Dubai(IANS) : In the wake of the booming hospitality industry, the number of hotels in Dubai is set to rise by over 29 percent to 554 from 439 at present, a top tourism official has said.
The Dubai tourism department’s strategic plan envisages an increase in the room capacity of hotels and hotel apartments from 46,775 units now to 127,100 units by 2016, a growth of 171.2 percent, said Khalid bin Sulayem, director general of the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM).
In an interview to news agency WAM, the official said the ambitious Bawadi tourism and leisure project, when completed, would have a big major boost to the industry.
He said revenues of the tourism sector reached Dh 6.4 billion ($1.8 billion) in the first half of the year while as revenues from 1996 to 2006 witnessed a whopping growth of 500 percent from Dh 1.8 billion to Dh 10.8 billion.
“Dubai hotels and hotel apartments played host to 3.4 million guests during January-June period,” bin Sulayem said.
He said that Dubai would be hosting the world tourism and travel summit on April 20-22 next year.