Business | Tourism
Aldar plans up to 40 hotels by 2015
Abu Dhabi property developer Aldar plans to build up to 40 hotels over the next seven years to support the UAE capital's ambitious tourism development plans.
- By Shakir Husain, Staff Reporter
- Published: 00:27 May 5, 2008
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Dubai: Abu Dhabi property developer Aldar plans to build up to 40 hotels over the next seven years to support the UAE capital's ambitious tourism development plans.
These will create 10,000 to 12,000 rooms more than the present number of hotel rooms in Abu Dhabi, a senior official of Aldar said.
The number of hotel rooms in Abu Dhabi is projected to grow to 75,000 in 22 years by 2030 from 10,000 now under the emirate's development strategy.
Abu Dhabi aims to have 25,000 hotel rooms by 2012.
According to John Podaras, operations manager of TRI Hospitality Consulting, the medium-term growth in hotel rooms being achieved by Abu Dhabi far exceeds the projections under the 2030 plan.
Aldar said most hotels are part of its mixed-use projects that include residences, offices retails and hotels.
"As many as 14 hotels are under construction at the moment, and we are developing more after that," Paul Bell, managing director of Aldar Properties unit Aldar Hotels and Hospitality, told reporters on the sidelines of the Arabian Hotel Investment Conference Dubai on Sunday.
"A decent inventory of hotels is needed for a world-class capital, and that is what we are trying to achieve," Bell said during a session on Abu Dhabi's tourism sector.
At present, the hotel segment is relatively a small portion of Aldar's overall property portfolio, but the company is looking to broaden it, he said.
The company is also looking at developing branded residences to cater to the high-end market. Among other major hotel developers in the capital, Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC), the investment arm of Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority, has signed deals top hotel chains.
Lee Tabler, TDIC chief executive officer, said the Abu Dhabi government has asked the company to involve more foreign developments in projects. "The direction by the Abu Dhabi leadership is to engage more foreign developers. We are talking to a lot of people," Tabler said.
Dubai figures
Meanwhile, the Dubai Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) has projected the number of hotel visitors to Dubai to rise to ten million by 2010, from about seven million in 2007.
The number of hotels and hotel apartments is expected to increase to 488 by 2010, up from 452 in 2007. Dubai's room strength will also rise to 64,179.
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