Chinese eye luxury in Dubai
The number of Chinese visitors to Dubai is expected to surge by more than half this year as new air services and a relaxation of visa restrictions reinforce perceptions of Dubai as a secure haven amid growing turbulence in the Middle East.
About 152,000 Chinese hotel guests stayed in Dubai last year.
Hotels in Dubai have introduced several measures to accommodate the growth, such as hiring Chinese employees and adding Chinese food to their menus.
The Burj Al Arab resort reported almost 80 percent of the hotel’s guests were from China during Chinese New Year this year.
Mohammed al Sheikh, the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing’s (DTCM) head of region for Australia and Asia, said at the recent Dubai Business Opportunity Forum in Beijing that his expectations for this year were “really high”.
“With the problems in [other parts of] the Middle East, people going to Egypt, Tunisia and other countries affected have been mostly transferring to Dubai or going through Dubai,†he said.
He added that the decision by the Chinese authorities to give the UAE approved destination status from September 2009 was also behind the growth.
Last week, Emirates Airline began operating the Airbus A380 on its Shanghai route, after starting to use the super jumbo on its Beijing and Hong Kong services last year.
The Palm Jumeirah has proved to be a magnet for Chinese visitors, with five percent of guests at the Atlantis The Palm hotel coming from China last year.
“Also, we know the Chinese tourists, they like trying the seven-star hotel. They don’t mind shifting from one hotel to another, but they need to stay for a night in the Burj Al Arab,†al Sheikh said.
Chinese visitors are also in love with Dubai’s shopping malls. “At the LV [Louis Vuitton] shop, 70 percent of its sales go to Chinese people,” al Sheikh said
Ian Jarrett
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