2011 started on a strong note for the hospitality industry. Significant improvements were achieved in lodging performance indicators in most regions of the world, the global hotel transaction market showed heightened activity and significant amounts of capital were raised to invest in the sector. An observable influx of foreign investment in US real estate was welcomed, a new monetary policy was established and the US Government emphasized stimulus rograms for the lending markets.

Hotel occupancy in Dubai witnessed a 10.5 percentage points increase in July 2011 year-on-year, the biggest such increase within the region, global consultancy Ernst & Young said in its Middle East Hotel Benchmark Survey. Occupancy in Dubai hotels rose to 80.8 per cent in July 2011, up from 70.3 per cent in July 2010.

In April 2011, Ernst & Young, in conjunction with the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), conducted the third semiannual Capital Confi dence Barometer (the Barometer) survey of senior executives from large companies around the world. The survey panel was composed of selected Ernst & Young global clients and contacts and regular EIU contributors. In total, there were 1,000 survey participants (Global 1,000).