Football hero Michael Owen tours The First Group’s properties during Dubai visit
The First Team member and brand ambassador spend time with The First Group during his recent trip to the emirate
Dubai, UAE: Former Premier League football star, Michael Owen, recently enjoyed a trip to Dubai, where he reviewed the progress across all of The First Group’s developments and took part in a new dynamic video for the company. The brand ambassador and First Team member owns a number of properties with The First Group; The Diamond, The Spirit and The Bridge in Dubai Sports City, and Wyndham Dubai Marina.
“I fell in love with Dubai years ago and for me and my family, it’s a home from home,” the former Liverpool, Manchester United and Real Madrid striker said during the trip. “The rate of development in this city never fails to amaze me. It was also really exciting to see how construction has been moving along, particularly at my newest investment, Wyndham Dubai Marina.”
As well as visiting Dubai Marina and the site of one of The First Group’s latest hotel developments, which is to be managed by the world’s largest hotel company, Wyndham Hotel Group, Owen took in the sights of Dubai Sports City. The vibrant sporting district is home to three more projects within his Dubai property portfolio. In addition, Owen visited The First Group’s headquarters in TECOM, where he was met with a very warm welcome from the team.
“It was such a pleasure to host Michael during his Dubai visit – he is always so friendly and professional and it was a real treat for our staff to meet and talk with him,” commented Danny Lubert, co-founder and joint chairman of The First Group. “We are also delighted that he took the time to take part in our video, which really gives a fantastic overview of The First Group, Dubai and its outstanding investment opportunities.”
“The next few years are shaping up to be some of the most exciting in Dubai’s history,” agreed Gary Shepherd, fellow co-founder and joint chairman of The First Group. “With the World Expo 2020 on the horizon, the city’s tourism and hotel market is set to go from strength to strength and we are really excited that we can be a part of it all. In 2013, Dubai welcomed more than 11 million visitors, a figure that is forecast to reach nearly 25 million during the World Expo alone. The number of hotel and hotel apartment guest night stays also rose by 11% to 41.57 million, while overall occupancy rates averaged an impressive 80%. Hotel apartments in particular secured occupancy levels of 82% in 2013, up 6.5% on 2012.*
As a brand ambassador for The First Group, Owen joins a host of sporting celebrities on The First Team; including fellow footballers Nwankwo Kanu and Andriy Shevchenko, russian tennis star, Svetlana Kuznetsova, rugby player, Bryan Habana and golf professional, Sam Torrance. To view Owen’s latest video with The First Group, click here: /about-us.aspx.
About The First Group:
The First Group is an internationally acclaimed British-owned global property development company based in Dubai, with an exclusive focus on hotel development. The First Group was co-founded by joint chairmen, Danny Lubert and Gary Shepherd, who each draw from strong and diverse backgrounds in the fields of global property, finance, acquisition, marketing and product development. With a proud history of over 25 years' experience and success, through their company they offer innovative and unparalleled off-plan opportunities in the UAE with an emphasis on the lucrative world of hotel investment. With offices spanning Dubai, Moscow, Almaty, Kazan, Astana, Abuja, Lagos and Jeddah, The First Group continues to produce and develop highly sought after property investments in some of the world's most desirable locations. For more on The First Group, please visit www.thefirstgroup.com.
* SOURCE: Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing