Expo 2020: Booking inquiries begin in Dubai hotel

Dubai - With Expo 2020 just one year away, hotels in Dubai have already started receiving booking inquiries for the mega event, according to industry executives and analysts.
"Inquiries are coming for groups and exhibitors from Japan, China, Holland and France. Countries which have already started to build their pavilions as well as from universities which want to attend the seminars are inquiring about the bookings. They've started to apply for tickets and visas as well as trying to book early to avail best rates," said Ayman Ashor, general manager for Al Bandar Rotana and Al Bandar Arjaan.
"The average inquiry is about three weeks but some inquiries are for eight months. Some of the exhibitors will come a few days before Expo and will stay even after Expo. We expect the seasons to be very busy during the mega event but rates don't see substantial increase in rates. I don't think the rates will go so high that may not be affordable for the customers," Ashor said.
In addition, the hotels, he said, will also provide shuttle service to the nearest metro station in order to facilitate the visitors.
Christopher Lund, head of hotels at Colliers International Mena, said the main pickup in demand for hotel rooms will begin when the Expo itself gets underway and all the exhibitions are open to visitors.
"In terms of visitors attending the event, we understand that inquiries have started already from individuals and groups. However, we would expect to see this expedite over the coming months, hitting its peak around the 3-6 months lead in time before the event when most enquiries will be converted to bookings," Lund said.
-waheedabbas@khaleejtimes.com