Dubai World Trade Centre expansion pays off

The Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) said it helped to contribute Dh12 billion to the emirate’s economy last year through events and exhibitions.

The contribution of big shows hosted by the exhibitions venue equated to about 3.1 per cent of the emirate’s GDP, according to a DWTC report.

“With our ongoing capacity investments, we expect to continue to keep the momentum,” said Helal Saeed Almarri, the director general at the DWTC Authority and Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing.

The venue last year added a 15,500-square-metre extension, taking the available capacity to more than 122,000 sq metres. Meanwhile, the Dh8bn One Central mixed-use development managed by DWTC is under construction.

Overall, the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre hosted 396 trade events with 2.7 million visitors and an economic output of more than Dh20.9bn, the report said. About 57 per cent of that was retained in the local economy. The events supported more than 80,000 jobs.

The venue hosted 104 large-scale events drawing 2.6 million visitors, including 1.1 million from overseas. That is up from 30 per cent international participation with 1.3 million visitors in 2011. The top source markets were Saudi Arabia, India, the United Kingdom, Pakistan and China.

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