Building on the back of successful events like Expo 2020, Dubai is increasingly becoming one of the world’s foremost hubs for international gatherings.
Expo 2020 welcomed more than 24 million visits, attesting to Dubai’s elite event-management capabilities in a post-pandemic world. Courtesy Gulf Business.
In a year where many major economies struggled to recover from the effects of the pandemic and other geopolitical events, Dubai emerged as a bright spot across a variety of fields, with the events industry a prime performer.
According to recent data, approximately 12.82 million visitors graced Dubai in the first 11 months of 2022, with many flying in for major events including Expo 2020. With more than 24 million visits, the six-month long event that concluded in March 2022 greatly enhanced tourist confidence and city profile in a post-pandemic environment.
The knock-on effects of the Qatar World Cup were felt, too, with an estimated 1 million visitors stopping by the U.A.E. during the tournament, visiting wildly popular fan events that served as examples of government-private sector collaboration in the events space.
All these factors have led to a boom in events to be hosted in Dubai.
The Emirates Airlines Festival of Literature, now in its 15th year, will welcome a stunning array of literary, acting and media personalities. Courtesy Gulf News.
The Dubai Sports Council has announced plans for the city to host 1000 sports events per year, with an aim of doubling the sector’s contribution to annual GDP from 2% to 4% within 10 years. Dubai will also look to welcome more training camps, and push sporting events in collaboration with the private sector to 90%.
This announcement is in line with the Emirate’s ambitious D33 strategy, which aims to expand and maximise various sectors of Dubai’s economic structure by 2033. Already, December saw the city host the Dubai Super Cup, featuring the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool, AC Milan, and Olympique Lyonnais. Golf’s Dubai Desert Classic, now in its 34th year, recently concluded, while, at the time of writing, the DP World ILT20 cricket league is dazzling the city in its first season.
Concurrently, the Taste of Dubai is enticing foodies from the world over, with its stellar chef line-up including John Torode, Daniel Boulud, Akira Back and Massimo Bottura. With dishes created by Michelin-approved restaurants specifically for Dubai, and a range of luxurious culinary experiences, the festival is set to outdo its previous success.
Also simultaneously is the Emirates Airlines Festival of Literature, celebrating its 15th anniversary. Golden Globe-winner Brian Cox, Irish novelist Cecelia Ahern, Britain’s Got Talent-fame’s David Walliams, Ogilvy India Executive Chairman Piyush Pandey and literary superstar Jeffrey Archer are just some of the trailblazers in attendance this year.
Of note later in the year is COP28 — the landmark event is a major boost to Dubai’s ambitious sustainability plans and will convene in the city from 20th November to 12th December, 2023.
These headline-grabbing events are the result of an environment geared toward becoming an events hub. The Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism has announced a target of 400 annual global economic events by 2025, with mega-congress gatherings and those with an ESG-focus like COP28 major priorities.
Dubai has emerged as a premier choice for destination weddings. Courtesy WAM.
Separately, the city has also emerged as a wildly popular choice for destination weddings, with iconic landmarks like the Burj Khalifa and Dubai Frame serving as unparalleled backdrops. Supplementing this is the city’s unprecedented range of luxury hotels, as well as a range of unique hospitality and tourist experiences.
Repeatedly proven capabilities, cross-sector collaboration and increasing global confidence are fuelling what has been the Emirate’s long-standing ambition — to facilitate global events and ideas, showcase rich Emirati heritage and forge ahead into the future.
