Mahir Julfar, Executive Vice President of Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), said that in 2023, DWTC had an excellent year, welcoming 2.47 million visitors, which was a big increase of 25% compared to 2022.
He explained that this growth was due to hosting 301 Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE) events, which was a 23% increase from the previous year. This shows Dubai's strong economic growth and its role as a global hub for trade and business tourism.
Julfar mentioned that Dubai had 107 Exhibitions and International Association Conventions and Industry Conferences, attracting 1.56 million participants. More than 722,000 of them were international visitors, showing a significant increase from the previous year.
DWTC also organized 20 exhibitions and events, bringing in 519,000 attendees, which was a 42% increase compared to the previous year. Of these, 265,000 were international attendees.
Key events like GITEX Global and Gulfood saw a rise in visitors, with GITEX Global expanding to a city-wide scale and attracting 245,000 attendees.
DWTC also launched GITEX Africa and the Saudi Food Show in 2023, which were successful in drawing attendees from various countries.
The top-performing sectors in 2023 were Healthcare, Medical, and Scientific, Information Technology, Food, Hotel, and Catering, Consumer Goods, and Building, Construction, and Facility Management.
DWTC aims to continue its growth in 2024 by hosting more high-profile events and expanding internationally. They also plan to use smart applications and data to enhance visitor experiences and make event planning more efficient.
News Source: Emirates News Agency
