Dubai hoteliers are confident a busy Christmas and New Year period will help them to bounce back from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.
An increase in staycations and visitors from other countries will help them to finish the year strongly, they say.
Stuart Birkwood, general manager of Radisson Red Dubai Silicon Oasis, said hotels would have a significantly larger number of UAE residents than usual at this time of year as many opt to take holidays in the country.
“This year definitely feels different. From speaking to our regular guests and to those in our local community, many have decided not to travel over the festive period,” he said.
Influenced by the lockdown in their home countries, these travellers are looking for a safe haven to spend the festive season and holidays
"Some do expect families visiting them from abroad but I don't think the numbers will be anything like previous years due to the restrictions on travel from the usual source markets for Dubai visitors."
Dubai, like every other tourism hot spot around the world, felt the effects of the pandemic.
In 2019, there were 16.9 million visitors to the emirate. Between July and September, when Dubai reopened to tourists, there were 417,000 visitors compared with more than 3.7 million during the same period the previous year.
Market data provider STRsaid occupancy levels went up to 65 per cent in Dubai between November 30 and December 6.
The increase was due to strong domestic and recent international demand.
Last month, Dubai Tourism chief executive Issam Kazim told The National the country's swift response to the pandemic had given it an edge over competing markets as tourists began to return to the emirate.
Hussein Al Kurdi, general manager of Sofitel Dubai Jumeirah Beach, said the government’s quick action reassured tourists that Dubai was safe to visit.
"We expect the traditional source markets from Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States to be the main stream of business," he said.
“Influenced by the temporary lockdown in their respective countries, these travellers are looking for a safe haven to spend the festive season and holidays.”
Mr Al Kurdi said the industry expected local guests looking for staycation deals over Christmas and the New Year's holiday, keeping with the trend seen throughout 2020.
"Local tourism experienced a massive growth this year impacted by the travel restrictions," he said.
"Emiratis and residents chose staycations ahead of international travel with particular preference for beach properties and leisure facilities."
The early signs are encouraging for the sector, said David Allan, cluster general manager of the Dubai Waterfront and Dubai Canal View Radisson Blu hotels.
“We are seeing relatively strong demand for Christmas and even more so for the New Year period,” he said.
"This certainly bucks the trend of recent months.
"Demand is coming from a combination of local residents and international travellers from nations that have lifted restrictions on travelling to Dubai and the UAE."
Dubai’s tourism market also received a boost after it was added to the UK’s air corridor last month. Travellers from the UK will not need to self-isolate for 14 days after they arrive in the emirate.
“The UAE is in a very strong position in the run-up to the festive season,” said Caroline Rowe, a communications consultant who has worked with several hotels in Dubai.
“We are also seeing large-scale campaigns by Emirates and Dubai Tourism to further spread the message that Dubai is very much open and ready to welcome the world.”
John Clifton, general manager of the Bonnington Hotel in Dubai, said many properties were offering special festive entertainment to appeal to residents who would not be travelling home for Christmas.
Visitors from new markets, such as Israel, are also expected to boost tourist numbers.
“We are seeing increased interest from the UK, Russia, India and Israel, with UAE residents also seeking good value quality dining options for the festive period,” Mr Clifton said.
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3EName%3A%20Tabby%3Cbr%3EFounded%3A%20August%202019%3B%20platform%20went%20live%20in%20February%202020%3Cbr%3EFounder%2FCEO%3A%20Hosam%20Arab%2C%20co-founder%3A%20Daniil%20Barkalov%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20Payments%3Cbr%3ESize%3A%2040-50%20employees%3Cbr%3EStage%3A%20Series%20A%3Cbr%3EInvestors%3A%20Arbor%20Ventures%2C%20Mubadala%20Capital%2C%20Wamda%20Capital%2C%20STV%2C%20Raed%20Ventures%2C%20Global%20Founders%20Capital%2C%20JIMCO%2C%20Global%20Ventures%2C%20Venture%20Souq%2C%20Outliers%20VC%2C%20MSA%20Capital%2C%20HOF%20and%20AB%20Accelerator.%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Coming soon
Torno Subito by Massimo Bottura
When the W Dubai – The Palm hotel opens at the end of this year, one of the highlights will be Massimo Bottura’s new restaurant, Torno Subito, which promises “to take guests on a journey back to 1960s Italy”. It is the three Michelinstarred chef’s first venture in Dubai and should be every bit as ambitious as you would expect from the man whose restaurant in Italy, Osteria Francescana, was crowned number one in this year’s list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
Akira Back Dubai
Another exciting opening at the W Dubai – The Palm hotel is South Korean chef Akira Back’s new restaurant, which will continue to showcase some of the finest Asian food in the world. Back, whose Seoul restaurant, Dosa, won a Michelin star last year, describes his menu as, “an innovative Japanese cuisine prepared with a Korean accent”.
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
The highly experimental chef, whose dishes are as much about spectacle as taste, opens his first restaurant in Dubai next year. Housed at The Royal Atlantis Resort & Residences, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal will feature contemporary twists on recipes that date back to the 1300s, including goats’ milk cheesecake. Always remember with a Blumenthal dish: nothing is quite as it seems.
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
Tips for taking the metro
- set out well ahead of time
- make sure you have at least Dh15 on you Nol card, as there could be big queues for top-up machines
- enter the right cabin. The train may be too busy to move between carriages once you're on
- don't carry too much luggage and tuck it under a seat to make room for fellow passengers
Brief scores:
Manchester City 2
Gundogan 27', De Bruyne 85'
Crystal Palace 3
Schlupp 33', Townsend 35', Milivojevic 51' (pen)
Man of the Match: Andros Townsend (Crystal Palace)
Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
Non-oil%20trade
%3Cp%3ENon-oil%20trade%20between%20the%20UAE%20and%20Japan%20grew%20by%2034%20per%20cent%20over%20the%20past%20two%20years%2C%20according%20to%20data%20from%20the%20Federal%20Competitiveness%20and%20Statistics%20Centre.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EIn%2010%20years%2C%20it%20has%20reached%20a%20total%20of%20Dh524.4%20billion.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ECars%20topped%20the%20list%20of%20the%20top%20five%20commodities%20re-exported%20to%20Japan%20in%202022%2C%20with%20a%20value%20of%20Dh1.3%20billion.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EJewellery%20and%20ornaments%20amounted%20to%20Dh150%20million%20while%20precious%20metal%20scraps%20amounted%20to%20Dh105%20million.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERaw%20aluminium%20was%20ranked%20first%20among%20the%20top%20five%20commodities%20exported%20to%20Japan.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ETop%20of%20the%20list%20of%20commodities%20imported%20from%20Japan%20in%202022%20was%20cars%2C%20with%20a%20value%20of%20Dh20.08%20billion.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
