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0:00
Hello, I'm Hala Matar Choufany,
the Regional President for
HVS in the Middle East,
Africa & South Asia.
I will be discussing
hospitality in the Middle East.
Therefore, welcome to a new
series of HVS talks and
the vibrant world of
the hospitality industry
in the Middle East region.
0:20
In the next 15 minutes,
I will share with you
a brief summary about
the evolution and
characteristics of
the hospitality market in
the Middle East region.
We will also take a closer
look at Dubai, in particular,
and highlight the
success factors in
creating a well-established
destination.
The Middle East region boasts
a diverse range of
hospitality offerings.
From luxurious
five-star hotels to
boutique resorts and
traditional guesthouses,
all of which are designed to
offer Arabian hospitality.
Throughout the last 25 years,
there has been significant
investments made
in the hotel and hospitality
sector in the region
with the launch of
national airlines,
aggressive tourism budgets,
and sizable developments.
1:08
In recent years,
the Middle East
has seen remarkable growth
in the hospitality sector
with major international
hotel chains and
local developers
continuously investing
in new and innovative projects.
This has resulted
in the emergence of
iconic landmarks, such as
the Burj Al Arab in Dubai,
the Emirates Palace
and Abu Dhabi,
and the Alila Jabal Akhdar
in Omã to name a few.
The timeline, as seen on
the slide suggests
that the region
experienced
significant change to
its hospitality offering
landscape since 2000
supported by the rise in
internationally branded hotels
and an increase in the
number of visitors.
Few internationally
managed hotels were
developed in the 1960s and
continue to be landmark projects
signifying the start
of the tourism era.
Today, major hotel companies,
such as Hilton, IHG,
Marriott, and Accor had
combined 506 hotels and
roughly 160,000 rooms in
the Middle East region.
The leader of the number
of hotels is Accor
with 174 hotels followed
by Hilton at 150.
While there remains to be
great development and
investment opportunities,
the region continues
to face a number
of challenges including
political unrest,
economical challenges,
and dependency on oil
price fluctuation.
We will therefore
take a closer look at
the largest and more stable
economies in the region.
