Helal Al-Marri, director general of DTCM, told a virtual crowd that the emirate will soon bounce back.
Speaking at the Arabian Hotel Investment Conference (AHIC) 2020, he said: “The reality is, we do not see, at this time, any long-term impact on the travel and tourism industry. People want to travel, we see that by the searches we have online, we see that through the extensive surveys and our research.”
The UAE went into a lockdown period in March, with Dubai, the country’s most popular tourism destination, reopening doors in July.
At the end of lockdown, online search levels for Dubai were at 53 percent, which increased to 75 percent through August, “and we’ve seen that growing since over the course of September”, said Al Marri.
Statistics from STR show average occupancy levels in Dubai, as of the week ending September 20, were at 46 percent, below the 60 percent level set in Abu Dhabi, but above Riyadh (44 percent), Jeddah (36 percent), Kuwait City (24 percent), Manama (22 percent), Muscat (19 percent) and Medina (14 percent).
“Right now, during the COVID era we are seeing good growth, but we think that it is going to be tentative if COVID continues for three-to-six months, we’re still going to face troubles through that,” said Al Marri.
The tourism head was awarded the AHIC 2020 Leadership Award in recognition of the emirate’s record-shattering 2019. Last year, the city welcomed 16.73 million travellers, an all-time high.
Tags: Dubai Tourism, STR ,AHIC
