Dubai’s tourism to grow with major events lined up for 2021

Dubai this year is preparing to ride high on the arrival of international tourists. Initial set back aside, tourism sector started opening by the last quarter of the previous year with proactive measures and protocols in place to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic and ensure business continuity.

Dubai had attracted a record 16.7 million tourists in 2019 - an increase of 5.1 per cent compared to the previous year - and tourism sector's contribution to the emirate's GDP was 11.5 per cent, and it accounted for a direct international tourism spending worth $27.9 billion. With Expo 2020 coming up in October of this year and running till March 2022, the event would be a catalyst for tourism growth.


Director General, Dubai Tourism, Helal Saeed Almarri says the emirate's multi-geographic strategy allows Dubai to react quickly to market changes across source markets combined with strong economic relief programme.


Almarri, of course, is referring to the emirate's Covid management strategy which is already showing results. This is evidenced by a 2021 Global Investment Outlook Report published by First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB), the UAE's largest bank predicting a V-shaped recovery for the UAE. According to the report, the UAE economy should grow by around 2.5 per cent overall and 3.6 per cent for non-oil sectors.

The report notes that Expo 2020 will add further strength to the national economy and the imminent boost to tourism will have a positive impact on other sectors as well including retail and real estate activity as the Covid-19 immunisation programme moves forward. Further, Dubai Tourism officials are enthused by the hospitality sector's rebound since November last year. Citing preliminary data, research firm STR says hotels in Dubai were 71 per cent full in December.


With an aggressive inoculation program, of the 10 million population, it has already administered 3.7 million vaccine doses - one of the highest rates of inoculation per 100 people globally. Almarri says that Dubai has a very clear plan on how to deal with Covid-19 and it will be ready to receive visitors for the Expo 2020. "We are going to be ready to make sure that the growth starts this summer and by Expo in the fourth quarter, we look to welcome the world," he asserts.

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