Escalating demand for leisure products at The Hotel Show Dubai has led to an increased focus for leisure and outdoor at this year’s event to take place in Dubai Sept. 28-30.
Almost 8,000 of The Hotel Show visitors attended in 2013 looking to source leisure products – 7 percent had a budget responsibility of more than $1 million. The Leisure Show is the show within the show that was soft launched last year and attracted a dedicated audience of more than 1,500 professionals from theme parks, spa resorts, sports facilities, golf courses, real estate, shopping malls specifically looking for outdoor and leisure products, furnishings, equipment and services.
“The leisure and outdoor industry has been growing exponentially over the past few years and now accounts for over 70 percent of the total travel and tourism spend in the GCC,” said Christine Davidson, event director, The Hotel Show Dubai. “Indeed, governments worldwide are increasingly investing in tourism to ensure the sectors’ valuable contribution to growth in GDP.”
As the only B2B event in the Middle East and Gulf region to address the leisure industry in its wider scope, The Leisure Show addresses the complete supply chain under one roof, also providing a platform for sharing best practice and creating the opportunity to build business and relationships. The Leisure Show at The Hotel Show Dubai 2014 will once again be partnered by the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing.
The Leisure Show caters to four main sectors: Outdoor Design, Furniture & Equipment; Pool & Spa; Sports & Fitness; and Recreational Fun & Adventure. Its extensive reach represents an ideal platform for both established and newer companies to meet with the designers, architects, contractors, real estate developers, facility owners, managers and decision makers responsible for the estimated $73 billion of leisure projects currently under construction within the GCC.
With the Middle East a cultural hub attracting millions of visitors year on year, the region is also becoming the home for landmarked man made attractions represented in water and theme parks, hotels and resorts as well as sports facilities.
“Trends continue to grow and more projects are in the pipeline,” said Davidson. “For example, the announcement last week that Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has laid out plans for the extensive Mall of the World real estate project which will include a 743,224-square-meter mall, a climate-controlled street network, a covered theme park and 100 hotels and serviced apartments.”
MEED project estimates the total value of contracts awarded in the UAE during 2013 concluded at approximately $30 billion, but 2014 will see the value increase to approximately $35 billion.
