Category Archives: Associations

As part of the Dubai Maritime City Authority’s (DMCA) efforts to promote Dubai’s marine and leisure tourism, RASEINA Maritime Domestic & Leisure Working Group (one of DMCA initiatives) recently held a workshop for its members at the Address Dubai Marina hotel. The attendees discussed DMCA’s services to promote local marine and leisure tourism, including yacht registration, and also current and potential locations for marine entertainment activities. They also looked into the implementation of best practices to address the current and future challenges facing Dubai’s marine and leisure tourism sector. Amer Ali, Executive Director of DMCA, said, “We are constantly developing and regulating Dubai’s maritime sector in line with globally recognised standards. We are particularly committed to showcasing the role of the local marine and leisure tourism sector in boosting Dubai’s reputation as a global tourist destination. The workshop aimed to discuss industry-related issues and highlight the services provided by DMCA, while exploring all aspects of marine and leisure activities and improving the offered services to overcome the challenges and obstacles.”

The Philippines is all set to host top tourism officials from 156 countries for the 6th United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) International Conference on Tourism Statistics next month. The conference will be held from June 21-24 at the Marriot Hotel Grand Ballroom of the Resorts World Manila in Pasay City. This conference, bearing the theme “Measuring Sustainable Tourism”, will be highlighted by a ministerial roundtable of Tourism Ministers, Environment Ministers and Chief Statisticians. The opening ceremony will be presided by Dr Taleb Rafai, the UNWTO Secretary General; Wanda Corazon Tulfo-Teo, Secretary, Department of Tourism, Philippines and Ernesto M. Pernia, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary, National Economic and Development Authority, Philippines. In addition to the government representatives from 156 member countries, expected in attendance are more than 1500 affiliate members representing the private sector, educational institutions and tourism associations.

The Ministry of Economy will hold its ‘Tourism Leadership Program’ from October 30 to November 3, 2016, in collaboration with the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and Themis Foundation. The programme falls under the framework of the Emirates Host initiative launched recently by the Ministry which aims to enhance the capabilities of the tourism sector and support the preparation of a strategic integrated five-year development plan. The plan will raise the efficiency of the UAE’s tourism workforce, improve service levels, and build local capacities. H.E. Eng. Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansouri, Minister of Economy, said: “The development of the tourism sector and the enhancement of its contributions to the national economy are among the main pillars supporting economic diversification and promoting policies for a post-oil economy.” The Minister also emphasized that the Ministry will continue to work on developing a national tourism strategy that covers plans, initiatives and programs at the federal and local levels over the next five years. The strategy will promote and market UAE as a Tourism destination by creating a unified destination identity and supporting and strengthening each emirate’s unique tourism potentials. For his part, H.E. Mohammed Khamis Al Muhairi, Undersecretary at the Ministry of Economy, added that the Ministry is coordinating with the UN World Tourism Organization and Themis Foundation, which is responsible for implementing training and education programs, to prepare an extensive tourism training plan during the coming period which will include many of the training programs and interactive workshops tailored for citizens working in the tourism sector. The Tourism Leadership Program is an intensive training course focused on strengthening the foundations of leadership and communication in tourism through theoretical and practical approaches.

The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) has welcomed the Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (TDA) as its newest government member. The TDA’s aim is to establish the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah as a destination for leisure and adventure travel whilst maintaining its appeal for sun seekers, beach loving couples and families. Ras Al Khaimah TDA was established in May 2011 to develop the emirate’s tourism infrastructure and promote it, both domestically and abroad. In order to achieve its goals, the Ras Al Khaimah TDA has a Government mandate to license, regulate and monitor the emirate’s hospitality industry. It conducts research to identify tourism projects and current trends. Ras Al Khaimah TDA leads on the destination’s branding and subsequent marketing activities, and also develops and implements strategies designed to encourage tourism investment into the emirate. PATA CEO Mario Hardy said, “As our newest government member Ras Al Khaimah now has a much better opportunity to achieve their growth target of 2.9m visitors by 2025 by connecting with many of our members and by showcasing their destination to a much broader audience.” Haitham Mattar, CEO, Ras Al Khaimah TDA, said, “As we continue to work towards our goal of attracting one million visitors by the end of 2018, we are keen to establish partnerships that will enable us to achieve sustainable tourism growth. Asia Pacific, in particular India and China, are fast growing emerging markets where we have recently signed an agreement with Ctrip, China’s largest online travel agency, as well as Cox and Kings in India.”