Over seven million entry, residency transactions completed in UAE last year.

Best Western's plans for the region are on track, with the company signalling its intention to expand its focus to the Levant in addition to the GCC.

Gulf economies are expected to continue to experience high levels of wheat and grain price inflation with the current international shortage of rice and semolina provisions, according to global economists.

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has announced several deals across the region, with new brands and new properties slated for Qatar, Kuwait, Ras Al Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates and Morocco.