Tag Archives: DCTCM

The Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) has signed a strategic memorandum of understanding (MoU) with IHG Hotels & Resorts to further enhance the destination’s offerings and visitor experience. The agreement encompasses joint marketing initiatives, training programmes for hospitality professionals, and the creation of new tourism experiences. Establishing a framework for further collaboration and alignment between the two entities, the agreement will see DET and IHG Hotels & Resorts work together on marketing and promotional campaigns, while the hotel group will also actively highlight Dubai as a premier tourist destination through its own marketing channels and social media platforms. In addition, the two entities will collaborate to create and enhance tourism products that showcase Dubai’s unique attractions, including cultural heritage tours and seasonal offers, which will be integrated into special packages that cater to different markets. The MoU was signed by His Excellency Issam Kazim, CEO of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM), part of DET, and Haitham Mattar, Managing Director – India, Middle East and Africa, IHG Hotels & Resorts. It highlights DET’s ongoing commitment to working with regional and global hospitality brands to foster innovation and industry excellence, and is aligned with the ambitious goals of the Dubai Economic Agenda, D33, to further consolidate Dubai’s position as a leading global city for business and leisure. Through the MoU, employees at IHG Hotels & Resorts will be able to participate in training courses, offered by DET’s Dubai College of Tourism, and hotel staff will also have access to relevant resources and experts. These encompass specialised training sessions, workshops, and certification programmes, designed to equip employees with the latest industry knowledge and best practices. Another major focus …

Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) is ramping up its marketing efforts worldwide through a brand new global campaign, ‘Live Your Story’ designed to highlight the unique ways in which travellers can create their own special holiday experiences across the city. The ‘Live Your Story’ campaign was launched as a digital activation on Emirates’ popular inflight entertainment system, and will be gradually rolled out this month in 20 languages and via multiple platforms in key source markets that have reopened amid the pandemic. The campaign encourages visitors to enjoy much more than the world famous landmarks and attractions that are synonymous with Dubai’s tourism offering. It underscores the many exciting choices that await travellers and invites them to customise exceptional and ‘Only in Dubai’ experiences to suit their tastes, as well as bond with and benefit from the diversity of cultures that are intrinsic to the social fabric of this global metropolis. Issam Kazim, Chief Executive Officer, Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM), said, “As Dubai continues to welcome international tourists, we are also constantly looking at innovative ways to sustain global interest and consideration for the city as the first choice destination for travellers. With an ever-evolving destination proposition, Dubai is renowned for its array of offerings that visitors can enjoy, whether they are first timers or repeat visitors. However, as we make the transition to the new normal, people will be seeking unique and personalised travel experiences, and this campaign highlights our readiness to cater to such preferences. ‘Live Your Story’ shows a transformative shift in the way we position Dubai from a city of iconic skyscrapers and landmarks to a destination that celebrates …

As Dubai prepares to welcome tourists on July 7, families and residents from across the UAE are busy experiencing the diverse attractions and experiences that have reopened in Dubai following a temporary closure caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The top family attractions that have been reactivated join the list of tourism, retail and recreational facilities and amenities that have reopened in Dubai including public and hotel beaches, shopping malls, restaurants, swimming pools and golf courses, as well as the resumption of popular activities like water sports and camping. Issam Kazim, CEO of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM), said, “As Dubai has reopened, we will reinforce our commitment to not only provide residents and visitors a well-rounded destination experience but also ensure their health and safety remains our key priority. With the initial focus being on reviving demand for domestic tourism, Dubai’s travel and hospitality sectors are now eagerly waiting to welcome visitors from the wider international market. Dubai Tourism is also continuing to work closely with the city’s network of stakeholders across the public and private sectors, and its partners overseas to provide people from around the world the opportunity to enjoy the wide diversity of offerings in one of the world’s safest destinations.” In addition to the standard requirements of social distancing and wearing a face mask at all times, the family entertainment destinations, from those providing indoor excitement to outdoor adventures, have also deployed a wide range of other precautionary and preventive measures to safeguard the health of visitors across all customer facing touch-points in their respective facilities and surrounding environments. The attractions have advised visitors to book or buy their tickets online to facilitate …

In a keynote address at the opening session of Seatrade Middle East Cruise Forum, Issam Kazim, CEO, Dubai Corporation of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM) confirmed that Dubai remains on track to receive one million cruise passengers by 2020. Addressing delegates, he also referred to DCTCM’s plan to ensure that cruise passengers felt the ‘soul’ of Dubai and there would be an extra concentration on excursions showing the heritage of the city and its older parts. Around 17 cruise line executives from 14 of the world’s leading cruise lines attended the annual two-day event held at Lapita, located within Dubai Parks and Resorts, Dubai. The programme focused on a number of key discussion points, including extending seasonality, opportunities for niche cruising, port and destination development, link with India, the Suez Canal and Red Sea, shore excursion offerings, supporting the needs of the crew and exploiting the potential for inbound Chinese tourism. The event’s return to Dubai reflects the regional significance for the future of cruising in the Arabian Gulf.

Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism), has launched its “Dubai Expert” online training initiative for travel agents in 12 languages and 40 countries, taking this innovative game to a wider travel trade audience internationally, as part of efforts to highlight the multiple experiences that await visitors to Dubai across leisure, shopping, cuisine, culture, family entertainment, and more. The development and roll-out of the Dubai Expert initiative was managed by the Dubai College of Tourism (DCT), an institution of Dubai Tourism. The tool features an engaging interface that includes information on Dubai’s tourism attractions, allowing travel agents to develop their skills and keep up to date with the latest tourism developments in Dubai. The training platform also helps agents to provide potential tourists with customised and unique experiences. ‘Dubai Expert’ was introduced in English during this year’s Arabian Travel Market (ATM) in April, attracting an overwhelming response from travel agents. Following the positive feedback shown by travel companies around the world, Dubai Tourism developed the tool in a further 11 languages – French, Mandarin, Russian, German, Italian, Bahasa, Korean, Japanese, Polish, Czech, and Spanish – and launched it in 40 countries alongside the English version. Issam Kazim, CEO, Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM), said, “Dubai Expert was developed to assist the international travel trade in keeping up to date with all the destination updates in Dubai and ensure that all travel agents and tour operators have a sound knowledge of the emirate that they are trying to promote. Dubai Expert is also part of our continued investment in new technology and facilities that could help boost tourist arrivals in line with our strategic goal of …

Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism), announced the launch of “Dubai Expert,” an online educational game that has been created exclusively for travel agents. The announcement was made to travel professionals attending this year’s Arabian Travel Market in Dubai. Created in collaboration with the Dubai College of Tourism (DCT) and KTM Advance, a specialist in e-learning, the learning tool is a marked departure from traditional training programmes. It features an engaging interface that includes information on Dubai’s tourism attractions in an easily-digestible format that will enable agents to promote the Emirate as the ideal holiday destination to their customers from around the world. Speaking at ATM 2017, Issam Kazim, CEO of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM), said: “Our partnerships with travel agents are critical to us as we look to expand our influence and reach across industry channels and stakeholders that influence tourists looking to visit Dubai. This also means that we need to keep developing new tools that allow us and our partners to highlight what makes Dubai a ‘must-visit’ destination. With the ‘Dubai Expert’ platform, we have used technology innovation to transcend typical training programmes and create an experience that enhances their knowledge of Dubai, so they can build customised itineraries that will attract more visitors. ‘Dubai Expert’ has been created to facilitate this process and is part of our continued endeavour to achieve our strategic goal of welcoming 20 million visitors by 2020.” ‘Dubai Expert’ operates as a turn-based card game, where participants will need to select the best cards – each with an attraction in the city – from an automatically generated deck, to create an ideal itinerary for a …