Category Archives: NTO (National Tourist Offices)

In order to attract more Chinese visitors to the UAE, Meraas has launched ‘Hala China’, a brand-new initiative in collaboration with Dubai Holding and DXB Entertainments. ‘Hala China’ will aim to complement Dubai’s rich calendar of events by creating an annual schedule of exciting events hosted at the destinations of these three companies that aims to showcase Dubai and the UAE to Chinese tourists. The novel initiative will also see the creation of new tourism packages that cater to Chinese visitors in seven categories – stay, shop, eat, play, explore, wellness and concierge. The unprecedented initiative will focus on exploring opportunities that encourage and facilitate economic development through both tourism, trade and investment. ‘Hala China’ will see several key government ministries and companies in Dubai and China team up to organise events and incentives, which will play a role in further strengthening bilateral relations. The year-long pipeline of activities includes a mix of events and programmes spanning food festivals and fashion shows, sporting events, music festivals and Chinese cultural pageants. His Excellency Abdulla Al Habbai, Group Chairman at Meraas, said, “In supporting the development of tourism and trade relations between Dubai and China, we continue to align our commercial objectives with the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai reflected through Dubai’s Tourism Vision 2020.”

Starting immediately, services of the German National Tourist Board (GNTB) can be paid in Crypto currencies such as bitcoin. The GNTB wants to test the underlying blockchain technology of Crypto currencies in their finance department to use it for their international payment traffic. Petra Hedorfer, Chair of the Board, GNTB, explains, “Within our digitalisation strategy, we continuously test newest technologies and trends to see if they could be useful for our company. Through accepting Crypto currencies as a payment method and the possible medium term implementation of the blockchain technology in our finance sector, our international company wishes to set ourselves apart as an innovator and instigator within the tourism industry.” The blockchain technology offers interesting perspectives in regards to speed, transparency and security. Experts are expecting enormous improvements and saving potentials with, for example, international transactions.

For the first time, VisitBritain aims to promote the luxury horse racing itineraries to horse racing enthusiasts in the region and inspire them to book these experiences. Their recent ‘I Travel For…’ digital marketing campaign uses short-films and story-telling to market unexplored destinations in Britain, alongside its globally renowned landmarks and attractions. For centuries, horse racing has been linked with the English monarchy. It is called the sport of kings because of its strong association with royalty and nobility. The history of England is the history of horse racing, from its humble beginnings to today’s Royal family’s continuing passion and patronage of the sport. A day at the races is an opportunity to experience English history and tradition at its best.

Nour Aridi, Country Manager, Visit Indonesia Tourist Office along with the Ministry of Tourism, Indonesia hosted a brand new campaign to the travel fraternity in Dubai with an interesting presentation. Indonesia, with over 17,000 islands, has some of the best tourist spots in the world. This year, they are on a new venture to promote these picturesque destinations especially to the many travellers in the UAE. It was an exclusive event which discussed and showcased new areas of tourism as well as the infrastructure that will be developed alongside the same. The partners had an opportunity to meet the tourism board officials to discuss further about ways to promote their destination.

‘Visit UAE’, the Ministry of Economy’s recent roadshow in India across three major cities featured the participation of tourism departments and authorities from the Emirates, other local government entities concerned with the tourism sector and a group of tourism institutions and companies, including aviation, major attractions, hotels and tour and travel agencies in the country. The roadshow initially took place in Bangalore, then moved to Ahmedabad and concluded in Mumbai. H.E. Mohammed Khamis Al Mheiri, Advisor to the Minister of Economy for Tourism Affairs, shared that the MOE’s efforts fall in line with the goal of UAE Vision 2021 to position the UAE among the best sustainable tourism destinations in the world. Al Mheiri added that India is one of the UAE’s leading strategic economic partners and the second largest trading partner in 2016. The country also represents a vital tourist market—highlighted by the large number of recorded Indian visitors and tourists that come to visit various UAE emirates and tourist attractions. Visitors from India represent 10 per cent of the total number of visitors recorded in 2016. The figures consolidate the position of the Indian market as an important destination of tourism promotion and cooperation with the UAE.

An introduction conference ‘Beautiful China Amazing Ningxia’ held at JW Marriott Marquise in Dubai was organised by Tourism Development Commission of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and prepared by China Travel Service of Ningxia, representatives from Dubai Tourism Bureau, Chinese and foreign travel agencies along with news media attended the event. Qiu Weining, Senior Executive, International Operation Department, Dubai Tourism Bureau began the conference with a welcome speech. “Dubai creates as world travel destination at all times and welcomes other tourism bureaus from all over the world to promote themselves with inclusive attitude. Ningxia is a very beautiful place and worth to pay visit”, he said. Hu Ling, Vice President, Chia Association of Travel Services, Chairman of Ningxia Travel Agency Association, then delivered a speech. She said, “Ningxia with its abundant scenic spots and traditional Hui folk culture, is one of the world’s 46 best places to visit, according to The New York Times.”

Al Zorah, a leisure destination in the UAE, expands its portfolio of sporting activities to offer water sports experiences. The destination will host several motorised and non-motorised sports including jet-skiing, wake boarding, flyboarding, kayaking, paddle boating, water skiing, kite-boarding and much more. Catering to all age groups and levels of ability, the new additions promises visitors an action-packed experience at Al Zorah. With friendly, safety-conscious instructors and equipment available on the peninsula, guests can take it at their own speed and wait for winds that suit them. Imad Dana, Chief Executive Officer, Al Zorah Development Company, said, “The introduction of the leisure and recreational activities at Al Zorah further reinforces our objective to offer a distinctive tourist and lifestyle destination. Water sport enthusiasts and families looking for an exciting vacation can escape the bustle of city life at Al Zorah.” The destination will soon host special events like Stand-Up Paddle Boating Championships, Best Underwater Photo Competition and Jet-skiing Acrobatic Displays.

Czech tourism authority in collaboration with VFS Global commenced a roadshow in Kuwait and UAE to showcase various tourist attractions and products to trade, tourism and business partners in the Middle East. The roadshow campaign was titled ‘Czech Republic – Land of Stories’. UAE is the number one tourism source market for the Czech Republic in the Middle East, followed by Saudi Arabia. H.E. Alexandr Sporýš, Ambassador of the Czech Republic to the United Arab Emirates, together with Monika Palatková, Managing Director of the Czech Tourist Authority interacted with the media at the event held in Dubai. “I’m pleased that Czech Tourism regularly promotes the Czech Republic as a tourism destination in the UAE and in other countries in the Middle East market. VFS Global is a reliable partner in the visa area and I am convinced that the partnership of Czech Tourism with this company will lead to a further increase of interest about the Czech Republic”, commented H.E. Alexandr Sporýš, Ambassador of the Czech Republic to the United Arab Emirates.

H.E. Shaikh Khaled bin Humood Al Khalifa, Chief Executive Officer of Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA), received a delegation from the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce & Industry. The delegation included Second Deputy Chairman Walid Abdulrahman Bukhatir, Honorary Treasurer Ziad Mahmoud Al Hajji and Board Member Mohamed Ali Al Hazami. During the meeting, H.E Shaikh Khaled bin Humood Al Khalifa stressed on the importance of strengthening cooperation and reinforcing bilateral relations between both countries across all fields, especially the tourism sector. He also mentioned the BTEA’s readiness to strengthen relations with the United Arab Emirates and work towards achieving their joint goals. The delegation expressed their gratitude for the warm welcome and affirmed their readiness to enhance the joint cooperation between the two countries in the tourism field and to further explore bilateral initiatives.

The adventure tourism product portfolio of Ras Al Khaimah, now established as one of the fastest growing tourism destinations in the Middle East, is shaping up as a millennials’ magnet. Addressing a panel debate in London on the travel patterns of affluent millennials, Haitham Mattar, CEO, Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA), said the emirate was hitting the mark with the much sought-after segment. “Ras Al Khaimah has what it takes when it comes to ticking millennial boxes,” said Mattar. “They want authenticity and the emirate has it in spades; they want meaningful, off-the-radar experiences and the ability to connect with culture, which again we excel in; and they have a desire to soak up natural sights, which is a key pillar of our offering.” Mattar revealed millennials are now a prime target for the emirate, which boasts of an ancient heritage and myriad landscapes from desert to stunning coastline, and the rocky crags of the Hajar mountains with its natural springs and the UAE’s highest peak Jebel Jais, now ranked as the emirate’s number one attraction.