Panic in Dubai as city ‘abandoned’ by tourists – beaches left empty | World | News

Dubai’s hospitality industry is being hit by ongoing conflict in the Middle East, forcing staff to take pay cuts and take unpaid leave. Following the outbreak of war on February 28, the closure of airspace in the region and the cancellation of holidays caused losses to local businesses.

Wego’s chief operating officer said occupancy levels at Dubai hotels have since fallen to 15-20% of normal for this time of year. Natasha Sideris, owner of Tasha’s hospitality group, said the US-Israeli war against Iran has forced her to either fire her staff or cut their salaries.

He chose the latter, reducing the salaries of all staff, including himself, by 30%. His group operates 14 businesses across the UAE and employs more than 1,000 people.

He told the BBC: “The current situation is very grim. I had a choice between making 30% of my staff redundant or cutting wages to save jobs. I’ve chosen the latter for now.”

A senior executive of a restaurant chain said footfall to its outlets had fallen to 15-20 per cent of normal, prompting it to furlough more than half its staff.

They said: “We have no choice. We have already temporarily closed several outlets and the rest are operating with minimal staff.”

One local told the Daily Mail: “Normally on Friday traffic would be gridlocked and restaurants and shops would be very busy, but it is now a ghost town.

“I heard from my friends that in some large hotels and resorts the bosses are telling their employees that they need to take paid leave because there are almost no guests left anymore, so there is nothing to do.

“If they don’t have time off, will they be expected to live on nothing?”