Dubai has resilience and bounces back quickly after a crisis, says a top official at the Hyatt Regency Dubai. The hotel's marketing director said that while the tourism industry in the country had been hit "to a certain extent" by recent world events, it was beginning to recover.
"Dubai is a city that recovers quicker than any other city after a crisis," said Anand. However, she said most people are likely to adopt a "watch and wait" attitude in the first quarter this year, similar to the last quarter of 2001. But the government's commitment to go ahead with various projects such as the Dubai Air Show and Gitex, had paved the way for the success of future events, she said. She said the future of tourism in Dubai remained bright as the atmosphere, spurred by major events like the IMF conference next year, was conducive to tourism growth. Anand said the Hyatt Regency would be offering a 40 per cent discount on published room rates during the shopping festival and had also planned food promotions during the event. The hotel had also planned two major promotions for later this year. In the first Provence Promotion, the Hyatt Regency will be flying in personalities from the region, including Chef Jean-Claude Santoni, owner of Jardin de Bacus restaurant, his wife, a sommelier, and the owner and a representative of Chateau de L'Aumerade. The Bella Italia promotion in September will feature Italian food, beverages and products. The hotel will be flying in Italian chefs, musicians and special food products. The hotel's main restaurants Focaccia, Shahrzad, Al Dawaar, Miyako and Caravan CafŽ offer diners an exceptional culinary experience. The Hyatt Regency Dubai has been undergoing renovations to create a more contemporary look. Al Dawaar, Dubai's only revolving restaurant, reopened in December after a month of renovations that unveiled a brand new sophisticated restaurant.