Dubai  - The Middle East's hospitality sector is driving the region's growth, participants of a Dubai-hosted hotel investment conference said Thursday.

Local and international hotel experts attending the Arabian Hotel Investment Conference (AHIC), described an industry driven by new expansion plans, brand launches and soaring revenues.

Executive Chairman for the Jumeirah group, Gerald Lawless, said in a statement that three trillion US dollars are to be invested in carrying out travel-related projects in the region over the next 12 years.

"Around 170 million arrivals are expected by 2020, and some 830 new hotels are under development to give an additional 750,000 rooms across the region," Lawless said.

The Middle East population is expected to reach more than 410 million by 2020 and this would attract more investors to the region, he added.

Russel Kett, HVS managing director, said that some 90,000 rooms are being developed in Dubai alone, while 10,000 others are planned to be carried out in Saudi Arabia and Oman.

Some 11,000 hotel projects are also planned in Qatar, in addition to many other projects to be implemented in different Arab countries.

Industry professionals at the conference said that the Middle East along with India and China has become one of the hotspots for the industry, while developed markets are going through a credit crunch and weakening consumer confidence crisis.

Meanwhile, regional and international developers showed expansion plans that would require 1.5 million employees for the hospitality sector.

"We feel this market has become mature in no time - it has real growth potential and we can expand our 10 brands around the Middle East," Sofitel's Yann Calliere said. (dpa)