recognised as a business and meeting hub and that the luxury perception we used to have has shifted to a more serious and business-oriented destination with some of the largest associations for diabetes, cardiology and traumatology bringing their meetings to Dubai in 2011 and 2012 – thus taking the lead on holding their meetings in a new destination - Dubai.” Aiding that move is the agenda of the Dubai Health Authority to develop and encourage medical tourism. In Payet’s view other developments that are set to boost Dubai’s meeting and event sector include the opening of the JW Marriott Marquis with its 1,600 room count, non-stop flights to Washington DC, Lisbon and Barcelona, plus new tourism initiatives such as the Nakheel World Island Tour and the Lebanon World Island Beach Club venue on Te World. “Overall, we anticipate many, many more meetings to follow now that Dubai has proven to be a mature and professional destination in handling world-class events and meetings, irrespective of their size,” concludes Payet.
SUMAIRA ISAACS, MCI MIDDLE EAST For MCI, growth has been sustained during the past two years with a 20 percent increase in delegate numbers in 2012, according to Regional Manager Director Sumaira Isaacs. “Our largest event was the World Cardiology Congress for 2012 with 10,000 delegates, but overall there has been an increase in the number of delegates and participants to our events and meetings,” she says. “Tis can be attributed to a number of
factors including connectivity, infrastructure, security and stability and also an increase in international congresses in Dubai, while there has also been a growth in regional meetings coming to the city.” To sustain growth, Isaacs says there
was potential for at least 25,000 more hotel rooms, including convention hotels, plus additional conference centre venues, given the designation of Dubai as an aspirational destination for many attendees. “We compete hard with a number of
European and Asian destinations for events and meeting planners appreciate the collective efforts of DCB, the Dubai World Trade Centre, hotels, suppliers and city authorities who work together to make events succeed.”
BRETT ARMITAGE, ATLANTIS, THE PALM Although Atlantis Te Palm, Dubai, is soon to be topped as the emirate’s largest hotel in terms of rooms when the JW Marriott Marquis fully opens, the resort is still the city’s one-stop meeting and event centre in terms of its range of facilities catering to this sector – and business is booming according to Senior Vice President Sales, Brett Armitage. “We have experienced occupancy in the
mid- to high-80s at Atlantis Te Palm, Dubai during the past year and around 15 percent of this is attributed to the meetings market.” With an office now open in China and
continued momentum in Russia, Atlantis Te Palm, Dubai, is capitalising on the new market opportunities, although traditional sources continue to give the resort a healthy mix of business. “Te main source of group business is coming from the GCC, Europe, the US and India. However, we are gaining a lot of MIE bookings from new and emerging markets such as China and South America,” confirms Armitage. He cites the increase in inventory as part of the spur to growth as Dubai gains international credibility. “Dubai is extremely fortunate because the many additional tourism facilities being built and introduced each year simply add to the destination’s marketability overseas. “Tis growth is actually bringing new
markets and many more visitors to the region for business and leisure purposes.” Armitage stresses the diverse appeal of Dubai, particularly as a location that encourages event participation from delegates visiting from around the world. “While the GCC region plays an important part in the meetings business, most demand is emerging from Russia, South America and Europe,” he adds. In terms of new products, state-of-the-art
event technology and entertainment potential are adding to the saleability of Atlantis Te Palm, Dubai, but Armitage also points to the enhanced visibility of Dubai on a global stage – particularly spectacles such as Tom Cruise in his Mission Impossible ‘walk’ sideways round the outside of Burj Khalifa. “Te destination’s desirability continues to
grow, especially as it becomes the location of choice for big budget film productions which showcase the destination as a safe and glamorous place for business and pleasure.”
7
and conditions for hotel partners to better suit meeting planners’ accommodation requirements. The alliance now has more than 50 hotels from every star category and price point as part of the programme.” On another front, highly relevant in the
current environment, Dubai’s Department of Tourism & Commerce Marketing (DTCM) has increased its commitment to boost the green economy and sustainability within the city’s hospitality sector. Through the Green Tourism programme,
DTCM has worked to reduce CO2 emissions by 20 percent, with a target of 30 percent for 2012 and, to mark World Environment Day, a new education and training initiative for the hotel sector was launched designed to promulgate the best solutions, technologies and environmental practices. According to DTCM Director General
Khalid Bin Sulayem the aim was to highlight Dubai’s active role in the development of sustainable tourism and to motivate tourism industry professionals and people in general to pay attention to the protection of the environment.
6 Dubai Metro 7 Te Dubai Fountain and Downtown Dubai
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