A happy oasis of luxury. According to the HostMilano Observatory, the United Arab Emirates, which through its stakeholders and partners has “antennae” that keep it up to date on the situation around the world, is looking to the future in a positive way. After a five-week lockdown that ended in early May 2020, the vaccination campaign has now reached 80% of the population.

And although the business side of hospitality is only now starting to get going again, tourism never really stopped: as early as July of last year things started moving again thanks to the local clientele. Trade fairs were held, enabling some hotels to open up again, while restaurants located in seaside resorts never really closed. Five-star luxury hotels have high levels of employments, over 60% especially during weekends and they have now made up for the losses incurred during two months of forced closure last year. Direct and indirect flights are available to most countries in the world, with passengers just needing to show a negative test on arrival.

“The United Arab Emirates is a centre of excellence when it comes to measures of prevention and the safety of tourists and residents,” says Christian Carrieri, Chef de Cuisine at Le Royal Meridien Beach Resort & Spa in Dubai, which now has its sights set on the future: “There will be a lot of changes, as has been the case this last year. At the moment we are using both QR codes and disposable paper menus. We recommend booking in advance because of current restrictions (tables must be at least 3 metres apart and restaurants have a maximum capacity of 50%). Then there is the delivery business, which is very fashionable now in Dubai: many restaurants offer it, including high-class ones.”

So the luxury business never really came to a complete standstill: there are quite a number of long stays in five-star hotels, where whole families are in residence for weeks or even months, and there has been no shortage of new restaurants offering Japanese, American or European cuisine: these are nearly always fully booked despite being very pricey. In contrast to that, given the trend towards keeping costs down in all sectors for both consumers and companies, the market is becoming ever more polarised. The hospitality trade is striving to find new ways of attracting potential clients, fewer than in “normal” times, but with dozens of options to choose from to suit all pockets.

The Gulfood fair, held in February, demonstrated that even with an international situation that remains critical and without the huge crowds who used to flock here, live-event fairs are an indispensable asset. This year visitors came from India, Europe, Russia and Africa.

In early 2022 the GDP of the Emirates should return to 2019 levels. Meanwhile, a series of initiatives has been launched to introduce economic policies in the medium and long term that will contribute to a new phase of structural development.

What are the prospects for the hospitality sector? “I’m feeling positive, people want to go out and explore new places, having a meal or meeting for an aperitif, while taking all the necessary precautions. It’s up to us to make customers feel safe and at their ease in settings like restaurants,” Carrieri says in conclusion.