#Paul Griffiths

The target in Dubai is the Chinese market

Dubai Airports CEO Paul Griffiths, who is responsible for the operation and development of Dubai International Airport, one of the busiest airports in the world, said that the large increase in passenger numbers from China will support the recovery of the aviation sector. Speaking to Xinhua during the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) Global Summit held between Wednesday and Friday in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, Griffiths said, "The first half of 2023 has been great for us. We exceeded the numbers before the pandemic in the first half. We hope to serve approximately 87 million passengers by the end of the year. "This number is approximately 2 million below the pre-pandemic number." At the summit, organized under the theme "Building Bridges to a Sustainable Future" and hosted by the Rwanda Development Board, sector leaders, experts and government representatives came together to discuss how to promote the growth of the sector and its transition to a safer, more resilient, inclusive and sustainable future.  Griffiths stated that the increase in passenger numbers was mainly due to the increase in the number of Chinese passengers visiting Dubai, United Arab Emirates. According to the data of Dubai Economy and Tourism Department, 11.1 million accommodation visitors came to Dubai in the January-August period. China, which sent 392,000 tourists to Dubai in the first eight months of 2023, is the 7th largest source market for the city. Regarding new initiatives and incentives for visitors from China, Griffiths said: "The nice thing is that there are always projects being worked on in Dubai. We plan to appeal to a wider range of interests in a way that will appeal to Chinese travellers." The CEO noted that measures to attract Chinese tourists include "a wider range of entertainment options, improved hospitality, increased beach capacity and improvements to airport infrastructure." "We plan to expand existing airports with the expectation of serving approximately 120 million passengers over the next decade, and we believe a significant part of this increase will come from China," Griffiths said.