Did you know that hotels and hotel-related hospitality venues represent more than 80% of alcohol consumption in the UAE? This statistic becomes all the more pertinent when considering that in 2013, Dubai was chosen as the 2020 World Expo host.
Already home to a diverse population of over 200 different nationalities, the tiny emirate welcomes over 11 million tourists a year, and they expect to enjoy their stays in the city’s many luxury hotels – the only places where alcohol is readily available.
By 2020, it is predicted that Dubai will receive an influx of nearly 25 million visitors, over double their current tourist numbers, 70% of which will come from other countries around the globe, where they are used to enjoying alcoholic beverages at their leisure. In fact, this is the first World Expo where the majority of participants will most likely come from outside the host country. The Expo is expected to run from 20 October 2020 to 10 April 2021, giving the local luxury hospitality sector ample opportunity to take advantage of alcohol sales.
Although a conservative Islamic country, the millions of tourists that are attracted to the cosmopolitan city certainly expect to delight in their cocktails, which are restricted to non-Muslims and only licensed hotels, restaurants, nightclubs and bars. As the country knows that its economy is boosted by its booming tourism industry, it is effectively obliging the supply and demand model when it comes to providing alcohol to its global guests. They have become true masters of hospitality in that respect.
With the number of foreigners visiting the country on the rise, demand for wine is expected to grow at an average annual rate of over 6% during the period of 2015 to 2021. This rise in Dubai’s wine market is mostly thanks to tourism, which not only brings in the expats, but also foreign companies. Major wine suppliers already include the usual suspects: the US, France, Australia, Italy and Chile. The number of suppliers is also expected to go up exponentially.
This is a significant increase for the wine industry and only enhances the country’s need for informed, experienced and internationally recognized wine consultants like Wine Trend, Inc. The UAE, and especially Dubai and Abu Dhabi, is catching up to the high standards of designing luxurious yet functional controlled wine environments for the proper storage of wine to safeguard their inventory.
Without the technology available from firms like Wine Trend, hospitality venues stand to lose thousands in lost revenue due to improper storage of their wine goods, which they are then unable to sell. With tourism on the rise and the World Expo just around the corner, there is even more of a need to hire design build companies like Wine Trend to ensure safe wine storage.
We have had the pleasure of establishing a longstanding and successful work history with the top interior design firms working on luxury hotels in the UAE, like the Rosewood Hotel and the Four Seasons Hotel in Abu Dhabi, and look forward to continuing these relationships in the future.
