The FETAVE (Federation of Spanish Travel Agencies and Territorial Associations) Congress is an annual event aimed at promoting the flow of tourism and identifying future tourism trends. The 2013 edition was organised by Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) and its partner Alpha Tours, as part of DTCM’s ongoing positioning of Dubai as the world’s leading tourism and commerce destination.

The Spanish market is of increasing importance to Dubai, with 41,000 Spanish visitors staying in Dubai hotels last year, an increase of 20% from 2011. During the five day congress, the participants took part in tours of the city and key attractions and had numerous meetings with hoteliers to discuss future business partnerships.

Saleh Mohamed Al Geziry, Director of DTCM Overseas Promotions and Inward Missions commented: “It has been our pleasure to host the congress, one of a number which the city will host during 2013. It gave us the opportunity to promote the emirate to key decision makers in the Spanish market and to provide information on Dubai’s tourism attractions and hotel offerings, with the ultimate aim being to further increase the number of Spanish tourists to Dubai. Each congress and event that we host is an opportunity for us to both demonstrate the uniqueness of Dubai and to play a small role in the future success of businesses and industries. We thank both Alpha Tours for their partnership in hosting the congress and FETAVE for choosing Dubai as a venue for the congress.”

Ghassan Al Aridi, CEO – Alpha Tours, said: “The Spanish market has become one of the up and coming markets for Dubai with more Spanish tourists every year. Hosting such events for tour operators and travel agents from Spain will help boost participant’s activity in Dubai by updating them with the latest information and attractions on Dubai.”

Mr. Ghassan thanked DTCM for the continuous support and its role in increasing tourists coming to Dubai.

Sr. D. Adolfo Mate, the Chairman of the Federation also praised DTCM for the efforts it’s putting to make Dubai one of the top tourist destinations worldwide.

HE Mr Jose Eugenio Salarich, the Ambassador of Spain in UAE said during the gala dinner that Dubai is one of the top tourist destinations for Spanish tourists.
Mr. Jose thanked both DTCM and Alpha Tours for hosting such a successful event here in Dubai.

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Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing to deliver “Ambitious but achievable” strategy for growing central pillar of Dubai’s diversified economy

The Government of Dubai Media Office, 4 May, 2013:  His Highness Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, today officially approved Dubai’s Vision for Tourism: By 2020, Dubai will welcome 20 million visitors per year, and the annual contribution made by tourism to the city’s economy will triple.

On this occasion, HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid affirmed that the UAE has succeeded in placing itself amongst popular tourist destinations on the global map of tourism, walking confidently into the future through launching ambitious developmental initiatives and high quality projects. His Highness also noted that building a robust infrastructure with high capacity and providing quality high-end services to all the visitors of the UAE is an ongoing process that also necessitate keeping up the pace of development to meet the requirements of the global markets, bearing in mind changes that may occur in such requirements so as to preserve the country’s gains and earn more achievements in the tourism sector that is full of opportunities.

The UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai also highlighted the economic importance of the tourism sector, the hopes the county is pinning on it and the potentials mobilized so as to put the UAE at the forefront of regional and global tourism; essential elements to tourism that have earned Dubai a reputation as a global tourism destination. In fact, the increased number of visitors is strong evidence to this, as Dubai was able to double the number of tourists from only five million yearly to ten million tourists a year during the past eight years. His Highness also said that he firmly believes in Dubai’s ability to reach even a substantial tourist influx in light of the fact that Dubai will shortly witness the implementation of wide new range of projects that will represent new elements of attraction and will open the door to welcoming larger numbers of visitors into the country.

HH Sheikh Mohammed went on to say: “We are aware that such goals are ambitious, but more important than ambition is realizing these goals in reality. We are confident that the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing is capable of achieving what it aims for given the previous accomplishments and the positive results attained”. However, Sheikh Mohammed said, “We need to bear in mind that tourism is a broad service sector that one entity cannot solely be held responsible for its development; therefore, it is important that other government departments and institutions share this responsibility and join in developing this sector in order to strengthen our macroeconomic capabilities. Moreover, we expect the private sector to play a similar role in supporting this goal within the framework of the partnership that we have established decades ago. This partnership between the government and private sectors is a source of our pride and we will do all what it takes to make it a success.”

Developed by the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) under guidance from His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vision sets out how the city will both double its annual visitor numbers from 10 million in 2012 to 20 million in 2020, and increase the economic contribution of the tourism sector. Early estimates from a study currently being conducted indicate that the current economic contribution is in the range of AED100 billion.

His Excellency Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General of DTCM, said: “The strategy behind the Dubai Tourism Vision for 2020 will further leverage a sector which has been a central pillar in the city’s economic growth, success and diversification. It is based upon two central tenets: the first being to widen our range of tourism offerings across events, attractions, infrastructure, services and packages and to enhance the overall visitor experience from arrival to departure. The second tenet is to adapt our marketing approach in order to showcase Dubai to a wider audience and grow the conversion rate of awareness to bookings. There are a range of initiatives we will put in place in both of these areas which will work together to attract more visitors to the city and encourage them to stay longer and spend more money during their time with us.

“Our role at DTCM is to act as a facilitator of growth, harnessing the collective power of stakeholders in the city and deepening engagement with parties outside of Dubai, so that we deliver the vision.”

The target of 20 million visitors will be achieved through meeting a number of objectives. First, maintaining existing market share of the outbound tourism of all source markets: economic and demographic factors will increase the amount of outbound tourists in each market, therefore maintaining Dubai’s existing percentage market share will deliver an up-lift in visitor numbers. Second, increasing awareness and consideration to visit in a number of source markets which DTCM has identified as having significant potential for growth, such as Latin America, China and the emerging economies of Africa. Third, increasing the number of repeat visits, already a significant driver for tourism in the city.

Meeting these objectives in addition to driving up the average length of stay (currently at 3.76 days) and increasing the amount of money spent by tourists during their visits will lead to the trebling of the economic contribution that tourism makes to the emirate’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

His Excellency Helal Saeed Almarri said: “The Vision of His Highness has created a destination with experiences that no other city can offer.  We have a number of attractions that are famous throughout the world including the world’s tallest building Burj Khalifa, the Burj Al Arab, and The Palm Jumeirah; the world’s largest shopping malls; and an incredible infrastructure which acts as a magnet for global travellers. The city has a portfolio of world-class hotels, the second busiest airport on the planet and a world leading – and in my opinion, the best – airline and these are also very well-known. But in addition we have a substantial, wide-ranging and ever evolving destination offer that compliments the more renowned attractions and we will ensure that every potential visitor knows the depth and range of experiences they can enjoy on holiday in Dubai.

“As a city we have done a very good job in building awareness of Dubai. Part of our new strategy is to adapt our marketing approach to showcase Dubai to an even wider audience but also to grow the conversion rate of awareness to bookings, making sure that a potential visitor doesn’t just know about Dubai -he views it as his next holiday or business destination.”

To widen the range of tourism offerings, there are three key areas of focus:

• In line with His Highness Sheikh Mohammed’s statement earlier this year that the UAE should be the world’s leading family destination, DTCM will play a central role in coordinating the activities of industry and public sector partners to expand the existing attractions, events and experiences that cater to families. This will also include creating segmented packages and tailored offerings that make the most of the Emirate’s assets, including the city, desert and coastline – for example, by effectively marketing the historic and cultural sites; world-class sporting facilities; and capabilities in the cruise industry.

• Dubai as an event destination is a second area of principal focus, with the aim of moving from the regional events hub to a global events and entertainment destination. As part of this, both the Dubai Events and Promotions Establishment (DEPE) – organiser of festivals such as Dubai Summer Surprises and Dubai Shopping Festival – and Dubai Calendar, were recently integrated into DTCM. DTCM will also continue to work closely with the Expo2020 team to support and promote the Dubai, UAE bid to bring the World Expo to the MENASA (Middle East, North Africa and South Asia) region for the first time.

HE Helal Saeed Almarri commented:  “DEPE has been incredibly successful in creating and developing seasonal festivals that have driven the growth of the events and retail sectors. We will now leverage that expertise to create new festivals. Likewise, since it launched two years ago Dubai Calendar has proven a big success, growing from being an online portal at launch to becoming a catalyst for improving the city’s events offer52 weeks of the year. By bringing these two entities into DTCM alongside Dubai Convention Bureau we can lead a coordinated approach to a year-round programme of events for residents, tourists and business visitors. Becoming the host city for the World Expo 2020 will of course further enhance Dubai’s status as an events capital, which is why we are putting the full weight of DTCM’s support behind the bid team.”

• The offer to business visitors is a third principal focus, with the strategy setting out plans for enhancing Dubai’s status as a business destination. Already the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) capital of the region, DTCM will work with the industry in improving the business tourism offer to make sure that Dubai is the easiest and most effective place to do business; and to adopt a more unified approach to business and leisure tourism.

His Excellency Almarri said: “We see no distinction between the business traveller and the leisure visitor. Today’s conference delegate is tomorrow’s holidaymaker and there are a number of steps we can take to encourage the business traveller to extend their stay or return for leisure trips with friends and family.”

Following today’s announcement of the Dubai Tourism Vision for 2020, DTCM and its partners in Government will share details of its plans with industry stakeholders from both within Dubai and its key source markets at this week’s Arabian Hotel and Investment Congress and Arabian Travel Market.

-Ends-

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Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) will use the second edition of Riyadh Travel Fair (April 23-26) as a platform from which to continue to grow its inbound tourism from Saudi Arabia.
The participation in Riyadh Travel Fair (RTF) comes two weeks after a similar participation in the 3rd Jeddah Travel Fair and demonstrates the importance DTCM places in the Saudi Arabian market, which is the Emirate’s number one source of visitors. In 2012, the amount of visitors to Dubai from Saudi Arabia grew by over 29%, rising from 873,152 in 2011 to 1,128,757 (hotel guests and cruise passengers).
Saleh Mohamed Al Geziry, Director of DTCM’s Overseas Promotions and Inward Mission, commented: “Participating in such events is a key element of our strategy to continue to grow visitor numbers from Saudi Arabia by directly increasing our public presence in the KSA and GCC markets and promoting the ever evolving tourism offer of Dubai. Dubai is the number one holiday destination for the Saudi market and it is important to ensure that we retain this position.”
Convened in the Saudi Capital, after two successful years RTF has developed a reputation as a significant event in the GCC travel trade calendar. More than 30,000 visitors attend, joining the leading travel and tourism companies of Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries who use the event to promote their business at both a regional and international level.
Saleh Mohamed Al Geziry commented: “In addition to a host of new attractions and hotels, the Saudi market is very interested in the summer season offering we are launching shortly and we will be giving a preview of this offering during RTF.”

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The Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) and Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) today announced the official transfer of the fifteen Dubai heritage and archaeological sites from DTCM to Dubai Culture. According to law number 6 for the year 2008, Dubai Culture will be responsible for the sites, which include museums and heritage villages and a number of artifacts which date back to 3000BC.
His Excellency Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General of DTCM said: “The safeguard of the historical and archaeological sites in the emirates is a national duty. These sites are of great importance in preserving the history of the UAE and give a vivid portrayal of the country’s traditions – it is our responsibility to ensure that people of all generations are able to learn more about our heritage.
“The transfer of these sites is indicative of the close collaboration between DTCM and Dubai Culture and our joint efforts to strengthen Dubai’s position as a leading tourism hub. A key part of our work is the promotion of the historical sites of Dubai including a number of activities and events that contribute to, as well as highlight the importance of, preservation the nation’s heritage.”
Saeed Al Nabouda, Acting Director General of Dubai Culture, said: “His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has outlined that one of the core missions of Dubai Culture is to establish and nurture a strong cultural infrastructure for the Emirate, which is a key pillar of Dubai’s strategic growth vision.
“The heritage sites of Dubai, rooted deep in our history, are an integral part of our cultural identity. Apart from their compelling historical significance, they serve as milestones for our future generations to appreciate how Dubai has evolved over the years. By transferring the ownership and management of these sites to Dubai Culture, we are taking another ambitious step in achieving our founding objective of promoting an integrated cultural infrastructure, under the Chairmanship of His Highness Sheikh Majid Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum.”
The historical and heritage sites in the emirate include Dubai Museum, Sheikh Saeed’s House, Hatta Heritage Village, Heritage Village and Diving Village, Majlis Ghorfat Umm Al Sheif, Ahmadiah School, Naif Museum, Jumeirah Archaeological Site, Sarouk Archaeological Site, Sufouh sites and Sheikh Obaid’s House.

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Dubai, the region’s largest trading, commercial and tourism hub, is showcasing its business travel attractions at the Gulf International Business Travel Mart (GIBTM) from March 25 to 27, 2013.
HH Sheikh Sultan Bin Tahnoon, Chairman, Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority praised the strong presence of Dubai during his visit to Dubai stand. He was received by HE Helal Almarri, Director General of the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing; Dr. Ahmad Abdulla Belhoul, CEO, Strategy and Tourism Sector Development; and a number of DTCM Directors.
During his tour of the stand, Sheik Sultan Bin Tahnoon experienced the new projects and plans for Dubai this year, including The Dubai Calendar; a brief on the exhibitions and events which will be held in the Dubai World Trade Centre this year such as Dubai Sports World; and the new hotel classification criteria system which is due for issue later in the year.
HE Helal Almarri, Director General, DTCM said: “Our participation in GIBTM comes in the form of our interest in the MICE sector which has been an important area of Dubai’s growth for many years”
The MICE industry is one of the fastest growing segments within the global tourism industry generating millions in revenues for cities and countries.
The three day exhibition is the leading event for the meetings, incentives and business travel industry in the GCC region and an important platform for the promotion of Dubai’s business tourism offer.
DTCM is participating for the seventh successive year, with representatives from the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) – including from its Overseas Promotions and Inward Missions department; the Dubai Convention & Events Bureau; and its Media Relations office – taking part alongside 62 partners from the tourism sector in Dubai..
Reed Travel Exhibitions is the organizer of GIBTM which is the leading event for the meetings, incentives and business travel industry in the GCC Region.

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UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum this week received the delegation of the New York-based Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide’s delegation headed by Frits Van Paasschen, President and Chief Executive Officer of the company.

During the meeting, which took place at Za’abeel Palace, Sheikh Mohammed and his guests reviewed the activities and operations of the company in Dubai, the region and the world.

Frits Van asserted that Dubai would be the first world city in terms of the number of hotels the company is to manage in 2015 after the completion of six new hotels to make up a total number of twenty hotels in Dubai; thus, outnumbering New York which is currently the holder of this title.

In this context, Sheikh Mohammed affirmed that the UAE in general and Dubai in particular are among tourist destinations favoured by tourists regionally and globally, adding that the country seeks to be number one in the field of family tourism, as attractive tourist plans and projects are currently being implemented in accordance with specifications and standards that meet the needs and requirements of family tourism.

Welcoming Star Wood president and his accompanying delegation, Sheikh Mohammed noted the positive role played by the company in managing the fourteen hotels it runs and operates in Dubai, expressing his confidence that Dubai will very soon be number one in terms of the number of hotels in the world.

Frits Van thanked and expressed appreciation to Sheikh Mohammed for the facilities and kind attention that envelop the Presidency Office of Star Wood and its twenty members, which holds its meetings in Dubai over thirty-six days, as the company follows a tradition to hold meetings of its main office every two years in one of the world’s cities, and Dubai was chosen this year to be the venue as a favourite city for the group’s members and their families.

Furthermore, Dubai is the centre for the company in the Middle East and North Africa due to the state-of-the-art infrastructure and open global markets and famous shopping malls it enjoys.

The meeting was also attended by Chairman of Dubai Civil Aviation and Chief Executive of Emirates Group Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Director of Dubai Ruler’s Court Mohammed Ibrahim Al Shebani, Commander General of Dubai Police Lt. General Dhahi Khalfan Tamim, Dubai Director of Protocol and Hospitality Khalifa Saeed Suleiman, Dubai Real Estate Corporation CEO Hesham Abdullah Al Qasim and President of Starwood Hotels and Resorts for Europe, Africa and the Middle East Roeland Vos.

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His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, watched this week the races of the second day of the second annual camel race festival at Al Wathba Racetrack.

Sheikh Sultan bin Hamdan Al Nahyan, Adviser to the President and Chairman of Emirates Camel Racing Federation, Sheikh Hamad bin Jasim Al Thani, Chairman of Camel Racing Organising Committee in Qatar, and a number of owners and fans attended the 5 km race.

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Top tier Russian football club Anzhi Makhachkala recently spent an intensive, five-day training camp at Dubai Sports City in the lead-up to their upcoming Europa League tie against England’s Newcastle United on March 7.

The club, which is captained by African football legend Samuel Eto’o, and Anzhi Makhachkala team Director “Roberto Carlos” the former Brazilian player, were in Dubai for the second time this season to take advantage of warm weather training and Dubai’s world class training facilities, as well as a relaxing break during their congested fixture list.

The club, which is currently second in the Russian Premier League, two points behind rivals CSKA Moscow, will look to Welsh club Swansea City’s success after training in Dubai Sports City to spur on both their domestic and European campaign. Swansea City recently completed a five-day training camp in Dubai before going on to win their first trophy in a hundred years, beating Bradford City in the English League Cup at Wembley Stadium.

Hamad bin Mejren, executive director of Business Tourism at DTCM, took the opportunity to highlight the close connection between tourism and sport in the emirate, pointing out that the emirate increasingly attracts international professional clubs in the mid-season winter breaks on annual basis, as well as drawing celebrated coaches who enjoy their careers in the emirate with its facilities such as Dubai Sports City and other world class infrastructure.

“For the past ten years, DTCM has been supporting the visits of international clubs. As a result of these years of laying the groundwork, we’re now seeing the fruits of this effort, and demand is high for the clubs to spend their winter breaks in the beautiful climate of the UAE. This results in Dubai being one of the leading sports destinations in the world, and Dubai Sports City has done an excellent job creating fantastic pitches.”

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The expansion project is due for completion in 2015, and the agreement was signed at DAFZA’s headquarters by Dr Mohammed Al Zarooni, Director General of DAFZA and Tirad- Al Mahmoud, CEO of ADIB.

Commenting on the partnership, Tirad Al-Mahmoud said: “The Dubai Airport Freezone has made significant efforts in promoting Dubai and the UAE to the international business communities, we are pleased to provide them with customized Islamic financial solutions that will help them achieve their expansion objectives. This transaction reaffirms our commitment to the growth and development of the UAE and it confirms our world-class corporate finance and investment banking capabilities

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Emirates Airlines is working on a two-class configuration for its Airbus A380s which would axe the superjumbo’s prestigious first class suites.

The A380s would be fitted out with business and economy cabins, although the upper deck bar would remain.

The current configuration sees first class and business class on the upper deck, with the entire lower deck given over to economy.

Emirates president Tim Clark reportedly confirmed the plans to Air Transport World, although he said the exact number of seats in the new A380 variant – which could begin flying in 2016, if the plans go ahead – is still to be determined.

Emirates’ would retain its original A380 layout for its most profitable long-haul routes, while using additional two-class A380 to serve selected markets with where there’s a high demand for seats, but not at high prices.

Emirates is Airbus’ biggest customer for the A380, with 31 superjumbos already in its fleet and another 59 on order.

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