True to the vision of the ruler and government of Dubai, this small emirate has grown from a sleepy fishing village to one of the strongest metropolitan cities on the planet. Many people come to Dubai to live and work and the hospitality industry depends on that.
A constant influx of people is the best indicator that the tourism, entertainment and hospitality industry can have. With little to no oil resources of its own, Dubai has relied heavily on travel and tourism to fuel its growth. Other than that, the city has become a viable offshore location for regional and international business conferences. It has the infrastructure and style to support the needs of the best international clients.
The government’s decision to allow freeholds in 2002 has reaped benefits for Dubai’s economy. It has catapulted this once little-known desert land into global prominence as foreign investors from around the world flocked to Dubai to set up companies and projects of all kinds and styles. Donald Trump, Gary Rhodes and a host of other well-known celebrities from around the world have arrived to leave their mark of elegance on Dubai’s shores.
Among Dubai’s best-known projects are (1) Dubai Marina, the world’s largest man-made marina; (2) the three Palm Islands at Jumeirah, Deira, and Jebel Ali, made from reclaimed land; and (3) the World, another project based on the sea in the middle of the water. As if that weren’t all, Dubai has consistently enjoyed a taste for the biggest, biggest and best courtesy of its planners and developers. No wonder many think Dubai has overextended itself into a payment crisis and credit crunch. While it is true that some of this was caused by the global recession, Dubai cannot fully absolve itself of blame.
With some of the world’s best restaurants and hotel groups located in the marina area or elsewhere across this magnificent landscape, Dubai is becoming one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. Dubai is home to the Burj-ul-Arab, the world’s only seven-star hotel. Another planned project, the 6,500-room Asia-Asia, is set to put it on the world map as one of the world’s largest hotels. It’s no surprise that Dubai hotel jobs account for a large part of the global hospitality industry.
Most Dubai hotel bookings these days come from the many new Dubai hotels being built along the Dubai Marina and at the three island properties: Palm Jumeirah, Palm Jebel Ali and Palm Deira. . At one point, the Atlantis Hotel sought to hire as many as 8,000 hotel employees. The Palazzo Versace hotel, the Giorgio Armani hotel and the Jumeirah hotel chain are other well-known hotels that do business here.
No doubt, the hotel industry is temporarily in a crisis as the real estate crisis is taking its toll, but Dubai is expected to recover soon. The planned expansion of Dubai’s theme parks labeled ‘Dubailand’ and Las Vegas-style resorts offer other opportunities for those associated with the hospitality industry.
