TravTalk India Online Magazine
Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts prepares for strong growth from India with ongoing enhancements across the world. Alexander Lee, Chief Commercial Officer, Jumeirah Group, talks about their expansion plan, including opening of new hotels to attract Indian tourists globally.
TT Bureau
Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts, a global luxury hospitality company and member of Dubai Holding, is continuing to build new relationships in key source markets, including India.
Talking about their expansion plans in India, Alexander Lee, Chief Commercial Officer, Jumeirah Group, said, “The Indian market has always been and will always be extremely important to us. We are fortunate with its proximity to Dubai, which is a popular market for Indian tourists. Overall, the Indian traveller is the number one inbound traveller coming into Dubai markets, and with us having 12 hotels in Dubai, we have a well-known brand awareness for the Indian market.”
He added, “In terms of market growth, we are pleased to see that the number of tourists arriving at our hotels in the UAE from India is equal to or higher than in 2019 before the pandemic. Our strategy now is that we have expanded our brand globally to introduce our newer hotels to Indian tourists. So, people know Jumeirah and we are synonymous with Dubai and the UAE and what we want to do is bring our awareness in Dubai to the same level as some of our international hotels.”
Expansion plan
Lee said, “We are experiencing a period of unprecedented growth for the brand and in the recent months, we have either redeveloped or opened a number of new hotels starting with the refurbishment of the Carlton Tower Jumeriah in London. It is one of our luxury flagship hotels in Europe and we have invested extensively in that property to relaunch it as one of the most luxurious properties in London.”
The brand has also acquired a new hotel in Italy, Maldives, Bali, and Oman. Additionally, they plan to open another property in the Middle East in Bahrain.
Emerging trends
Lee said, “One of the things that we as a key trend as we navigated through the COVID pandemic is that travellers are choosing to stay longer when they choose to travel, and as things returning to normal, we are seeing a blend of business and leisure travel. We see that the length of stay is longer than before. The second trend we have seen during the pandemic, which I firmly believe is a trend here to stay, is the demand from tourists for villa products. This independent space where you really enjoy full hotel services and often brings families together where you have the opportunity to live in a villa environment, more
shared living space with living, dining and sleeping in an independent villa. So, we have really capitalised on that trend with our more recent openings.”
India is the number one source market
India is the number one source market for us in terms of visit to Dubai and I think the relationship between India and UAE is very cordial. There’s a connection between India and UAE, especially in terms of food offering. We have a big brigade of Indian chefs within our team who can make sure that we meet all the dietary requirements from the Indian client. So, we have all the resources within our properties to make sure that Indian clients are well looked after when they’re in Dubai that they feel home away from home kind of concept.
Kirti Anchan, General Manager, Jumeirah Emirates Towers
India is one of the top destinations for Maldives and it is a very important market for us as well. All our activities, and our experiences that we offer at property are more geared towards what the Indian customers or guest likes, whether it is a culinary experience or activities on the island. We have also enhanced our activity offerings on the island for families, children, honeymooners as well. We try and personalise this based on the requirements of our Indian guests.
Ashraf Mohammad, General Manager, Jumeirah Maldives Olhahali Islands
