Tourism News from Dubai May 2008
Dubai expects 10m tourists by 2010
The Dubai tourist sector has increased its share in GDP to 21% last year and the expectation is for 10 million tourists by 2010 and 15 million by 2015 according to the Department of Tourism.
Dubai’s rapidly developing portfolio of hotels and hotel apartments registered a surge of 25.8 per cent in 2007 and is expected to rise further by 2010. With 82 per cent occupancy rate, the Hotel and Hotel apartments generated good revenue in 2007. Dubai’s international airport received over 34 million passengers in 2007 and gets worldwide recognition for its excellent facilities.
These facts are instrumental in multiplying the number of tourists over the years.
A proposed new budget airline would enhance the accessibility of Dubai to a much bigger community of tourists. An affordable airline, coupled with economic rates for hotels in Dubai, will go a long way to attracting more tourists and opening up Dubai to the middle class in the world to experience the unique combination of tradition and modern concepts of luxury.
EOS AIRLINES NEW ROUTE LONDON – DUBAI
Eos,announced that it is expanding its schedule and route network with a daily service between London's Stansted Airport and Dubai International Airport starting on 6 July 2008.
Eos will begin issuing tickets for travel between London and Dubai in March.
With Stansted's easy access to the City, and industry-leading on-time operations, Eos' new service will be the most convenient option between London and Dubai for business travellers, and the only option that offers an uncrowded end-to-end "Eos Class" travel experience.
Eos, which flies the world's only fleet of 757s configured for just 48 Guests, launched its first
service in October 2005 and today carries one out of every nine business class passengers between London Stansted and New York's JFK airport on one of its 44 weekly flights. This growth has largely been attributed to peer-to-peer recommendations and word-of-mouth buzz that have resulted from unprecedented levels of Guest satisfaction and loyalty. The Eos Class experience includes fast track check-in and security, 6'6" fully-horizontal flat-bed suites.
BurJuman Reiterates its Position as the Finest Luxury Shopping Destination in the Middle East at Arabian Travel Market 2008
For the eighth consecutive year, BurJuman – the residence of high fashion – will reinforce its position as the region's ultimate luxury shopping destination, at Arabian Travel Market (ATM) from May 6-9, 2008.
Exhibiting at the Dubai Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) stand, BurJuman will use its presence at the ATM to strengthen strategic alliances with hotels, tour operators and travel agents, while highlighting its position as the unrivalled luxury shopping destination offering the finest in luxury shopping choices. With more than 300 world renowned brands that make up its retail portfolio, BurJuman today holds the world's top spot in having the highest concentration of luxury brands under one roof.
ATM 2008 also provides BurJuman with an opportunity to showcase its role as a retail, hospitality and commercial hub, committed to successfully tapping into the expanding tourism market locally and internationally.
"In addition to the retail offer, the BurJuman complex includes a state-of-the-art 29-storey Business Tower, the BurJuman Residence, and the BurJuman Rotana Suites, giving tourists and residents alike a unique opportunity to enjoy luxury living, working and shopping in one development. This growing trend of lifestyle destinations is becoming increasingly popular and BurJuman is taking a leadership position in this regard," said Ms. Sabina Khandwani, Head of PR and Marketing, BurJuman.
With a significant increase in visitors from more than 100 countries compared to last year, the ATM is an ideal platform for BurJuman to consolidate and establish new business relationships in the diverse hospitality, retail, and business sectors. Now in its 15th year, the ATM is expected to attract over 23,000 industry players including business travel agents, inbound tour operators, retail travel agents, group travel organizers, hotel groups, and tourism development projects.
Dubai hotels go green
Dubai hotels here are racing against time to go green.
From solar power, compact fluorescents, district cooling and "laundry-free" days to recycling water, glass and waste, five-star hotels in the UAE are trying different ways to cut CO2 emissions, which currently stand at twice the rate of their European counterparts, according to a study.
M?venpick Hotels recently switched over to energy-saving lamps which would cut room lighting bills by three-quarters. Awan Nazir, head of engineering at the 258-room hotel, said their energy-saving (ES) system will now have a quicker payback time after Dubai introduced the new slab tariff system.
Grand Hyatt Dubai's 674-room hotel has taken greening to a higher level. In September 2007, it converted its water heating system from diesel to solar power. Hyatt also treats its sewage effluent for cooling, reducing water consumption by 120,000 gallons a day – saving about Dh30,000 daily.
Courtyard Marriott in Dubai has cut its air-conditioning cost by up to 20 per cent by hooking up to a district cooling network, according to Wael Farouk, head of engineering at Courtyard Marriott. The hotel's waste water goes directly to a sewage treatment plant for re-use in landscaping.
Markus Oberlin of facilities management company Farnek Avireal said five-star hotels in the UAE produce 6,500 tonnes of CO2 annually, compared to 3,000 tonnes by a similar hotel in Europe. An average Dubai hotel consumes between 275325kw/h to 325kw/h of power per guest, 225 per cent more than the 100kw/h per guest in a similar hotel in Germany, he said citing a study.
All new buildings must comply with Dubai's green building rules which took effect on January 1, says Stephen Marney, General Manager, Dubai-based Middle East Centre for Sustainable Development.
The Dubai mall to open on August 28 , 2008
Emaar Malls Group will open its flagship shopping mall development, The Dubai Mall, on August 28, 2008.
One of the world's largest shopping and entertainment destinations, The Dubai Mall has a total internal floor area of 5.9 million sq ft and gross leasable space of 3.77 million sq ft, which is equivalent to the size of 50 football fields put together. The mall will feature over 1,200 stores, including two anchor department stores and 120 food & beverage outlets.
The Dubai Mall is located in the heart of the Downtown Burj Dubai master planned community where some of the world's most iconic structures are being developed including Burj Dubai.
The key components of the mall include one of the world's largest indoor Aquariums featuring 33,000 living animals;
the world's largest indoor Gold Souk with 220 retailers; the Middle East's first Galeries Lafayette department store; an Olympic-size ice rink; and The Grove, an indoor-outdoor streetscape with fully retractable roof, will open on August 28, along with the 14,000 covered car parking facility. The entertainment section comprising the region's first SEGA indoor theme park; KidZania, an 80,000 sq ft children's ‘edu-tainment' centre and a 22-screen cineplex, will open later this year as completion requires a dust-free environment.
SeaWorld owner to build 4 parks in Dubai
Four new theme parks – SeaWorld, Aquatica, Busch Gardens and Discovery Cove – are to be developed in Dubai.
Preliminary design work and site planning is underway, with the first phase expected to open in 2012 following an agreement between Orlando-based Busch Entertainment Corporation and Dubai property developer Nakheel.
They are to work together to create the Worlds of Discovery on The Palm Jebel Ali, the second of three man-made island developments in the Emirate.
Worlds of Discovery will occupy a section of The Palm Jebel Ali known as "the Crown," which will resemble a giant killer whale when reclamation work is complete.
Worlds of Discovery will also include a variety of other family activities, including resort hotels, spas, shops and restaurants.
SeaWorld Dubai will include many of the attractions in BEC's US parks, including killer whale, dolphin and sea lion attractions and marine themed rides. BEC will provide all animals for the parks developed in Dubai.
Nakheel's plans for The Palm Jebel Ali, the world's largest man-made island, also call for the development of commercial, residential and shopping districts, as well as resort hotels and restaurants.
Nakheel chief executive Chris O'Donnell said: "We have already concluded partnerships with major brands such as Trump, Cirque du Soleil, and Atlantis, and the partnership with BEC is a further example of Dubai's growth as a city of global prominence.
"We are extremely honoured that The Palm Jebel Ali will become home to the first Worlds of Discovery theme parks outside of the US, which is not only a major coup for Nakheel, but for the whole of Dubai."
Burj Dubai Surpasses KVLY-TV Mast To Become The Worlds Tallest Man-Made Structure
Burj Dubai, the iconic high-rise developed by Dubai-based Emaar Properties PJSC, has surpassed the height of the KVLY-TV mast in North Dakota, USA, to become the world's tallest man-made structure. Burj Dubai is now 629 metres (2,063.6 ft) high while KVLY-TV, which holds the record for the world's tallest supported structure since 1963, has a height of 628.8 metres (2,063 ft).
Burj Dubai is already the world's tallest building and tallest free-standing structure, and at 160 storeys, is taller than Taipei 101 (508 metres; 1667 ft) in Taiwan and CN Tower (553.33 metres; 1815.5 ft) in Toronto, Canada. Burj Dubai is billed to meet all four criteria listed by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), which classifies the world's tallest structures. CTBUH measures the height of buildings to the structural top, the highest occupied floor, the top of the roof and the tip of the spire, pinnacle, antenna, mast or flag pole.
The KVLY-TV mast in Blanchard, North Dakota, is a television transmitting mast, which was completed in 1963. Burj Dubai also towers over KXJB-TV, which at 628 metres (2,060 ft) was the second tallest artificial structure in the world, and the KXTV/KOVR Tower, a guyed communication tower in Walnut Grove, California, that rises to 624.5 metres (2,049 ft).
When completed, Burj Dubai will have used 330,000 cubic meters of concrete, 39,000 metric tons of steel rebar and 142,000 sq m of glass.
Burj Dubai, the centerpiece of Emaar's flagship mega-project, the AED 73 billion (US$20 billion) Downtown Burj Dubai, will feature residences, commercial space and retail space and hospitality elements including the world's first Armani Hotel and Armani Residences.
Downtown Burj Dubai is regarded as the new centre of Dubai and already has a thriving community of residents. Homes have been handed over to the owners in The Residences and The Old Town. Three hospitality projects – Al Manzil, Qamardeen and The Palace, The Old Town – have opened apart from Souk Al Bahar, a shopping mall inspired by Arabesque architectural elements. The Dubai Mall, one of the world's largest shopping and entertainment destinations, is in close proximity to Burj Dubai and will open later this year.
Biggest multi-national children’s gathering at Dubai's Dinosaur exhibition
A dinosaur exhibition from USA called “A.T rex Named Sue,” is drawing a huge crowd of school children and other visitors of the biggest multitude of nationalities, at the Children’s City in Dubai.
The exhibition, organized by the Children’s City with the cooperation of Field Museum, Chicago, USA and supported by City of Arabia and McDonald, was opened on 28 February and will continue until 23 May.
As part of the Dinosaur exhibition, the Children’s City is offering the biggest dig and excavation pit area, which is an educational and recreational place for children in the age group of 4-10 years. Children can search a group of bone casts that are hidden in the sands in the dig pit area, which is a first of its kind activity. Children can use special tools such as shovels, pickaxes and brushes for digging and excavation. The Children’s City also confers a certificate of participation to each child who participated in this exciting experience for the excavation done by him or her.
So far, a total of 1,276 children in the age group of 4-10 years of UAE, GCC, Arab, European and Asian nationalities have gone through this experience.
A T. Rex Named Sue brings the story of the largest, most complete, and best-preserved T. rex. A fully articulated cast skeleton of Sue standing about 12 feet (nearly 4 meters) and measuring 42 feet (nearly 14 meters) from hip to tail mounted on a stage is the centrepiece of this traveling exhibition, and family-friendly interactive exploring the paleontology that has helped scientists reconstruct Sue’s life and legacy surrounds it. Interactive, touchable replicas, two videos, audible, and colourful graphics deliver content about dinosaur science using a combination of visual, tactile, audible, and aromatic activities. The exhibition, seen by more than 5.8 million visitors worldwide, includes a group of bone casts that Children’s City constructs a dig pit activity with a wide variety of workshops and movies.
May 7, 2008
Posted in: Dubai