Dubai: Around 3.3 million people visited the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) in 2017, marking a 9 per cent increase over 2016 as the centre hosted more business events.
DWTC Authority said the centre hosted 353 MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions) in 2017, up 18 per cent year-on-year, with the number of international exhibitors rising 10 per cent to 39,202.
In terms of visitors, China and Germany were among the top 10 source markets for the first time, as Saudi Arabia, India, Oman, the United Kingdom, Kuwait, and Egypt remained on the list of top visitor markets.
Over 1.1 million foreign business travellers visited DWTC in 2017 amid a rise in the number of international exhibitors.
“Building on DWTC’s success in 2017, aligned with Dubai’s progress towards a knowledge-based economy, we will further capitalise on our international reputation as a mega-event organiser and venue to accelerate growth and innovation across our diverse portfolio,” said Helal Saeed Al Marri, director general of DWTC Authority and Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM).
In terms of industries hosting events at DWTC, the Authority said they included healthcare, food, hospitality, ICT (Information and Communications Technology), finance, energy, industrial manufacturing, and property.
The Authority said that growth across those sectors was in line with Dubai’s strategy to diversify the economy away from oil and focus on areas of innovation and knowledge.
In the healthcare sector, DWTC hosted 26 events in 2017, as visitor participation at those events grew by 30 per cent year-on-year to 419,217.
This was boosted by a 43 per cent increase in the number of exhibiting companies, as the Authority focused on attracting events in the sector as Dubai aims to position itself as a medical tourism destination.
In the food and hospitality sector, DWTC added two new events to host 10 in the sector, as the number of participants rose 18 per cent over 2016. Gulfood retained its top spot in the sector, attracting 97,423 visitors, up 5 per cent year-on-year.
Meanwhile, the ICT sector accounted for 12 events in the calendar, seeing 12 per cent growth in the number of visitors to 226,708 in 2017. The jump is also in line with Dubai’s plans to use disruptive innovation and attract research in future technology.
