Hospitality sector to get a big boost
Massive investment gateway could be opened
Dubai: The UAE's bid for the World Expo 2020, if successful, could bring about a huge leap for the country's travel industry.
The travel and tourism experts believe that if the UAE manages to win the bid, it could open a massive investment gateway for its travel and tourism sector.
"I believe that the UAE will win this bid because of the excellent infrastructure it has. Many investors are waiting to see how things move. And once established this will bring in more investments into the UAE's tourism sector," George Mousa, chief executive of travel and tour operator Planet Group told Gulf News.
He added that the move will prove to be a big one for the country's MICE (meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions) industry.
The World Expo is one of the largest international events organised for more than 150 years, and takes place every five years, lasting up to six months.
Echoing Mousa's thoughts is Gassan Aridi, CEO of Alpha Tours. "The World Expo is the busiest exhibition in the world and is said to attract the largest number of visitors worldwide [to an exhibition]," he said, adding that if the UAE manages to secure the bid for the 2020 expo, the exhibition alone is likely to attract at least half a million visitors.
"That itself is a huge number. It would be a huge promotion for the UAE, leading to more investments in the region's travel and tourism trade," Aridi said. On the whole, it's not just the travel and tourism sector that would benefit from the World Expo but the entire services sector, says Planet Group's Mousa.
"It would be a great achievement for the entire region, and the whole services industry stands to benefit from the event if it takes place in the UAE," he said.
Following the orders of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, a high ranking delegation recently visited Paris to discuss the UAE's World Expo 2020 bid with officials and members of the International Bureau of Exhibitions.
The winning bid, for which four other countries — Russia, Brazil, Turkey and Thailand - are also competing, is due to be announced in 2013.
The delegation, headed by Shaikh Ahmad Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates airline and Group, presented a detailed presentation of the UAE's strengths and credentials.
Other delegates included Reem Al Hashemi, Minister of State; Mohammad Ebrahim Al Shaibani, Director-General of the Dubai Ruler's Court; Ahmad Al Shaikh, Director-General of the Dubai Government Media Office; Hilal Saeed Al Merri, CEO of the Dubai World Trade Centre, and Mohammad Meer Abdullah Al Raeesi, UAE Ambassador to France, along with representatives of a number of federal and local organisations.
