- His Excellency Essa Kazim: “The new listing enables investors to participate in the spectacular success story of Dubai as a tourism destination with sector’s contribution to GDP expected to grow from 10% in 2013 to 15.4% by 2020”
- Mr. Raed Al Nuaimi, CEO of Dubai Parks and Resorts: “Today’s listing on the Dubai Financial Market marks an important stage in our growth plans and the chance for UAE and international investors to share in the growth of Dubai’s dynamic tourist sector.”
Dubai Financial Market (DFM) today announced the listing of “Dubai Parks and Resorts”, as trading commenced on the company’s shares under the trading symbol (DUBAIPARKS), which appears on DFM screens, trading system and publications within the Consumer Staples and Discretionary Sector.
As the first company from the tourism sector to list on the DFM, Dubai Parks and Resorts further supports DFM’s strategic objective of attracting new issuers from fast-growing economic sectors, offering investors the opportunity to benefit from the growth of these sectors. Moreover, the successful listing of “Dubai Parks and Resorts” further strengthens the prominent position of DFM as the most favored listing venue for leading local and regional companies and lifts the total number of listed companies to 58.
Including this listing, DFM has successfully attracted four IPO listings in 2014 for leading companies operating in diversified sectors including: retail, real estate, education, healthcare and tourism, which further diversifies the list of issuers and enables investors to participate in the growth of these vibrant sectors.
The listing of the company’s shares within a few days of the IPO conclusion has been achieved with the support of the DFM “eIPO” platform, directly linked with receiving banks, enabling investors to swiftly subscribe online via different channels e.g. Internet Banking, ATMs and iVESTOR card.
His Excellency Essa Kazim, Chairman, Dubai Financial Market, His Excellency Abdulla Al Habbai, Chairman of Dubai Parks and Resorts and senior representatives from both sides attended the listing ceremony at DFM’s trading floor.
H.E. Essa Kazim said, “We are delighted to welcome the listing of Dubai Parks and Resorts, the first entertainment theme park owner to go public and list on DFM, opening the door for our vast base of local and international investors to participate in the spectacular success story of Dubai. The Emirate has rapidly reinforced its position over the past years as a key destination attracting visitors from all over the world. In 2013, Dubai has attracted 11 million visitors with a growth of 10.6% and their total spending reached AED 48 billion (USD 13 billion) representing 10% of GDP. Dubai’s tourism spending is expected to increase to AED 80 billion (USD 21.7 billion) by 2020 representing 15.4% of GDP while the total number of visitors is expected to reach 20 million by the same year. In fact, the growth of tourism sector in Dubai will not only benefit from inbound tourism but also from the increased activity of domestic tourism as the IMF expects the UAE population to increase 2.9% annually during the years from 2013 till 2019 reaching to 10.7 million.”
“The accelerating pace of IPOs and listings on DFM over the past few weeks reflects the sound fundamentals of our economy’s various sectors as well as investors’ profound confidence in the macro economic outlook and the performance of companies. Additionally, it underlies issuers’ confidence towards DFM as a leading and efficient platform for companies and investors from the UAE and beyond, due to its ample infrastructure, and world-class services. Moreover, this unique listing from a new and dynamic sector represents an invaluable addition to our list of issuers and gives further momentum to our efforts aimed at attracting fast-growing sectors,” H.E. Essa Kazim added.
Mr. Raed Al Nuaimi, CEO of Dubai Parks and Resorts, stated, “This is an exciting day for Dubai Parks and Resorts. The listing of Dubai Parks and Resorts on DFM marks an important milestone towards achieving our objectives and brings us one step closer to our vision of developing a premier year-round global entertainment destination. Against a background of strong macroeconomic fundamentals and favourable demographic trends, we see Dubai Parks and Resorts as well positioned to meet increasing visitor demand for leisure and entertainment, both locally and regionally, and should be able to capitalise on the projected growth in tourists to Dubai and the United Arab Emirates.”