PRESS RELEASE Dubai UAE, 29th July 2015: A new report published by JLL for The Hotel Show Dubai 2015 reveals that the Abu Dhabi hotel industry is experiencing positive growth with 5,200 rooms in the pipeline for 2017. 2,300 rooms are set to enter the market by the end of 2015 alone.

The Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority (ADTCA) also report a 20% increase in hotel guests in the first quarter of 2015 compared to Q1 figures from 2014.

JLL reveal exclusively in The Hotel Show Dubai report that 45% of current supply are 5-star properties. Openings in the final months of 2015 include the luxury Bab Al Qasr Hotel near Presidential Palace, set to boast 677 rooms and a private beach.

Chiheb Ben Mahmoud, Executive Vice President, Head of Hotels & Hospitality Group Middle East & Africa at JLL said: "More than 70% of hotel room supply in Dubai and Abu Dhabi are in the 4 and 5 star category.  The proportion is higher for Abu Dhabi than for Dubai. This positioning structure is in line with the historical phase of destination building, driven by international and local corporate demand as well as corporate related leisure tourism (direct and indirect incentive), more than domestic and regional business. While there is an orientation in Dubai towards to develop the branded quality Mid-scale segment (3-Star) offering, Dubai is also moving higher up in the luxury hospitality offering with the planned opening of high profile luxury hotel brands such as St Regis, Mandarin Oriental, Bulgari etc...and which could be expected to reconfigure if not redefine the Dubai luxury hospitality market." 

Christine Davidson, Group Event Director of the dmg events hospitality portfolio including The Hotel Show Dubai, the largest forum for the industry in the Middle East and Africa, said: "This is an exciting year for the whole of the hospitality industry in the Middle East with massive development across all of the Emirates, GCC and wider regions totaling 453 hotel projects and 134,217 rooms. The UAE currently leads hotel construction with Abu Dhabi and Dubai featuring as strong markets, and Saudi Arabia and Turkey following closely behind."

JLL report that hotel construction is already underway and will bring the total room count in Abu Dhabi from 20,700 at present to 26,000 by 2017. Optimism for Abu Dhabi for the rest of this year has led authorities to increase hotel guest targets for 2015 to 3.9 million instead of 3.5 million.

Positive growth is cited by JLL as being due to a large number of government initiatives to grow Abu Dhabi as a high quality tourist destination. The expansion of its International Airport and national carrier Etihad Airways, further improvement of its leisure offering and attractions, hosting world-class events, and major campaigns by the ADTCA to promote Abu Dhabi on a global scale.

Attractions launching in Abu Dhabi in coming years include the new Louvre and Guggenheim museums and Warner Bros theme park on Yas Island.

The growing Middle East hospitality and leisure market will be discussed in September this year at The Hotel Show & The Leisure Show taking place in Dubai, 28-30 September at the Dubai World Trade Centre. More than 18,000 attendees from 98 countries will source products from 780 suppliers and gain insight from over 80 international industry experts at the popular Vision Conference. Find out more and register to attend for free at: www.thehotelshow.com

For more information and / or images, please contact Heather Macpherson, PR Manager, dmg events hospitality portfolio on +971(0)56 112 8606 or heathermacpherson@dmgeventsme.com

The Hotel Show Dubai is organised by dmg events and belong to the dmg hospitality portfolio comprising of The Hotel Show Saudi Arabia, The Hotel Show Dubai, The Vision Conference, The Leisure Show, The Middle East Hotel Awards, and The Middle East Pool & Spa Awards.

The Hotel Show 
100% Hospitality for the hotel, restaurant, café and foodservice industry

The Hotel Show Dubai (28-30 September 2015, Dubai World Trade Centre) and The Hotel Show Saudi Arabia (17-19 May 2016, Jeddah Centre for Forums and Events) are important business forums for the hospitality industry in the Middle East and Africa. Working with Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, industry associations, and partners, the Shows include visionary features, extensive educational content (through the Vision Conference) and other knowledge sharing platforms together with senior level networking. Find out more or register to attend FREE at www.thehotelshow.com or www.thehotelshowsaudiarabia.com

About dmg events Middle East & Asia
An international exhibitions and publishing company, dmg events Middle East and Asia has operated in the Middle East since 1995. With than 40 market-leading exhibitions for the global energy, construction, coatings, hospitality and interior design industries, dmg events organise many of the world's most important events including ADIPEC (global energy industry), The Big 5 (construction industry), INDEX (interior design industry) and The Hotel Show (the hospitality industry).

Spanning the globe's emerging markets, dmg events organise events across the Middle East, North & East Africa, South East Asia and South America. The events attract more than 250,000 customers every year and provide opportunities for trade professional to do business, network and learn. For more information visit www.dmgeventsme.com

dmg events is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Daily Mail and General Trust plc (DMGT, www.dmgt.com), an international portfolio of digital, information, media and events businesses listed on the London stock exchange.

© Press Release 2015