Category Archives: Govt

India retained the top spot on Dubai’s list of source markets in 2017, contributing 2.1 million visitors and becoming the first country to cross the two-million mark in a single year. The country’s performance represented a 15 per cent year-on-year increase and validated, among other factors, the success of Dubai Tourism’s ongoing collaboration with Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan in the #BeMyGuest campaign. Commenting on the annual performance, His Excellency Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General, Dubai Tourism, said, “Under the visionary leadership of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the emirate has continued to capture share of the global outbound travel market, complemented by a significant increase in tourism-driven economic contribution to the country’s GDP.” Driven by India, the South Asia region, in the third place, contributed an 18 per cent share of over 2.8 million visitors, up a strong 10.6 per cent, followed by the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), and North and South-East Asia regions sharing the fourth position, each contributing close to 1.7 million visitors and independently commanding 11 per cent share, the former recording a 3.2 per cent increase and the latter, an impressive 23.6 per cent over 2016 visitation figures.

The Department of Culture and Tourism–Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) is set to launch ‘Abu Dhabi Culture’ app on February 27. The digital initiative will act as a one-stop reference point for all information relating to culture in Abu Dhabi  and will be available in three languages – Arabic, English and French. It will feature on iOS and Android and can be accessed online at abudhabiculture.ae. The initiative, planned to launch as part of UAE Innovation Month, will allow users to gain instant access to information on all aspects of cultural life and heritage in the emirate. ‘Abu Dhabi Culture’ will educate culture-seeking locals, expats and tourists on one level, at the same time as becoming a reference point for researchers and academics in search of more detailed information. “This product has been designed to maximise accessibility to Abu Dhabi’s rich cultural landscape,” said HE Saif Saeed Ghobash, Director General, DCT. “The Abu Dhabi Culture digital experience will be a truly connected hub, immersing users and inspiring them to experience our culture for themselves. The mobile app will provide a ‘360 degree experience’, a comprehensive interactive map, a personalised interface, user-generated stories as well as features which will allow travellers to plan their trip,” Ghobash said.

The Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) attended the 4th South Asia Travel and Tourism Exchange (SATTE), South Asia’s leading travel trade show, in New Delhi, India where they showcased the emirate’s best tourist  spots, popular leisure activities and unique culture and traditions. SATTE was held from January 31 to February 2, 2018 at Pragati Maidan and saw over 12,000 visitors worldwide. H.E. Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Chairman, SCTDA, said, “India is undisputedly one of the largest key markets for the tourism and travel industry around the world. In fact, 138,000 Indian guests stayed in Sharjah hotel establishments during 2017. As the South Asian nation is one of our priority markets, this year’s SATTE is an opportunity to encourage more Indian tourists to explore Sharjah’s beauty. We also hope to utilise SATTE’s popularity to enhance the emirate’s brand in major markets worldwide as well as achieve growth in terms of the number of international tourist arrivals in the coming years.” Over the last two decades, SATTE has become the launch platform for many countries from across the globe to conduct business in and with India. SATTE has been working closely with the Ministry of Tourism, the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), and the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), among many other leading associations.

H.E. Shaikh Khaled bin Humood Al Khalifa, Chief Executive Officer, Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA), presented tourism insights for 2018 at the first Special Interest Group (SIG) organised by Bahrain British Business Forum (BBBF) in collaboration with the BTEA at Westin Bahrain City Centre. Al Khalifa said, “The BTEA is committed to supporting initiatives aimed at boosting investments in Bahrain’s tourism sector. We therefore encourage this initiative, which is in line with the BTEA’s long-term strategy to make the Kingdom a leading regional centre offering a diverse variety of tourism facilities.” The event was attended by leading business men and women in the hospitality, leisure and tourism industry and forum members who had the opportunity to learn, in detail, about the industry’s highlights for the coming year. The BBBF is a leading network of businessmen and women in Bahrain. The forum has nine Special Interest Groups covering oil, gas and energy; hospitality leisure and tourism; construction; banking and financial services; ICT; legal; organisational effectiveness; young professionals and women in business. The SIGs offer members and guests a valuable medium for exchanging industry specific ideas.

Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) has collaborated with two digital tour apps to launch two new free Dubai tours that will help visitors discover and learn more about historic sites and landmarks in the city. The tours, titled ‘Metro Moments’ and ‘Al Fahidi Architecture Tour’, are available to download for free from the Apple Store and Google Play. Supported by GPS technology, both tours use audio narrations to guide visitors through Dubai, automatically progressing from one point of interest to the next in real time, depending on the user’s location. The pre-recorded audio is available in English, Chinese and German and each tour also comes in text form and is accompanied by a map to help with navigation. Yousuf Lootah, Executive Director, Tourism Development and Investments at Dubai Tourism, said, “In accordance with the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, we are continually looking for ways to enhance the visitor experience in Dubai, ensuring it is a city that is accessible for all. The launch of these audio tours will help people from all over the world gain an enhanced understanding of Dubai.”

During the official announcement of the 8th Sharjah Light Festival set to take place from February 7-17, 2018, H.E. Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Chairman, Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) stated that this year’s edition is expected to witness one million visitors at 18 different locations in the emirate that would display an interspersed inspiration from science, beauty and knowledge. The official announcement site this year was the unique heritage area of Al Hisn fort located in the area known as the ‘Heart of Sharjah’. Midfa added, “The SCTDA has been implementing strong efforts to boost Sharjah’s position on the international tourism map by developing its potential and supporting all activities and initiatives that make Sharjah a rich, diverse and unique tourism destination.” The festival will include 23 shows covering 18 popular locations in Sharjah, curated by more than 24 artists from 10 countries. The festival is sponsored by Sharjah Municipality, Sharjah Police Headquarters, Sharjah Roads and Transport Authority, Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority (SEWA), Sharjah Civil Defense Department and Sharjah Government Media Bureau. Sahara Centre and Mega Mall are partners, while the Sharjah Media Corporation is the media sponsor.

According to figures released by the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT), the emirate recorded an impressive 9.8 per cent year-on-year rise. The number of guests staying in Abu Dhabi during the year rose by 10.3 per cent to reach 4,295,030 across its 131 hotels and hotel apartments. The Al Ain Region recorded a 5.5 per cent increase to 450,328 guests across its 20 hotels and the Al Dhafra Region rose 8.2 per cent to number 130,180 guests at its 11 hotels and hotel apartments. HE Saif Saeed Ghobash, Director General, DCT, said, “Record numbers of people are visiting Abu Dhabi year after year and we continue to go from strength to strength in positioning ourselves as a distinctive global tourist destination steeped in culture and heritage. A near double digit year-on-year growth in the number of guests staying in all three regions of the emirate is testament to our drive and determination in helping the emirate evolve as a ‘must-visit’ place. Abu Dhabi’s unique cultural archetypes, combined with diverse natural landscapes, cultural and historic sites will continue to help us grow by 11 per cent per annum to achieve 8.5 million visitors by 2021.”

Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) and Huawei Consumer Business Group (CBG) have signed an MoU to unite their efforts in positioning Dubai as the destination of choice for tourists from Middle East, Africa, and China. The MoU was signed by Issam Kazim, Chief Executive Officer, Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing and Gene Jiao, President, Huawei CBG, Middle East & Africa to support the strategic tie-up between DTCM and Huawei CBG. Under the terms of the MoU, Huawei will work with Dubai Tourism to create awareness of Dubai’s local culture and heritage across Middle East, Africa and China. Huawei will share information, images, videos, events information, online booking/ order services of Dubai Tourism with travellers (tourists, businessmen, residents) to provide a seamless online experience in Dubai. Kazim said, “We are fully committed to raising consideration of Dubai as the destination of choice for global travellers and constantly seek exciting opportunities to reach new audiences. This MoU with Huawei will help us achieve that goal by increasing awareness of Dubai’s key selling points including local culture and heritage, gastronomy, retail, entertainment and adventure across Middle East, Africa, and China travellers.”

More than 21,000 people visited the ‘Festival City’ located at Bahrain Bay and one of the main events held during the fourth edition of the Bahrain Festival ‘Shop Bahrain’. The Festival City was launched last week by H.E. Zayed Bin Rashid Al Zayani, Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, in the presence of H.E. Shaikh Khaled bin Humood Al Khalifa, Chief Executive Officer, Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA). ‘Shop Bahrain’ aims to offer a fun-filled schedule of entertaining activities and a chance to win valuable prizes. The 30-day celebration will run until February 10, 2018. “We are delighted to witness the success of Shop Bahrain during the first few days of its launch and we look forward to welcoming more visitors to attend events held throughout the Kingdom. The Festival City, a key event held during Shop Bahrain, aims to create a fun-filled environment for the entire family to enjoy,” said Shaikh Khaled. “The Festival City is also in line with BTEA’s strategy which aims to further develop the tourism industry in line with Economic Vision 2030,” he said. The Festival City includes a number of family-oriented activities, live performances, carnival games, valuable prizes, outdoor market, delicious food and live performances.

Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Humaid Al Nuaimi, Chairman, Ajman Tourism Development Department (ATDD), launched the latest tourist attraction with an inaugural seaplane ride landing in Al Zorah Marina 1 in Ajman. The launch was attended by HE Saleh Mohamed Al Geziry, Director General, ATDD; HE Eng. Omar Ahmed Bin Omair Al Muhairi, Director General, Public Transport Corporation, Ajman; Abdullah Al Nuaimi, Director of Media Office, Rulers Court; Imad Dana, CEO, Al Zorah Development Company and and Stuart Wheeler, CEO, Seawings. Ajman will now offer regular flights on the Cessna 208 Caravan Seaplanes over Ajman on a per person basis, taking in the iconic sights of the emirate in the process. Al Nuaimi said, “Ajman is increasingly offering exciting visitor attractions for our growing market of local, regional and international tourists. With the launch of the seaplane, residents and tourists can now get a unique, bird’s eye view of the emirate and travel to Dubai Creek in style.” Flights will take off on a pre-booked basis from Al Zorah Marina 1 in Ajman, landing at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club, and can take up to nine passengers. It is able to swoop low over the natural mangroves of Al Zorah as well as other Ajman landmark