Luxury hospitality group Jumeirah International joins Dubai Holding

DUBAI, 11 December 2004: The Dubai based luxury hospitality group, Jumeirah International has joined Dubai Holding in a step that aims to initiate a new phase of growth and development for the group.

Mohammed Al Gergawi, CEO of Dubai Holding said, "The Jumeirah International joining adds value to the projects under Dubai Holding. All the entities under the umbrella will benefit from the huge resources and synergies of Dubai Holding and its plans for growth."

"The decision of Jumeirah International to join Dubai Holding will help make the most of the common resources of Dubai Holding. It will allow the Group to expand its activities and operations to cover new sectors and at the same time to maintain the independence of the individual projects in their daily operations and full support of the Dubai Holding Management in implementing the strategic plans."

Al Gergawi said, "The Jumeirah International will be implementing ambitious expansion plans not only at the local level but also regionally and internationally and will benefit from the experience and resources of the organizations under Dubai Holding."

Gerald Lawless, CEO of Jumeirah International said, "We are pleased to join Dubai Holding as this step will offer us new opportunities for growth and development. Jumeirah International has one of the highest levels of annual occupancy because it has established high criteria of service which makes it the number one choice for visitors."

Lawless added, "The expansion of the group over the past few years includes the management of prestigious projects such as the Carlton Tower and The Lowndes Hotel in London. This is accompanied by the expansion into the related sectors such as the Wild Wadi Water Park, which is the biggest of its kind in the Middle East and launch of The Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management which is attracting growing numbers of students from both within and outside the region. Jumeirah International has achieved international acclaim and we are glad that the Hotels under the group have become well recognized symbols of UAE in the whole world."

The CEO of Dubai Holding said, "We are delighted at Jumeirah International joining the Group as it has some of the leading hospitality projects in the world such as Burj Al Arab, The Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Emirates Towers, Madinat Jumeirah and leading regional projects such as Wild Wadi Water Park, The Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management and Bab Al Shams Desert Resort & Spa. At the same time it also plays a leading role in the development of the tourism sector in the country, which is one of the main drivers of economic growth."

He added, "We have full confidence in the Jumeirah International's potential for ongoing growth. The tourism sector has become one of the fastest growing sectors and as the Government is working hard to increase the number of tourists to 15 million by 2010 in line with the vision of His Highness General Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum which inturn will offer great opportunities for growth to the hospitality sector in general and especially for the leading companies and projects in this sector such as Jumeirah International which has set new benchmarks in the hospitality sector."