Long-term effects of the "Covid-19" pandemic have been ruled out
Dubai Tourism: Positive expectations for the performance of the next public sector
Hilal Al Marri: “With the hosting of (Expo 2020 Dubai), we will be in a strong position to lead the tourism industry.”
The Director-General of the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing in Dubai (Dubai Tourism), Hilal Saeed Al-Marri, said that the outlook for the tourism sector in the emirate is improving for the next year, ruling out the long-term effects of the "Covid-19" pandemic during the coming period.
Al-Marri added, during the Arab Hotel Investment Conference 2020, that "it is encouraging that we are witnessing a change in behavior now, with searches for reservations returning to about 75% during last September compared to their previous levels."
He pointed out that Emirates Airlines now provides services to more than 94 destinations, considering that this is a very positive thing for the tourism sector.
Al-Marri added, "We do not see any long-term impact on the travel and tourism sector here in Dubai," expecting an increase in demand after the "Covid-19" pandemic.
He pointed out that with the hosting of "Expo 2020 Dubai" next year, Dubai will be in a strong position to lead the industry.
"We can see continued growth and a clear path ahead in the long term," he said.
Regarding the conference and exhibition market, Al Marri mentioned that Dubai is a global center for conferences and exhibitions, and during the current year, with Dubai reopening its doors to visitors, the precautionary measures that must be taken to host events were considered.
He added, "We are looking at things in a long-term framework, and the conferences that we have booked for the first quarter of next year are strong." He expected the market to return within the next 12 months, with Dubai winning more events.
Al-Marri said that "planning is currently underway on the basis of a time period extending between six, 12 and 18 months, but we will re-evaluate our strategy as soon as we see new ground for reservations."
It is noteworthy that the tourism sector in Dubai achieved a remarkable growth of 5.1% during the past year, as the emirate welcomed more than 16.73 million international visitors, compared with the year 2018, at a rate of about 1.4 million visitors per month, exceeding the rate of global tourism growth that it expected. United Nations World Tourism Organization.
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