Dubai is leading the global post-coronavirus tourism recovery and is well-prepared for the expected travel pickup in the second half of the year, said a top executive of Dubai’s famed Atlantis hotel.
Executive vice president and managing director at Atlantis Dubai Tim Kelly said he is “very optimistic” about Dubai’s tourism standing in wake of the pandemic, given that a large portion of the population, and the hospitality industry, is already vaccinated against Covid-19.
“I believe from that standpoint, and as elements of travel restrictions ease with the global rollout of the vaccines, we are ready and prepared. We are so far ahead of so many other destinations globally that we have a head start,” said Kelly.
Tim Kelly, Executive vice president and managing director at Atlantis Dubai.
“When you come out of the pandemic, most of the destinations will be promoting how they are open and back in business but here we can say that we’ve been open and we are already ready, and I think that this will be a great advantage for us by the second half of the year,” he continued.
December and January were “exceptional” months for Dubai’s hospitality industry, said Kelly, and while February started off well, the UK and some European travel restrictions that month put a damper on the number of international visitors to the city.
“I would say I am very optimistic [regarding Dubai’s tourism recovery], particularly as we head into the March and April window, that we are going to see gradual improvement but after Ramadan is when we will see that big jump,” said Kelly.
Kelly spoke to Arabian Business at the launch of Atlantis Aquaventure Waterpark’s newest edition, Trident Tower, an expansion that increased its size by a third and added 28 new rides to the waterpark.
Aquaventure is located on the Palm Jumeriah and, following the expansion, now includes 26 F&B outlets and 105 waterslides.
“We see a lot of developments still happening on the Palm Jumeirah. By the end of 2022, you will have 10,000 rooms on the Palm alone and 150,000 rooms across Dubai,” explained Kelly.
“As we continue to transform Aquaventure over the next couple of years, we want it to be an entertainment staple in Dubai on par with the city’s other major attractions,” he added.
Still in the pipelines for Atlantis by the end of the year is the opening of the Royal Atlantis Resorts and Residence, also on the Palm Jumeriah. With it, Atlantis-the Palm and the expanded Aquaventure Atlantis will “be fully ready and engaged for 2022 and the future, which includes Expo 2020 and the World Cup,” said Kelly.
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