It is peak tourist season in Dubai, and across the emirate – from luxurious beach resorts to modest city-centre properties – hoteliers are breathing a sigh of relief as their rooms fill up.
The global financial crisis has thrown up severe challenges to the emirate’s hotel managers and owners, who have had to cut staff, slow new projects and cope with a continuing wave of new openings. It has also changed the face of Dubai’s tourism industry, which has been forced to go down-market to keep hotels full.
“I guess 2011 will be a year for survivors. Others will falter by the wayside,” says Russel Sharpe of Mezze, a hospitality consultancy. “It’s the fight of the fittest.”
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