Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), the largest operator in the wider region, significantly bolstered its business tourism, generating an economic output of $3.5bn (AED13bn) in 2022, according to official figures. The acceleration of business tourism aligns with the objectives of the Dubai Economic Agenda D33, fortifying Dubai’s position as one of the top three global cities for business and travel.
In the post-pandemic era, DWTC remained a key economic catalyst, driving the growth of the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE) sector in Dubai. This initiative supported adjacent industries in the MICE ecosystem, producing sustainably high returns.
The 2022 Economic Impact Assessment (EIA) Annual Report unveiled that DWTC’s total economic output was recorded from 63 large-scale events. These events, which witnessed an impressive 49% year-on-year increase in foreign participation, welcomed nearly 1.2 million attendees. This underlines Dubai’s leadership as a global mega-event hub.
Director-General of DWTC Authority, Helal Saeed Almarri, emphasized that business tourism is a crucial driver of economic growth and sustainable development. The MICE industry, he argued, plays an essential role in supporting economic growth, achieving investment returns, and fostering innovation.
DWTC events supported over 48,000 jobs in 2022, marking a 110% year-on-year increase. The direct revenue of approximately $2.06bn (AED7.6bn) was generated across various sectors, including business entertainment, accommodation, restaurants, retail trade, transport, and government services.
The international attendees accounted for 40% of total event visitation in 2022, with an average per-event spend six times more than domestic attendees. This robust spending stimulated adjacent sectors like travel, hospitality, retail, food, and entertainment.
In 2022, the number of large-scale events grew by 26% year-on-year, while the total direct economic output across all MICE business services and adjacent sectors more than doubled at 108% year-on-year, reaching AED9.4bn. This reaffirms DWTC’s status as a leading global MICE hub, continually catalyzing incremental revenues benefiting other vital sectors across the GDP.
Almarri stressed the emirate’s commitment to enhancing its global appeal to the MICE industry through investments in infrastructure, innovation, and human capital. He highlighted the sectors that had the most significant impact on Dubai’s economy in 2022, including the Healthcare, Medical, and Scientific sector, the Information Technology (IT) sector, and the Food, Hotel, and Catering sector. These sectors alone accounted for 57% (AED4.3bn) of the gross value added (GVA) to Dubai’s economy, attracting 46% of the total large-scale event attendees.
Almarri concluded, stating that 2022 was a pivotal year for global MICE and Dubai’s continued growth in this sector post-pandemic showcases its ability to deliver sustained value to business participants. The goal, he said, is to leverage the MICE platform to become the global hub for future business, fostering access to cutting-edge knowledge sectors and skilled talent pools across borders.
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