DWTC Hospitality serves 1.28 million visitors in 2025 as mega events fuel growth
Dubai: Dubai World Trade Centre’s (DWTC) hospitality arm delivered its strongest-ever annual performance in 2025, serving 1.28 million visitors across 2,578 events.
The figure marks a 37 per cent rise from the 930,000 visitors served in 2024, underlining the emirate’s rising appeal as a hub for international conferences, exhibitions and corporate gatherings.
DWTC Hospitality, which provides catering and event services across major venues including the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre, Dubai Exhibition Centre and Jafza One Convention Centre, said demand surged across nearly every segment last year.
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Growth plans
“DWTC Hospitality plays a key role in supporting Dubai’s dynamic events and business tourism ecosystem, delivering exceptional experiences through world-class service,” said Mahir Julfar, Executive Vice-President at Dubai World Trade Centre.
“Our strength lies in operating at scale while maintaining the precision and service quality expected of a leading global destination.”
Julfar said DWTC is preparing for further expansion as Dubai strengthens its position in the global events market.
“As Dubai’s events industry becomes more sophisticated and globally competitive, the role of hospitality becomes even more integral to overall event success,” he said.
“We are focused on building long-term partnerships with organisers, investing in culinary talent and innovation, and embedding sustainable practices across our operations.”
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Growth areas
One of the strongest growth areas came from exhibition catering, where visitor numbers more than doubled to more than 240,000 in 2025, up from 120,000 the previous year. The increase was driven by the expansion of Dubai’s flagship mega events such as Gulfood, GITEX Global, Arabian Travel Market and World Health Expo Dubai.
Corporate and private events remained the largest contributor to business volumes, accounting for more than 600,000 guests in 2025, up sharply from 400,000 in 2024. Weddings also remained a major segment, with 56,554 guests served during the year.
Meanwhile, the conferences, associations and business meetings division catered to more than 123,000 attendees, highlighting Dubai’s continued rise as a preferred destination for global business summits and international industry gatherings.
Off-site catering also posted strong gains, rising 12 per cent year on year to serve over 160,000 visitors across 1,211 events. These included major events such as the Dubai International Boat Show, Dubai World Cup, Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, MEBAA Show and events hosted at Ain Dubai.
