Dubai.

I had worked in Dubai in 2013 and enjoyed my time there. My husband is an entrepreneur and had opportunities to work there. So, we thought: " Why don't we just go to Dubai ?"

Our trip was supposed to be three weeks — but that turned into eight, and then 10. My husband started work in his startup in Dubai while I shuttled between the US and Dubai, applied for jobs, and prepared our house in Washington, DC, to be rented.

In March this year, I found a job in  Dubai,  and we were able to relocate there permanently.

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I like who I am as a mother in Dubai

As a mother in the US, I didn't have much support. I worked, did the laundry, and ran around for my children's activities. I didn't have that much quality time left over for my kids because I ran the household and worked full-time.

In Dubai , however, the culture is built around quality time with your family. When I come home from work, our part-time nanny, who we pay 4,000 AED, or $1,089 a month, has already done the laundry, cooked the food, and bathed the children.

At 6 p.m. I'm done with work. There's no expectation that I'll be checking my emails. So when I come to my children, they're not getting yelled at because they are not getting a distracted parent. They're getting the best version of me.

I am more relaxed here

In the US, we were often overscheduled. I knew three or four weeks in advance what we would be doing every single weekend — spontaneity died at the door.

But in Dubai, we don't stress over booking restaurant reservations or worry about a place being too crowded. We figure it out as we go.

Because of this, I spend more quality time with my spouse, new friends, and children. My weekends are truly relaxing. When I return to work on Mondays, I am the best version of myself in the corporate setting.

At work, face-to-face relationships are valued. As a result, the lines between professional and personal can be slightly blurred. A lot of networking is done via WhatsApp. And so, you can set up a meeting, and at the same time, send memes or talk about traveling. There's no facade that everyone has to be very serious all the time.

It's also easier to make friends

Making friends was much harder back in the US, as people mostly had their groups of friends from school and were not inclined to include new friends. Because everything was so scheduled in the US, finding someone to watch our kids and take time for ourselves was also more difficult.

But making friends has never been a concern in Dubai. Living in an expat city, where 92% of its 3,655,000-person population is non-Emirati , everyone's very open to meeting. Once you're plugged into one network, you'll also meet all the other people there. And there are so many interesting and new people to meet here with different perspectives than we're used to.

We travel more as a family

Before we moved to Dubai, we were already avid travelers. But with Dubai being a global hub , we travel more now. Many affordable destinations, such as Kazakistan or Beirut, are within a five-hour flight. These vacation destinations were just out of reach when we lived in the US because of the cost and length of flights.

A decade since I last lived here, Dubai has expanded its footprint . Now, you can find people from all over the world and eat all different cuisines — it truly is a cosmopolitan city.

Everything here is also designed to make life easier. Anything from anywhere can be sent to your home in 15 minutes if you need something delivered.

For now, we plan to go back to the US to visit every summer, but we'll continue living here as long as Dubai will have us.

It's just weird to think about how one freak accident changed the rest of our lives.

Do you have a story about moving abroad that you want to share? Get in touch with the reporter, Erin: [email protected] .

Watch: Why one mother fled Texas to keep her child safe

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DET launches Dubai Tourism Summit to boost city’s resurgent tourism industry

Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) has announced the launch of the annual Dubai Tourism Summit, a first-of-its-kind travel forum in the region which will lay the foundation for a home-grown world-class thought leadership programme to boost the city’s resurgent tourism industry and support regional and global tourism. The DET announced the forum today at its bi-annual ‘City Briefing’ event held during the Skift Global Forum East, the first-ever MENA extension of the Skift Global Forum. The Dubai Tourism Summit will provide a networking platform for industry stakeholders to share their vision, ideas, strategies and best practices, as well as insights on leveraging the latest innovations and trends to create a more resilient, inclusive and sustainable future for global tourism. The DET also shared the latest tourism report for the first ten months of 2022. Data showed that Dubai welcomed 11.4 million international overnight visitors between January and October, an impressive year-on-year increase of 134%, taking the city further on its journey to becoming the world’s most visited destination. The DET’s ‘City Briefing’ was presided over by His Excellency Helal Saeed Al Marri, Director General of DET, and attended by more than 1,000 executives from across the tourism ecosystem, including aviation, travel, hospitality and retail sectors. The meeting provided an update and outlook on the industry. It explored ways to continue accelerating the momentum to reinforce Dubai’s position as a global hub for business, investment, talent and tourism. Helal Al Marri said:

“We are grateful to His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, for his visionary leadership, inspiration and guidance that has led to several milestones in 2022. Dubai has always been an international icon of innovation and excellence. The Dubai Tourism Summit will see us working even more closely with our domestic and global stakeholders and partners as we focus on pushing the boundaries further to highlight Dubai’s position as the top international destination and the best city in the world to live in, work and invest. With the Dubai Tourism Summit, we will elevate our blueprint for sustainable growth, contributing towards our industry’s continued success and supporting the recovery of regional and global tourism.”

Al Marri added:

“Our performance in the first ten months of 2022 indicates that we are on target to achieving our tourism goals, which dovetail with the UAE Tourism Strategy 2031 announced by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum to attract AED100 billion as additional tourism investments and 40 million hotel guests by 2031. It is also a testament to our city’s resilience, robust and diversified market strategy, solid collaboration model between the government and private sectors, and the strength of the city’s diverse destination proposition. We are well-placed to end this year on a resounding note and perform even better in 2023 and beyond, steadfastly supported by our aviation, travel and hospitality partners, who continue to champion Dubai’s position as the first-choice destination for global travellers.”

Key markets continue to deliver on tourism volumes

The 11.4 million international overnight visitors who arrived in Dubai between January and October 2022 represented a quantum leap over the 4.88 million visitors that the city welcomed for the same period in 2021. The numbers are close to the pre-pandemic record of 13.50 million international visitors in the first ten months of 2019. Dubai’s international tourism arrivals significantly outperformed other major global destinations, giving Dubai a head start on post-pandemic recovery.

Hospitality sector shines across many metrics

Participants were also briefed on the hospitality sector’s outstanding success, as it played a significant part in Dubai’s impressive rebound. Dubai’s growing popularity among global travellers is evident in the fact that there were 54 million online searches for Dubai per month during Q3 2022, which was close to pre-pandemic levels, with bookings in the last few months surpassing pre-pandemic levels.

Dubai shares limelight with other global cities with 71% occupancy

Average hotel occupancy in Dubai between January-October 2022 stood at 71%, one of the highest hotel occupancies in the world. This compares to 64% in the corresponding period of last year and just short of the 74% during the pre-pandemic period of 2019. Dubai’s occupancy continues to closely trail the top benchmark cities: Istanbul (75%), New York (74%), Paris (73%), London (73%) and Los Angeles (72%).

Hotels register strong growth; supply up by 18% over pre-pandemic levels

Dubai’s hotel inventory in October 2022 comprised 144,737 rooms at 790 hotel establishments compared with 122,185 rooms available at the end of October 2019 across 724 establishments. The total number of hotels in the first ten months of 2022 saw an 8% growth over the same period in 2021, highlighting strong investor confidence in Dubai’s tourism sector. The hotel sector outperformed pre-pandemic levels across all other key measurements: Occupied Room Nights, Average Daily Rate (ADR) and Revenue Per Available Room (RevPAR). Despite the significant 18% increase in supply compared with pre-pandemic levels, Dubai hotels achieved strong growth across ADR and REVPAR over 2019 levels. Dubai hotel establishments delivered a combined 30.40 million occupied room nights during the first ten months of the year, a 23% YTD growth and a 17% increase over the corresponding pre-pandemic period of 2019, which yielded 26.01 million occupied room nights. The ADR of AED506 in the first ten months of 2022 surpassed the ADRs for the first ten months of 2021 (AED384) and 2019 (AED400), with a 32% increase in ADR in YTD October 2022 vs YTD October 2021 and a 27% increase vs YTD October 2019. The stellar performance of the hotel sector is also demonstrated in RevPAR growth: a 48% increase in RevPAR in YTD October 2022 vs YTD October 2021 (AED362 vs AED245) and 23% vs pre-pandemic YTD October 2019.

Taking Dubai to the world

The stakeholders and partners were also briefed on the creative global campaigns that Dubai has consistently launched across multiple traditional, digital and social media platforms to highlight the city’s multi-faceted appeal to audiences in international markets. For instance, the highly successful Dubai Presents campaign comprises a series of movie-style trailers featuring Hollywood stars Jessica Alba and Zac Efron and Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan. Most recently, the ‘Where the World Celebrates’ global campaign features French football star Karim Benzema coinciding with the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. His Excellency Issam Kazim, CEO of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM) , said:

“Inspired by our visionary leadership, 2022 has been a transformative year for developing and broadening Dubai’s global appeal, designed to keep the destination top-of-mind and to cater to the varied needs and tastes of international travellers. With the world on the move again, our ability to quickly react, adapt, evolve and tap into existing and new segments of travellers is key to Dubai’s efforts to leverage and benefit from a rapidly and radically evolving global tourism landscape. We have ensured a steady influx of international visitors by offering more value than any comparable destination. We will maintain our competitive edge through our strong public-private partnerships, expansion of the diverse destination offering and constant launching of innovative initiatives and international campaigns to showcase Dubai as a ‘must-visit’ destination, as well as cement its position as one of the most accessible and liveable cities in the world.”

Dubai, a family destination and global liveability hub

The briefing highlighted the results of the DET’s International Visitor Survey. The survey revealed that, in H1 2022, Dubai gained significant ground as it consolidated its position as a destination of choice for families and couples (79%) and that international visitors stayed longer in Dubai during their visits in H1 2022 (+0.8 days vs H1 2019). With this, Dubai has seen positive performance across all tourism pillars, from culture to cuisine, adventure, entertainment to shopping. The survey also highlighted that young travellers in the under-35 age group constituted a significant proportion (40%) of travellers to Dubai in H1. A Skift trends report published for the Skift Global Forum East in collaboration with the DET shed more light on Dubai’s emergence as a global destination. The report titled ‘Livable, agile, resilient – Dubai’s blueprint for a 21st-century tourism destination’ highlights the experiences and lessons learned by the city’s leaders, tourism partners, and global industry leaders as they navigate numerous challenges together.

Dubai ranks highest among the region’s most liveable cities

The report highlights that Dubai annually ranks highest among the most liveable cities in the Middle East according to the Economist Intelligence Unit report, a leading provider of global insights and market intelligence. The report underscores the city’s focus on improving the quality of life and its efforts on building a well-rounded and sustainable community, noting that Dubai was ranked No. 2 in 2021 in the Euromonitor International Top 100 City Destinations Index. It also shows that Dubai was the only city with four Top-10 rankings out of six categories: Tourism Policy and Attractiveness, Health and Safety, Economic and Business Performance, and Tourism Performance. The Skift report also shared DET data that ranked Dubai highly on tourism-specific pillars. More than 80% of visitors gave “general entertainment” and “hotels/accommodation” at least a nine out of 10 rating in 2021, with several other key areas — outdoor adventure and sports, family entertainment, and shopping and retail — earning such high marks from more than 75% of visitors to the emirate. Each of these areas saw anywhere from four to 12 percentage-point gains in visitor satisfaction.

Attractions, achievements and accolades

Building upon the city’s drive to diversify its offerings to ensure a broad choice for travellers of all ages, 2022 saw the opening of new attractions and leisure landmarks, including the Museum of the Future and the Mohammed Bin Rashid Library. Dubai continued to be honoured with awards and recognition from the industry. Dubai ranked as the No.1 global destination, the No.1 destination for ‘City Lovers’ and the No.4 destination for ‘Food Lovers’ in the Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards 2022. The accolades speak volumes about the city’s appeal to a diverse global audience. The biggest success story of the past year was Expo 2020 Dubai, which played a pivotal role in driving worldwide interest in Dubai and accelerating momentum across several sectors, including tourism. Expo attracted 192 participating nations and more than 24 million visits by residents and global travellers, placing Dubai at the heart of a dynamic international agenda and positioning it as a leading global city for trade, investment and tourism. A game-changer in this direction is Expo City Dubai, the dynamic legacy of Expo 2020 that will be a futuristic destination driven by sustainability, innovation, education and entertainment and a model city of the future.

A global gastronomy hub

During the briefing, DET shared the initiatives contributing to these successful tourism figures. The city’s Gastronomy Always On (GAON) campaign has worked tirelessly to bolster Dubai’s position as a global gastronomy hub. The GAON campaign championed Dubai’s array of home-grown dining destinations and street food eateries through a series of events, including the Dubai Food Festival. Dubai’s reputation for serving diverse culinary experiences was further enhanced by the launch of MICHELIN Guide Dubai in June and the arrival of the renowned fine dining food critique brand Gault&Millau. Further, the inaugural edition of Middle East & North Africa’s 50 Best Restaurants recognised 16 Dubai restaurants in February 2022. Dubai is home to more than 13,000 restaurants and cafés serving food and beverage from the cultures of over 200 nationalities residing in the city. This year, the DET also launched the region’s first-ever Gastronomy Industry Report, a comprehensive study of the city and region’s gastronomy scene, reinforcing Dubai’s position as a sought-after global destination for food tourism.

A year-round destination for international events

During the briefing, the DET presented the city’s year-round calendar of events, which has been a driving factor behind Dubai’s thriving tourism sector. With an impressive line-up of even more citywide events, activations and experiences led by the iconic Dubai Shopping Festival, the annual Retail Calendar is being unveiled on a large scale throughout 2023, featuring festivals, events, celebrations and promotions. Dubai is also celebrating the FIFA World Cup in Qatar with several pop-ups, alfresco experiences and fan zones, which broadcast live the FIFA World Cup games. These fan zones include BudX FIFA Fan Festival at Dubai Harbour, with Dubai being one of only six cities around the world designated to host official BudX fan zones. This year, Dubai also hosted the first edition of the inaugural Dubai Esports Festival, experiencing great success with attendance by global audiences and celebrity appearances. It reaffirmed Dubai’s position as a global pioneer in technology and sports and further reinforced its international reputation as a leading city for year-round events. The briefing explored Dubai’s position as a key destination for global business events, with 370 bids submitted for international events with 283 international business events in the pipeline and set for future hosting in Dubai. In addition to Expo 2020, the city has hosted globally recognised business events and activities throughout the year, including Gulfood, Arabian Travel Market, Gitex Global and now the Skift Global Forum East. These international events have helped amplify Dubai’s position as a tourist destination and welcome an array of ‘bleisure’ travellers. His Excellency Ahmed Al Khaja, CEO, Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DRFE) , said:

“As a multi-faceted destination that offers visitors a multitude of experiences, events form a key element of Dubai’s tourism strategy. Our reputation as a pioneering year-round international events destination has been bolstered considerably this year, thanks to a roster of quality international leisure and business events. As we reach the end of a landmark year for Dubai in terms of festivals, events and entertainment, we are already looking ahead to 2023 and beyond to cater for the evolving needs of a diversified visitor profile. In preparing for such an outlook, sustained cross-industry partnerships will be even more crucial to retaining Dubai’s status as a leading global events destination.”

Cruise hub of the region set to welcome 900,000 cruise tourists

Cruise tourism also played a pivotal role in the success of Dubai’s tourism sector, with the new season kicking off with the arrival of the cruise liner TUI Cruises (Mein Schiff 6) at the Hamdan bin Mohammed Cruise Terminal, Mina Rashid in October. The 2022-2023 season will see 166 ship calls between Mina Rashid and Dubai Harbour, bringing in an estimated 900,000 cruise passengers and crew.

New initiatives to spur growth

Dubai’s ambition to become the city of the future will be primarily driven by the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan, which aims to expand Dubai’s offering and place a reimagined focus on enhancing the quality of life for residents and visitors, with sustainability at the core of these developments. Dubai continues to launch bold regulatory citywide initiatives to promote accelerated growth across the tourism sector, including streamlining access to the city by establishing hassle-free entry procedures for business and leisure travellers and long-term engagement with the city. Such initiatives include the introduction of the 60-day tourist visa from September 2022 and the Five-Year Multi-Entry Visa for employees of multinational companies. These were in addition to other previously announced initiatives – including the Golden Visa initiative targeting investors, entrepreneurs and specialised talents, and Virtual working and Retire in Dubai programmes. During the last year, Dubai has built momentum in business tourism with more flexibility for talent to visit and stay back in Dubai. The new era of flexible working means that people can work from anywhere and at the same time enjoy the diverse offering of that particular destination. Remote workers favour Dubai due to its vast array of co-working spaces, attractive hotel packages, and growing popularity as a global liveability hub.

News Source: Dubai Media Office

Written by HiDubai Newswire

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