The new Westin hotel is part of the Al Habtoor City development in Dubai

Key players in Dubai’s tourism industry came together to mark the city’s milestone achievement of reaching 100,000 rooms across its expanding hotel and hotel apartment inventory following the soft opening of The Westin Dubai, Al Habtoor City.

Commenting on the occasion, Helal Saeed Almarri, director general of Dubai Department of Tourism & Commerce Marketing, said: “For the hotel sector, high demand from international travellers, and the consequent growth in tourism volumes, has been the cornerstone of fostering continued investment in supply enhancement, which has seen us cross this historic 100,000 rooms threshold.

“This has been a journey undertaken collaboratively and achieved through the enduring strength of our public and private partnerships that underscore Dubai’s maturing prominence on the world stage.”

The quality and high standards of Dubai’s hotel industry have long been a defining characteristic of the city’s tourism offering and a contributor to the destination’s overall attractiveness to visitors.

The new Westin hotel – the second Westin-branded property to open in the city – is no exception and confirms the importance the industry places on providing guests with a truly exceptional, superlative experience.

Mohammed Al Habtoor, vice chairman, Al Habtoor Group, owners of the new Westin property, said: “The Al Habtoor Group continues to grow in unison with the economy of Dubai.

“Our vision is in line with the Government.

“We now have seven quality hotels in the city contributing significantly to the hospitality sector here.

“The addition of The Westin Dubai – Al Habtoor City adds another 1,004 superior rooms to Dubai.

“It is the largest Westin in Europe Middle East and Africa.  It complements our other hotels within the Hotel Collection at Al Habtoor City.

“Our hospitality portfolio in Dubai is unique and draws people to the city, offering travellers with a multitude of luxury choices.”

Looking to the future, Dubai Tourism expects occupied room nights in hotels and hotel apartments to reach 35.9 million, representing a 10.8 per cent compound annual growth rate from the end of 2015 to the end of 2018.

As such, the overall room supply is expected to reflect similar growth, reaching 134,000 rooms by the end of 2018.

With demand increasing, overall projected occupancy rates until 2018 are expected to be maintained at a strong 77 per cent approximately, ensuring Dubai’s hotel industry retains its attractiveness while allowing the emirate to build stronger competitiveness as a global tourist destination.