Coinciding with the 33rd edition of the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2026, Emirates Central Cooling Systems Corporation PJSC (Empower), the world’s largest district cooling services provider, reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the sustainable growth of Dubai’s tourism and hospitality sector. The company contributes to this growth by providing highly efficient district cooling solutions to a broad portfolio of the emirate’s leading hotels, resorts, and tourism facilities, contributing to reduced energy consumption, lower carbon emissions, and greater resource efficiency.
The company noted that, by the end of 2025, hotels and hotel apartments served by Empower accounted for 24% of Dubai’s 827 hotel and hotel apartment facilities, underscoring the hospitality sector’s growing reliance on sustainable, high-efficiency district cooling solutions.
Empower’s hospitality and tourism portfolio includes some of the emirate’s most prominent hotels, resorts, and destinations, including Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab, One Za’abeel, Atlantis The Royal, One&Only Za’abeel, Burj Al Arab, Atlantis The Palm, Hilton Dubai Palm Jumeirah, JW Marriott Marquis Dubai, Jumeirah Emirates Towers, and Jumeirah Al Naseem, alongside a wide range of other hotel and tourism facilities.
“Dubai has cemented its position as a premier global tourism destination, driven by the vision of its leadership and a strategy focused on the sustainable development of infrastructure and the continuous enhancement of quality of life and services. The hospitality sector remains a key driver of this growth, while district cooling solutions are playing an increasingly vital role in enabling hotels, resorts, and tourism projects to achieve higher levels of energy efficiency, sustainability, and operational reliability, thereby strengthening Dubai’s competitiveness and its ability to continue attracting investment and high-quality tourism developments,” said H.E. Ahmad Bin Shafar, CEO of Empower.
“At Empower, we continue to develop advanced district cooling infrastructure and deploy cutting-edge technologies and smart systems to enhance operational efficiency and reduce energy and resource consumption. We believe that the continued growth of the tourism and hospitality sector in the coming years will create significant opportunities for sustainable cooling solutions, particularly as hotel establishments increasingly adopt efficient and flexible technologies that align with the evolving expectations of travelers and the requirements of future cities. We remain committed to supporting this transformation through reliable and sustainable services that help reinforce Dubai’s global model for sustainable urban and tourism development,” added Bin Shafar.
District cooling systems can reduce electricity consumption for cooling by up to 50% compared with conventional air conditioning systems, making them an effective solution for enhancing energy efficiency across major urban developments, including hotels, resorts, and mixed-use projects. Empower continues to expand its plants and networks to meet the growing demand for district cooling services across Dubai. By the end of 2025, its district cooling transmission and distribution pipeline network exceeded 430 kilometres, while its infrastructure comprised 90 plants strategically located across the emirate.
These efforts come amid the continued growth of Dubai’s tourism and hospitality sector and align with the objectives of the Dubai Urban Master Plan 2040, which targets a 134% increase in land allocated for hotel and tourism activities by 2040. Empower continues to invest in resilient and scalable infrastructure capable of meeting the needs of current and future projects, while reinforcing the role of district cooling in enhancing energy efficiency, reducing the carbon footprint, and supporting sustainable urban development.