The last decade has seen immense growth in Dubai and huge investment in the creation of infrastructure in general and for the tourism industry in particular. While the recession has no doubt made a dent in tourism forecasts with a clear drop in holiday and corporate travel spending, one has to remember that in Dubai this drop comes from a very high level of spending, so it is more a reduction to a more moderate level than a decline.
Dubai’s tourism infrastructure, natural position at the cross-roads between East and West, excellent international airlinks, exciting offerings in the form of unique marine habits, pristine beaches, world class cuisine, and its reputation as an exciting shopping and indulgent spa destination buoys the emirate’s tourism potential and ability to continue to attract tourists. Additionally, its position as a regional business hub enables Dubai to continue to benefit from the busy and lucrative business travel trade.
Reto Wittwer, President and CEO of Kempinski Hotels said: “Kempinski entered the market in the UAE over 11 years ago with one property on the beaches of Ajman, followed by a theatrical entry to the Emirate of Abu Dhabi with the inauguration of the iconic Emirates Palace. However, Kempinski had been eyeing an opportunity to enter the Dubai market specifically to take part in this massive development of Dubai as a booming tourism destination and ride on the wave of hospitality excellence that developed under the wise direction of Dubai’s visionary leader. We were, however, waiting for the right property at the right time to avoid being just another hotel brand coming to the market with yet just another hotel.”
In 2006, Kempinski Hotels made a sound entry to Dubai with Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates, the largest indoor ski resort in the world with unique alpine style ski chalets. Later on, Kempinski announced its second property – a hotel and residence development in Dubai on the crescent of the Palm Jumeirah, next to the Atlantis Hotel – developed by the Emerald Palace Group (EPG Hotels & Resorts).
Kempinski was one of the first hotel groups to announce properties on Palm Jumeirah, the spectacular man-made palm-shaped offshore development along the coast of Dubai, developed by Nakheel. Many announcements then followed, with big name hospitality brands and huge projects such as the iconic Atlantis Hotel which opened last year, generating impressive international media attention for the real estate and tourism hotspot.
Targeted at high-end residents, Kempinski Residences Palm Jumeriah, which is scheduled to open in early 2010, will be operated as private residences and luxury hotel apartments. “The property is Kempinski’s first beach resort in Dubai and fits perfectly with our vision of having only unique properties in our portfolio, especially in a destination like Dubai where everything seems to be done par excellence. This project has been one of the most successful in the UAE achieving some of the best yield rates within properties on the Palm,” Wittwer added.
Not unlike many projects around the Gulf area, Kempinski has experienced delays in some of its properties under development due to a number of reasons, the global situation being one of them. The entry of various new hotels and hotel brands in large sizes offered an opportunity for Kempinski to adopt a ‘wait-and-see’ approach to learn from their experiences; a strategy that Kempinski believes is best to adopt at certain stages in time to ascertain its future steps for the benefit and best interest of its stakeholders.
The Government of Dubai has always looked at tourism in terms of destination management and as a collaborative effort which means that in a tough global scenario, the equity of Brand Dubai has remained strong and distinct. Solid hospitality groups such as Kempinski that have grown with the city and understand the city’s tourism positioning and potential have reaped the benefits of the heavy investment in tourism over the past few years and are expected to continue to do so in the future.
In this context, Kempinski continues to experience a robust festive period in Dubai which bodes well for the coming year, with a firm belief in the steady flourishing of Dubai as a key tourism and business destination that offers a broad and growing spectrum of facilities that sets it apart from other destinations in the world. “We are confident that our projects and business alliances in Dubai will develop to the satisfaction of our guests, clients, business partners and staff, and look forward to this coming year with a lot of optimism while preparing for the final development and opening of our second property in Dubai on Palm Jumeirah,” concluded Wittwer.
Source: news release
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