Dubai’s drive to re-open for tourism gets five-star rating

Dubai’s drive to ensure a safe return for tourism has earned a five-star rating from a hotel which is seeing positive signals of business returning on a daily basis.

“The government and all the local authorities put in a lot of effort to guarantee a very safe and smooth reopening process for all our hotel and F&B activities,” said Alfio Bernardini, General Manager of the Grand Plaza Movenpick Media City.

“We should all be thankful for the way this new phase has been managed, and for the clear marketing and communication strategy by Dubai Tourism to keep Dubai as one of the safest and most desirable travel destinations.”

“Considering where we were just a few weeks back, all these recent developments are great news, and positive things will come.”

The 235-room hotel in the heart of Dubai’s Media City extended its working relationship with Culligan Middle East as part of its health and safety measures following the lockdown, introducing a sanitiser produced at the company’s Dubai laboratory.

“We have been successfully working with Culligan since the opening of the hotel across different areas, from in-house water production to managing water treatments and other special projects,” said Bernardini.

“As part of our new health and safety measures, the sanitiser is used in all public areas and restaurants to keep a safe environment for guests and team members.”

Bernardini is cautiously optimistic about the speed of recovery for tourism in Dubai. “It would be challenging to predict how business will develop overall, as we face a global crisis that has impacted many dynamics at all levels,” he says.

“Additionally, some countries that are typically considered key feeder markets for Dubai are not yet fully reopened, so it might take time to recover volumes. Nevertheless, we are slowly witnessing some initial improvements, and positive signals keep increasing on a daily basis.

“We understand that embracing change, being resilient and becoming more agile have become key factors to properly responding to and being ready for future challenges.

“While corporate travel will take time to bounce back, we have noticed an increase on different booking patterns and that more reservations have been made locally, with a higher interest over the weekend.”