59 hotels set for opening in UAE in 2017, says report

Dubai - The Middle East and Africa will welcome 316 new builds in 2017, opening the doors on 84,337 new rooms for tourists

The UAE's hospitality industry will get a major boost in 2017 with the opening of 59 hotels, according to new data released by a study.
The Middle East and Africa will welcome 316 new builds in 2017, opening the doors on 84,337 new rooms for tourists and holidaymakers, according to the Middle East and Africa Hotel Construction Overview report by TopHotelProjects.
The report, released ahead of the 17th annual The Hotel Show Dubai, said the UAE accounts for almost 20 per cent of those developments, with 59 projects already underway, set to open in 2017.
Saudi Arabia is close behind with 51 builds in the pipeline, while Turkey (28), Qatar (18), and Morocco (17) are also set for a busy 12 months.
Caroline List, International Sales Manager at TopHotelProjects, said the new hotel openings forecast for the region in 2017 include the ME Dubai Hotel designed by the late, renowned architect Zaha Hadid; Abraj Kudai Towers in Makkah, which will become the world's biggest hotel with 10,000 rooms; The Address Emaar Square in Istanbul; and Melia Beach Hotel Saidia, Morocco."
"The busiest cities remain Dubai, Riyadh and Doha. At The Hotel Show we will be presenting the latest facts and figures about the hotel construction pipeline in the MEA region with a closer look at the UAE and Dubai," said List, who will be speaking as part of the 'Update on market and consumer patterns and trends - get the inside track' panel discussion at The Hotel Show Dubai's 2016 Vision Conference.
With 138 hotel projects currently underway across Dubai, the city's hospitality development buzz is set to heighten with more than 30,000 visitors forecast to attend The Hotel Show and co-located events. According to STR's July 2016 Pipeline Report, Dubai and Makkah are the two cities in the Middle East and Africa region with the most number of hotel rooms under construction. Makkah has 21,835 rooms in 13 hotels and Dubai has 20,882 rooms in 67 hotels under construction, STR data shows.
Two additional markets reported more than 5,000 rooms in construction: Doha (6,830 rooms in 30 hotels) and Riyadh (6,657 rooms in 30 hotels).
According to the report, in total, there are 155,899 rooms in 552 projects under contract in the Middle East and 56,227 rooms in 295 projects under contract in Africa. Under contract includes projects in the 'in construction', final planning and planning stages but does not include projects in the unconfirmed stage.
The Leisure Show and Piscine Middle East start this week at the Dubai World Trade Centre. Complementing The Hotel Show - while highlighting the importance of hotel design in Dubai and its growing focus on sustainability - two additional exhibitions, the Windows, Doors & Façade Event and Intersolar Middle East will also take place at the venue.
   - issacjohn@khaleejtimes.com