Hospitality
Gulfood 2025 30th Edition Kicks Off Today, Setting New Benchmarks in F&B Growth and Innovation
 
																								
												
												
											Gulfood’s 30th edition kicks off on 17 February at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) welcoming tens of thousands of attendees, uniting 5500+ exhibitors from 129 countries, and the world’s foremost industry CEOs, policymakers, investors, and visionaries. Under the theme ‘The Next Frontier in Food,’ the event anticipates USD 20 billion in trade deals and cutting-edge industry collaboration. H.E. Abdulla Bin Touq Al Marri, UAE Minister of Economy, will deliver the opening keynote on Day 2 at the inaugural Food500 Summit, addressing Gulfood’s economic impact and the UAE’s role as a global trade gateway.
Food500: Titans of Industry and Policymakers Connect on Food Strategy for Change
The Food500 Summit brings industry leaders together to tackle pressing challenges and opportunities across the food value chain. Speakers include: Ananya Narayan, CEO – Hunter Foods; Dr. Edwini Kessie, Director of the Agriculture and Commodities Division, World Trade Organization – Switzerland; Alvyn Severien, CEO, Montaigne Nutrition and Co-founder, Algama – France; Tisha Livingston, CEO, Infinite Acres – USA, leading global top trends expert – Daniel Levine, and many more.
H.E. Abdulla Bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy, said: “The selection of the food cluster as the first economic cluster to be developed by the UAE highlights the importance the country attaches to the sector as a key driver of economic diversification. The food cluster strategy aims to ensure self-sufficiency in food production and enhance the food ecosystem management through supporting agricultural enterprises and increasing local production. The initiative will not only help us meet local market needs but will also position the UAE as a leading food exporter to key regional and global markets and support the goals of the ‘We the UAE 2031’ vision, such as increasing the national GDP to AED 3 trillion by the next decade.”
“Against this backdrop, the landmark edition of Gulfood will serve as an ideal platform for partnerships and discussions, presenting opportunities for knowledge exchange and networking across industries, thus fostering a foundation for setting and accomplishing future objectives within the global trade community,” H.E. added.
Gulfood Innovation Awards & Global Trade Showcase
The Gulfood Innovation Awards celebrate the very best in F&B innovation, recognizing trailblazing products, technologies, and ideas. Visitors can expect to see hundreds of thousands of new products and groundbreaking innovations showcased across the event.
“Our participation in Gulfood’s 30th edition supports our strategic direction towards our vision to become the number one global halal sustainable healthy protein company by 2030. This prestigious event allows us to showcase our latest innovations, connect with industry leaders, and drive meaningful progress in food solutions. Being shortlisted for the Gulfood Innovation Awards further underscores our commitment to excellence and pioneering advancements in the protein industry. Congratulations to Gulfood on 30 years of remarkable success. Your continuous growth and innovation have set new benchmarks for the global food industry, making Gulfood a premier platform for connection, collaboration, and progress.” said Marcos Delorenzo, CEO of ADC, Tanmiah’s Poultry Division.
TOP TABLE: ‘Culinary Futurism’ Theme Prevails Headlined by Gastronomic Legend Alain Ducasse
The 30th edition promises to be unforgettable as Gulfood brings Alain Ducasse to the UAE for the first time, where he will lead Top Table and Dubai World Cuisine activations. A chef with 21 Michelin stars, Ducasse is renowned for his innovative approach to gastronomy and his strong focus on sustainability—a vision that aligns with the UAE’s commitment to promoting sustainable food practices. The gastronomic superstar will share his insights on culinary futurism and the future of the industry on Day 3 of Food500.
Chef Alain Ducasse commented: “With Top Table at Gulfood, Dubai demonstrates its incredible momentum in attracting the most brilliant talents from all over the world. I’m proud to be part of this event with Chef Romain Meder. First in conducting a masterclass together at Top Table and hosting exclusive dinners at Takahisa. Yet also in meeting with my fellow chefs and the public, sharing our experiences and thus contributing to the rapidly evolving gastronomy scene in the region.”
Celebrating Dubai’s rise as a global food hub, Top Table, sponsored by Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO), presents live masterclasses from 120+ global and local chefs with a combined 50 Michelin-stars. Take a front-row seat as dishes from every cuisine utilising products from the exhibition floor are brought to life across engaging masterclasses, tasting sessions, and demonstrations.
DUBAI WORLD CUISINE: Celebrating Dubai’s Dynamic Culinary Journey Towards International Food Epicentre
Exclusively created for Gulfood ticket holders, attendees can experience Dubai’s culinary finesse, connected to the Top Table masterclasses. A schedule of 4-and 6-hands fine dining collaborations, with a highlight 8-hands experience, has been curated across some of Dubai’s top restaurants including: Krasota, Takahisa, Avatara, Lowe, Armani Ristorante, Orfali Bros and Armani Amal.
Discovery Tours
Visitors can fast-track the best of Gulfood with unique hour-long Discovery tours, a line-up of 5 curated sector-themed tours offering an immersive experience highlighting global food trends and innovations on the show floor, along with expert guidance and insights at every stop.
Hospitality
The Square at Nad Al Sheba Gardens Returns for Season Two with More to Experience, Discover, and Enjoy.
 
														After captivating over 680,000 visitors in its first season, The Square at Nad Al Sheba Gardens reopens at the end of October, ushering in a new season of elevated experiences. The destination by Shamal Holding will celebrate its official inaugural evening on 31st October 2025, welcoming guests daily from 4 PM to 12 AM. The Square continues to evolve as a refined hub for gastronomy, culture, and connection, a destination that blends Dubai’s cosmopolitan energy with an inviting community spirit.
Launched in November 2024, The Square at Nad Al Sheba Gardens quickly became a go-to lifestyle destination, renowned for its homegrown dining concepts and vibrant social energy. Building on this success, Season Two will introduce an enriched line-up of elevated experiences, thoughtfully designed for Dubai’s outdoor season.
The destination’s creative theme celebrates the idea of more, not in scale but in quality, detail, and experience.
“The Square reflects one of the most exciting shifts in how people experience Dubai, a destination that celebrates the city’s dynamic spirit through its culture, cuisine, and community,” said Abdulla Binhabtoor, CEO at Shamal. “It’s more than a venue; it’s a destination that reflects Dubai’s modern and connected spirit. With Season Two, we are taking that experience further, transforming The Square from a place to visit into a place to truly belong”.
This season, The Square welcomes back beloved homegrown favourites including Public, Home Bakery, Omar Odali, Asma, Kokoro, and the kids’ Art’ Play area — each bringing a distinct flavour of Dubai’s creative spirit. Adding to this, an array of new culinary destinations will make their debut, elevating the venue’s gastronomic offering with Cipriani Dolci, SLRP Ramen & Rolls Bar, Maxzi – The Good Food Shop, and more.
Cipriani Dolci
Making its debut at The Square, Cipriani Dolci introduces a refined taste of Italian elegance in a relaxed yet sophisticated setting. Guests can indulge in timeless classics — from freshly baked pastries and artisanal coffees to the brand’s signature Cipriani dishes — all served with understated glamour.
SLRP Ramen & Rolls Bar
The bold and playful SLRP Ramen & Rolls Bar brings its signature fun-loving energy to The Square. Expect steaming ramen bowls, crisp handrolls, and vibrant Japanese-inspired bites, perfect for laid-back evenings under the stars.
Maxzi – The Good Food Shop
Celebrated for its commitment to quality, traceable ingredients and wholesome dining, Maxzi – The Good Food Shop joins The Square’s curated line-up, offering a fresh take on conscious cuisine that feels both nourishing and stylish.
Home Bakery Kitchen
A returning favourite, Home Bakery Kitchen unveils its exclusive hole-in-the-wall Milkshake & Hot Chocolate concept, serving indulgent shakes and rich, comforting hot chocolates — the perfect treat for cool Dubai evenings.
The destination itself has undergone a thoughtful refresh, introducing a more vibrant, experience-led layout. Visitors will enjoy enhanced infrastructure, including parking for over 550 cars, and new water features such as a tranquil koi pond, adding to the venue’s leisurely, resort-style ambience.
A dynamic calendar of live shows, cultural activations, and family-friendly events will ensure that no two visits are ever the same.
Staying true to its community-driven ethos, Shamal continues to champion local businesses, support inclusive spaces, and deliver high-quality, design-forward programming that appeals across generations. As Dubai enters its outdoor season, The Square reaffirms its place as the city’s must-visit open-air destination — where food, culture, and connection come together effortlessly under the open sky.
Hospitality
Sun Siyam Vilu Reef Marks 27th Anniversary with Culinary Showdown & Community Spirit
 
														Sun Siyam Vilu Reef the flagship property of Sun Siyam, is celebrating its 27th Anniversary with a week-long events centered on culinary and community engagement. The resort hosted comprehensive activities, including team building sports and competitive cooking judged by two Maldivian guest chefs, to showcase the talent of both its island team and students from F. Magoodhoo School on 25th and 26th of October.
The culinary competitions were judged by two prominent industry experts. Chef Fathimath Umar, who serves as the Secretariat of the Chef Guild Maldives and is a certified World Chef’s Judge in Culinary Arts and Pastry Arts, currently teaching Culinary Arts at Villa College and Chef Mariyam Shiuna, a WACS Continental Judge and Associate Lecturer at the Maldives National University.
Honoring the resort’s history and the incredible dedication of our team since 1998, this milestone anchors our legacy while setting the course for many more years of delivering the authentic Maldivian spirit to our cherished guests.
“Reaching the 27th anniversary reflects our dedication to service and extraordinary experiences,” said Resort Manager, Mr. Thoha Yoosuf. “By celebrating culinary talent, we not only honour the creativity and hard work of our team but also strengthen our bond with the local community through the shared language of food.”
The celebrations highlighted the resorts’ role in preserving community bonds and elevating Maldivian talent and traditions, defining 27 years of Maldivian Hospitality.
Hospitality
MENA Hospitality Market Value Set to Top US$487 Billion by 2032 Amid Unprecedented Tourism Expansion
 
														The value of MENA’s hospitality market is set to grow from US$310 billion in 2025 to more than US$487 billion by 2032, according to data released ahead of the Future Hospitality Summit – FHS World, Madinat Jumeirah Dubai, 27-29 October.
The travel and tourism sector is projected to contribute US$367 billion to the Middle East economy and support 7.7 million jobs this year, says the World Travel and Tourism Council. International visitor spending is expected to reach nearly US$194 billion, up nearly a quarter from 2019, pre-pandemic levels, with domestic spending forecast to hit US$113 billion.
As of Q2 2025, the Middle East’s hotel construction pipeline reached an all-time high of 650 projects with 161,574 rooms. At the end of June, 337 projects, with almost 86,500 rooms, were under construction, with 147 projects due to start by Q2 2026.
Saudi Arabia tops the Middle Eastern hotel construction chart, with more than 92,000 rooms across 342 projects. Next is Egypt with 127 projects and a record-high room count of over 28,000, followed by the UAE with 100 projects (25,470 rooms); Oman with 27 projects (4,709 keys) and Qatar with 16 projects (nearly 3,500 rooms).
The unprecedented hospitality, tourism and infrastructure expansion reinforces the region’s position as a global magnet for investment, say experts.
Amr El Nady, Head of Hotels & Hospitality MEA and Managing Director, Global Hotel Desk at Jones Lang Lasalle, said: “Saudi Arabia is targeting 150 million tourist arrivals annually by 2030, while Egypt aims for 30 million international visitors by 2028. Both nations are seeking to significantly increase tourism’s contribution to their GDP, with KSA targeting 10% and Egypt 15%. This strategic focus is driving substantial hospitality investment, with mega-projects like NEOM, The Red Sea Project, and AlUla in KSA, alongside Egypt’s New Administrative Capital, Ras Al Hekma, South Med and Red Sea developments.
“The surge in development creates opportunities for both major international hotel operators and boutique brands to diversify their portfolios by introducing new concepts ranging from ultra-luxury desert resorts to culturally immersive heritage properties. The diversification strategy allows operators to cater to evolving traveller preferences while supporting the countries’ objectives of transforming their economies through sustainable tourism growth and positioning themselves as premier global destinations.”
JLL added that liquidity in the hotel investment landscape remains remarkably robust, underpinned by resilient hotel trading performance and increasing tourist arrivals. Performance data shows year on year growth in terms occupancy and ADR metrics, reflecting the sector’s operational strength and market confidence.
Amr El Nady added: “This strong performance has significantly enhanced appetite from regional and international investors – from high-net-worth individuals to institutional players – all seeking high-yielding, income-generating hotel assets and mixed-use developments, particularly across the UAE market. The region’s investment appeal continues to attract diverse capital sources drawn to its strategic positioning and growth potential.
“Last year, JLL forecasted US$1.2 billion in Dubai hotel transactions, and current market activity indicates we are on track to exceed this milestone, further demonstrating sustained investor confidence.”
In the UAE, Dubai’s hospitality sector – which has around 10,000 new rooms on the way between now and 2027 – continues to deliver an outstanding performance, according to the hospitality division at leading real estate advisory group and property consultant, Cavendish Maxwell.
“Occupancy levels rose to 81% in H1 2025, an increase of 2.5% year-on-year,” said Vidhi Shah, Director, Head of Commercial Valuation at Cavendish Maxwell. “Meanwhile ADR across Dubai’s hotels and resorts reached US$159, up 4.7%. With its hospitality sector continuing to lead the way in setting new benchmarks in safety, inclusivity and connectivity, Dubai remains a premium, global destination for leisure and business travellers, in turn opening up a plethora of new investment opportunities.”
Oman is also increasingly becoming a hot spot for hospitality investment, with tourism expected to contribute 5% to GDP by 2030 and 10% by 2040 – and overtake transport and logistics to become the country’s second most important industry after hydrocarbons.
Oman is set to boost hotel room inventory by 25% by 2030, with 9,600 new keys on the way in the next five years, and 2,600 by the end of 2025, recent insight from Cavendish Maxwell shows. In H1 this year, more than 1.1 million guests checked in to 3-5 hotels, where revenues rose more than 18% to US$367 million. The strong performance led to almost 5% growth in hospitality employment, with 10,800 people now working in the industry.
The Middle East’s continued growth in tourism and hospitality is being further boosted by various government campaigns and initiatives across the region to encourage investment, international visits and business set up.
In KSA, upcoming global events like Expo 2030 and the FIFA World Cup 2034 are boosting already strong demand for real estate, including project in the hospitality sector. In addition, from January 2026, foreigners will be able to purchase real estate assets in designated zones – a landmark development set to further deepen investor appetite.
Investment and real estate is a key track at FHS World, with more than 30 presentations, panel debates, workshops and one-to-one conversations covering everything from smart capital to sustainability and investment, cross border strategies to building global partnerships, investing in mixed-use projects and much more. Visit futurehospitality.com/world/agenda for subjects and speakers across the three-day programme.
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