The Hotel Show Dubai will be celebrating its 20th edition during the Middle East Design and Hospitality Week 2019 taking place from 17th – 19th September at Dubai World Trade Centre. The landmark event that has evolved in tandem with the GCC’s leisure and hospitality sector, over the last two decades, will be a confluence of key discussions and important decisions pertaining to the industry.

According to the GCC Hospitality Report from Alpen Capital, ‘GCC hospitality market is projected to reach USD 32.5 billion in 2022 ‘. The Hotel sector is expected to be in significant demand owing to Expo 2020 in Dubai and other global events that will be hosted in the region.  The Hotels Market Report by Ventures Onsite indicates that 25 million visitors are likely to come to the UAE for Expo 2020 in preparation for which “Dubai’s hotel room supply is expected to reach 132,000 in 2019, with the Emirate aiming to complete 160,000 hotel rooms by October 2020”.

The report anticipates that the UAE will continue to lead the GCC’s luxury hospitality segment till 2022 with “73 percent of existing luxury hotel stock and 61% of the region’s pipeline located in the country”. During this time period, the Report also anticipates that ‘KSA will witness the most significant increase in luxury hotel supply’.

Besides the Kingdom’s push towards growing into a leisure and entertainment hub in the region, “the cornerstone of KSA’s inbound tourism is the annual pilgrimages of Hajj and Umrah, which is forecast to increase to 30 million visitors collectively”, reveals Ventures Onsite.

According to the Booking.com Sustainability Travel Report, “70 percent of global travelers say they would be more likely to book an accommodation knowing it was eco-friendly, whether they were looking for a sustainable stay or not”. In the Hotels Market Report, Oliver Heath, a biophilic design firm shares that, “guests are willing to pay 23% more for rooms containing biophilic elements”.

The GCC tourism industry has seen a rise in millennial travellers in the last few years and this trend is expected to continue. According to Expedia, ‘nearly 70% of millennial travellers are likely to extend their business’. The hospitality sector in the Middle East has to be prepared to cater to this segment of travellers.

Nathan Waugh, Portfolio Director – dmg events Hospitality Division said, “The GCC’s hospitality sector is focussed on putting the best foot forward when tourists from around the World visit the UAE for the Expo event as well as other international attractions scheduled to take place in the GCC. The Hotel Show, true to its legacy, will be a confluence point for the GCC’s hospitality sector to align on best practices and the way forward for the industry that is at the threshold of a fresh boom. And the best part of the Show this year is that it is co-located with six other events catering to sectors that complement the hotel industry”.

Companies participating at the Hotel Show Dubai are OS&E International, Procurio, Everstyle, MG Hotel Supplies, Emirates Dimlaj, A to Z Hospitality, Modern Event, Dutch Lab, Table and Beyond, Lion’s Wood Banquet Furniture, Intros Hotel Supplies, ASSA ABLOY Group, Dometic, Dubai Furniture Manufacturing Co., WMK Hospitality, Groupe GM, La Bottega, Boon Coffee, Stellar USP, DreamMaster, Restonic, Intercoil, Zubair Furnishing, Prime Selected Products (PSP), Fairmont Designs, Poly Products, Diversey, and 1765 Gemini to name a few.