Dubai World Trade Centre’s (DWTC) two major commercial destination projects will add over 10,000 hotel rooms to the UAE’s overall capacity when all phases of development are completed by 2015.

The hospitality offerings within the DWTC projects  – Dubai Exhibition City and Dubai Trade Centre District – have been profiled at this year’s Tourism Development Projects and Investment Market (TDIM) exhibition.

The new projects will exponentially increase the number of rooms available to Dubai’s visitors, enabling the future growth of both tourist attractions and business events like TDIM, said a top official.

Helal Saeed Al Marri, director general, DWTC, said: “We have ambitious plans in place to contribute to the growth of business tourism in the UAE and proactively support the ongoing increase in number of visitors to the region.”

“Both of our integrated mega-projects will not only work as stand-alone commercial destinations that will attract greater number of business travellers to Dubai, but will also make a significant contribution to the city’s overall hospitality infrastructure,” he added.

Dubai Exhibition City (DEC) – the seven sq km integrated commercial destination anchored around the major exhibition facility, Dubai Exhibition World (DEW) – will offer a full range of three, four and five-star accommodation starting at 2,500 rooms by 2010, when its first phase opens, and eventually ramping up to a total hospitality offering of up to 7,500 rooms post completion of all three phases of the development.

Such significant increase in hotel capacity will ensure that visitors and exhibitors to even the busiest trade events will be able to find suitable accommodation, conveniently located in the same precinct as the planned state-of-the-art DEW venue.

Also, as a mixed-use development providing a range of office, retail, hospitality, industrial and residential offerings adjacent to the new Al Maktoum International Airport, DEC will be a completed integrated commercial destination that provides easy access to all its users, significantly alleviating stress on Dubai’s road infrastructure and the resultant current traffic congestion in the main city and town centre areas.

Dubai Trade Centre District (DTCD) – the area surrounding the current Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre – is also set to transform the availability of high quality accommodation at the centre of Dubai.

DWTC has signed agreements with four major hotel operators to provide 1,150 rooms and 500 serviced apartments within the District in phase one which will open in 2010.

The hotel rooms will comprise 600 rooms in the business economy category, 450 in the upper upscale and 150 in the luxury segment of the market, while the Condo Apartments will cater to the high and luxury end of the market.

Plans are also in place to scale up the hospitality offering to a total of 2,500 rooms by completion of all phases by 2015 at DTCD.

Both developments are designed to be uniquely integrated, commercial lifestyle destinations that promote global business tourism with networking opportunities and world-class infrastructure, enabling Dubai to host the most prestigious conferences, exhibitions and events.-TradeArabia News Service