Twenty-nine new hotels are currently under different stages of construction in Dubai that presently boasts 282 hotels, including 25 five-star properties.

The year 2001 saw the completion of 11 new hotel buildings in the Gulf's hospitality hub. The Dubai Municipality approved applications for the construction of 10 more hotel buildings last year, a report said.

"Another wave of new supply is on the horizon. The new hotels should be ready by next year in time for the Dubai 2003 IMF/World Bank meeting," said an industry official.

There were over 21,000 rooms in the hotels in the emirate offering more than 35,000 beds in the year 2000 which saw a total of 2.83 million guests spending a combined 7.1 million nights.

There are 128 hotel apartments offering close to 7,000 apartments. In the year 2000, over 584,000 guests spent a total of 1.6 million nights in these properties.