Dubai aims to use its successful bid to host World Expo 2020 to spearhead its drive to become the globe's leading destination for events, says a senior official.
The emirate already hosts more than 200 events, even before the decision by Bureau International des Expositions last week to award Dubai the right to host the expo.
“What we are aiming for in Dubai is to be the most successful events city in the world,” Helal Al Marri, who was on the expo bid team’s higher committee in his role as the director general of Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), said yesterday.
“Events are very important to us, not only with the local benefits they bring, but also as they show other countries what we are doing here in Dubai.
“Events entertain, inspire and stimulate ideas, creativity and the economy.”
Officials from emerging nations including Azerbaijan, South Korea and Malaysia yesterday gathered in the emirate for the Host Cities summit. They discussed how staging major events can help to bolster their economies and raise their international profile.
In recent years, Dubai has captured a growing chunk of the global events industry, hosting sporting competitions such as the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships to business events such as the Dubai Airshow.
The resulting economic returns have helped to cement Dubai’s brand, while supporting the emirate’s stable of companies by bringing more visitors to its airport, malls and hotels.
But staging Expo 2020 will be the most lucrative event yet for Dubai. It would help to boost the economy by about US$23 billion between 2015 and 2021, according to official estimates cited by Bank of America Merrill Lynch.
More events are likely to follow.
Ahmad Belhoul, DTCM’s chief executive for strategy and tourism development, said the emirate was “aiming to move from being the regional hub to a world-class business and entertainment destination”.
Still, the emirate or the UAE in general have no plans as yet to bid for an Olympic Games.
A formal campaign had been expected by some observers after the National Olympic Committee said last year that it was ready to bid for the 2024 Games if government approval was given.
“More focus now is on Expo 2020 and making that as successful as it can be,” Shaima Al Zarooni, a member of the Olympic Committee, said on the sidelines of Host Cities.
”Dubai and the UAE are very strong and the [former] International Olympic Committee president [Jacques Rogge] has stated our capability because of the infrastructure, the strategic location and the facilities available. But it is not a focus right now.”
tarnold@thenational.ae