Khalid A. Bin Sulayem, Director General of Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing
Dubai Tourism numbers are quite high but Dubai Tourism uses another indicator: the contribution of tourism in Dubai economy is around 30% including both direct and indirect factors. If you take the global contribution of tourism to the economy it’s 10%. In addition, Dubai has one of the highest occupancy rates in the world now. These are strong indicators, which encourage Dubai and people abroad to invest in this sector.

Gerard Kearney, General Manager of Aviation Club
Dubai Aviation Club is a mixing place, it’s a meeting place, people network in Dubai Aviation Club all the time. You know the old story: you go on the golf course and have business done there. We find the same thing here at the Dubai Aviation Club.

Arguably the premier leisure facility of Dubai and undoubtedly one of its most popular venues. The Aviation Club has it all. Whether seeking a tranquil oasis to escape the bustle of the city, a state-of-the-art fitness and recreation centre, a lively and entertaining social hub, a myriad of dining options or a chance to relax in Dubai's newest and most elegant spa, The Aviation Club Dubai always has you in mind.

H.E. Sheikh Mohammed bin Faisal Al Qassimi, Chairman & CEO of Manafa & Vice-Chairman of Coral International Hotels, Resorts & Spas
My company, Manafa, is a holding company for different investments, it has operations in hospitality - Coral International Hotels we have the HMH which is a hotel management company that manages Coral International Hotels that has 4 brands of varying standards.  We have 10 different corporations around the UAE and we hope to expand that to 35 in the future which would add a lot to the tourism industry in Sharjah and the UAE.

Janes Warwick, General Manager of Metropolitan - Habtoor Hotels
Metropolitan Hotel brand recognition has come over the years, Metropolitan Hotel has over the years built it up. Actually, we just changed, we were known as the Metropolitan and now we're Habtoor Hotels. With this change in times, we've changed our logo and our image. So we've gone from Metropolitan Hotels to Habtoor Hotels, our logo has changed, our vision has changed.

Hans Olbertz, General Manager of Emirates Palace
Another point is that the Emirates Palace has been operated by Kempinski Hotels and Resort, a very established hotel company. At present we have 59 hotels around the world and in the next 2 years we will open another 40. With the network Kempinski we promote the Emirates Palace in our portfolio, plus with all our partners and that in itself is a great deal. I think the destination is much better known then before. Naturally with the destination comes the Emirates Palace.

Mohamed Ali Al Noman, Director General of Sharjah Commerce & Tourism Development Authority
Sharjah is well known to be a dry state, hence the Sharjah Cultural Tourism.Having said that, it has nice entertainment developed for families and Culture Tourism. Sharjah tries to have a lot of cultural activities. For example, a while back, four months ago we had Sharjah Heritage Days which coincided with United Nations Culture Days. There is also Sharjah Theatre Days, Sharjah Book Fair, and more.

Abdul Redha Ali Bin Redha, Project Director of Global Village
As you know, the Global Village has a strong history of bringing all cultures and countries under one umbrella. So, from that concept,Global Village is going to the international market saying that Global Village has different representatives from different countries, retailers and shows representing many countries. All that will be offered under one umbrella to our visitors. Global Village is basically focusing on and promoting the Global Village but at the same time Dubai as a secure and safe city attracting people from all over the world.

Mohammad Khalfan Al Rumaithi, President of UAE Football Association
The main limitation is the number of players and talents in UAE Football. Still the UAE  is not like many countries around us. Many things have been changing: the kids do not play football like they used to do 30 or 35 years ago and UAE Football is therefore reducing its talent pool. When I was young we plaid football the whole day when we wouldn´t have school. But now it is rare to see kids playing football in the neighbourhood.

Kamal Naamani, General Manager of Fairmont Dubai
The future looks great for Fairmont Dubai and, because Fairmont Dubai has great opportunities and great ownership. We're in a very strong position now and we'll be even stronger in the future. Our expansion plans are aggressive, but as I said, for the right reasons and locations. The industry is very healthy now so we're very confident.

Henning A. Fries, General Manager for The Monarch Dubai and Regional Director UAE for Refad Hotels & Resorts
Well, our group has 14 different brands and the Monarch Dubai brand is the high end brand, it is a five star deluxe property. That speaks to a very different clientele than our other brands speak to. Monarch Dubai is a favourite destination for the influential people.

Mohamed Elkahla, Director of Business Development of Hospitality Management Holding
The Emirates is a growing market and has all the components for success: oil, trade, and UAE tourism. UAE Tourism is actually the largest sector now. It is growing and there is demand here in the geographical situation of the UAE; it is between the West and the East, which makes it very attractive, you know. If people are traveling from, let's say, the Far East and Europe, Dubai in particular has become like a hub; it's the capital for commerce, tourism, and trade.

Major General Omar Al Bitar, Vice President of Management Council of Paris Sorbonne Abu Dhabi
We’ve decided that this motto is very suitable and applicable to the Sorbonne Abu Dhabi. The Sorbonne is a very ancient university, it is 750 years old, with a heritage and culture that is very rich. We are at a time where we need to encourage dialogue between nations, in accordance with the vision of His Highness the president and Sheikh Mohammed. Upon a visit of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, to France, they decided to boost the relations between France and the UAE, hence Sorbonne Abu Dhabi was born.

Siegfried Nierhaus, General Manager of Radisson SAS, Media City
The same is the case with our Rezidor hotel group and the Radisson SAS grand. 2 years ago we brought the Radisson SAS back to Dubai, we took over a very important hotel in the Creek which is a former Intercontinental hotel which was the land mark of Dubai when it comes to five star hotels. The Radisson SAS took over this project to show to all the people in the Middle East who are used to this hotel that Radisson is here, Radisson is and is going to be an important player in the region and like all the important hotel companies we are having as well at least 20 projects in the pipeline

Patrick W. Antaki, General Manager of Le Meridien Al Aqah
In the long term it’s going to impact Fujairah in a pretty serious way. Already in the short term, it’s not even built and already people are talking about moving their houses from Dubai to Fujairah because of the differences in rent. If you imagine people arriving here to this hotel, at the Meridien Al Aqah, they have to come through the Dibba side and that takes about an hour and a half time.