Tag Archives: Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing

Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) has provided an outlook of the industry to stakeholders and partners, highlighting the positive year-to-date international visitation, sharing destination insights and drawing attention to the innovative marketing initiatives that have been launched to further boost visitor numbers. Dubai Tourism also discussed ways of increasing collaboration with its partners, and emphasised the importance of aligning with, and leveraging all efforts including the hosting of Expo 2020 Dubai to achieve the goals of Dubai’s Tourism Vision 2022-25. The strategic meetings were held recently between HE Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General, Dubai Tourism and key executives from leading entities in the travel and hospitality sectors including Emirates, flydubai, Jumeirah, Marriot International, IHG, Al Habtoor Group, Atlantis, The Palm, and Emaar Hospitality Group. HE Helal Saeed Almarri, said, “Such strategic meetings serve as a platform to highlight various marketing campaigns and initiatives launched by Dubai Tourism to attract more visitors to the city. We would also like our partners to be aligned with the various developments in the industry and to take advantage of the diverse campaigns and all efforts that are being made to realise the goals of Dubai’s Tourism Vision 2022-25.” Neal Jones, Chief Sales & Marketing Officer – MEA, Marriott International, said, “We strongly believe in the future of Dubai and under the vision of its leaders, Dubai Tourism does a remarkable job of positioning and evolving Dubai as an international business and leisure hub.” Pascal Gauvin, Managing Director, India, Middle East and Africa, IHG, said, “We have a deep understanding of the country’s unique culture and business environment and an exceptional partnership with Dubai Tourism, who have been extremely focused on …

Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) announced it will provide Dubai hotels with an individual Hotel Emission Analysis Report, offering an overview of each establishment’s emission performance in comparison to its peers using results from the Carbon Calculator software. Providing hotels with recommendations for improvement by referring them to the ‘12 Steps Towards Sustainability’ manual, which was launched by Dubai Tourism last year, the Hotel Emission Analysis Report has been launched in line with the UAE’s 2021 National Agenda to promote sustainable growth, reinforcing Dubai’s position as the smartest city in the world and role model in energy efficiency. In 2017, Dubai Sustainable Tourism (DST), an initiative under Dubai Tourism, launched the Carbon Calculator software, a tool developed to measure the carbon footprint of Dubai’s hospitality sector. The emirate’s hotel establishments were mandated to record and submit their emission sources, across electricity, district cooling, water and waste, allowing the findings to be collated for valuable industry insights. Yousuf Lootah, Executive Director – Tourism Development & Investments, Dubai Tourism, commented, “In line with the vision of His Highness, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister, and Ruler of Dubai, to transform the emirate into one of the world’s leading sustainable tourism destinations, the Hotel Emission Analysis Report has been developed as a targeted manual to guide hotels on the sustainability performance of their properties. Furthermore, it will provide a cohesive understanding of where they stand comparatively amongst their industry peers on an annual basis, identifying where improvements can be made to facilitate further resource management, in turn reducing the industry’s collective carbon footprint.”  

Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) has waived a mandatory requirement for hotel establishments, tourism companies and event organisers to obtain a Public Relations Officer (PRO) card prior to conducting industry transactions such as requests for permits and approvals for a range of tourism and travel-related activities and services. Following this deregulation measure, hotels and tourism companies including travel agents, tour operators and event management businesses can now submit requests and applications online via the Dubai Tourism portal, saving time and reducing operating costs. Previously, based on an Executive Council of Dubai Resolution of 2012, companies in the tourism industry were required to register their official representatives with Dubai Tourism and obtain a Public Relations Officer (PRO) card for all transactions. Tourism and travel service providers were charged AED 1,000 per PRO card which was subject to an annual renewal fee, with penalties imposed on companies that violated the provision. Commenting on the regulatory exemption, Khalid Bin Touq, Executive Director—Tourism Activities and Classifications Sector, Dubai Tourism, said, “The cancellation of this precondition for conducting official transactions is to transform Dubai into a fully-fledged smart city and the ‘Dubai Paperless Strategy’ launched by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council of Dubai. The latest deregulation steps taken by Dubai Tourism form part of the ongoing efforts to eliminate barriers to entry and growth for SMEs and start-ups, and reflects our commitment to bringing relief to small businesses and entrepreneurs by minimising red tape and introducing hassle-free processes. The enhancements will also help create stronger synergies with our network of stakeholders by providing them with yet …

Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) and Al Ansari Exchange, a UAE-based foreign exchange and worldwide money transfer firm, have signed an agreement to facilitate payments for a range of tourism and travel-related services. Under the agreement, partners of Dubai Tourism including hotels, event organisers, tour operators and tourism companies will be able to make payments for services through 183 branches of Al Ansari Exchange across the UAE. The agreement was signed by Ahmed Khalifa Alfalasi, CEO, Corporate Services and Investments, Dubai Tourism and Rashed Ali Al Ansari, General Manager, Al Ansari Exchange. Commenting on the agreement, Alfalasi said, “Dubai Tourism is pleased to enter into a strategic partnership with Al Ansari Exchange, a renowned and respected name in the UAE’s money transfer sector, which will take our payment system to the next level of reliability and convenience. This is also a reflection of the strong spirit of collaboration that exists between the government and private sectors in Dubai for the provision of world-class services to both our residents and visitors, guided by the directives of the visionary leadership. As we continuously invest in upgrading our systems and processes to ensure a seamless and satisfying experience for all our customers, this agreement means that our partners no longer need to visit Dubai Tourism offices to make payments. The new method will supplement our online payment channels that were established as part of our contribution to the Smart Government initiative.” Al Ansari said, “We are pleased to collaborate with Dubai Tourism to enable their customers to pay the travel and tourism services fees through our wide branch network across the UAE and take advantage of its convenient and …

The Dubai College of Tourism (DCT), an institution established by Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) welcomes the first batch of students as part of the ‘City of Gold’ scholarship, awarded to first-year applicants enrolled for the Certificate of Retail course. As part of the programme, 20 Emirati and expatriate students have received fully-funded academic grants to cover their tuition fees throughout the year. Successful completion of the course will open doors to exciting career opportunities within the Dubai Gold and Jewellery Group (DGJG), a partner for this project, for all candidates, allowing them to enter the tourist-facing workforce with practical experience and valuable industry knowledge. The ‘City of Gold’ scholarship is part of DCT’s ongoing industry collaborations and partnerships, providing students with hands-on training and access to industry expertise. Commenting on the success of the scholarships, Essa Bin Hadher, General Manager, Dubai College of Tourism, said, “The ‘City of Gold’ scholarship programme is the first in a series of scholarships that DCT is committed to introduce to help build and nurture young talent. We are delighted with the success of the programme and hope to continue with our endeavour to further train young, eager Emirati nationals and expatriates and help them succeed in Dubai’s rapidly evolving tourism industry.” The ‘City of Gold’ scholarship programme combines classroom learning with real-world experiences, offering students direct industry application in Dubai’s expanding retail landscape. This works in line with DCT’s overarching commitment to attract talented Emiratis and expatriate residents and help them explore rewarding career options in the tourism industry.

Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) is rolling out a set of initiatives to deliver end-to-end ‘Only in Dubai’ experiences to ensure tourists get to enjoy an unforgettable stay in the emirate, and encourage repeat visitation, as part of efforts to further strengthen and sustain the city’s world-class propositions. One of the key pillars of Dubai’s Tourism Vision 2022-2025, the ‘Only in Dubai’ set of initiatives will deliver authentic and world-class end-to-end destination experiences across travel touchpoints that are tailored to relevant segments of tourists. The tourism strategy announced by Dubai’s visionary leadership aims to make Dubai the most-visited city in the world, targeting 25 million visitors annually by 2025, and the unparalleled ‘Only in Dubai’ experiences will offer regular unexpected delight moments and active reduction of detractor moments or pain points that will positively impact guest happiness to inspire the millions of tourists to re-visit Dubai. Measuring visitor recommendation and satisfaction is being done through Tourism’s Happiness Index, which was launched under His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister, the UAE and Ruler, Dubai. This index measures not only Dubai’s ability to exceed service expectations, but also helps ensure that every visitor to Dubai becomes a passionate loyalist and a firm advocate of the city. Issam Kazim, Chief Executive Officer, Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM), said, “While our world-class propositions and experiences showcase the diversity of the destination offerings and provide segment-based preferences for tourists, we are working closely with our partners and stakeholders to curate, create and deliver personalised end-to-end experiences. Visitors will be able to enjoy at every step of their journey, which starts from …

The team of Golden Sands Hotel Apartments, part of AA Al Moosa Enterprises, recently participated at the Dubai tourism roadshow in India. The team joined the delegation headed by the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) that visited the cities of Kolkata, Pune, Ahmedabad and Mumbai and met with potential partners and buyers, in a move to further boost the overall number of Indian travellers to Dubai. According to DTCM, visitors from India have increased by 7 per cent in the first quarter of 2018. Mohammed Khoori, General Manager, Golden Sands Hotel Apartments said, “We are very keen to get a share of this growing market so we met with several partners who can promote Golden Sands Hotel Apartments to travellers from these four cities. We received great feedback from tour operators and travel agencies who informed us that Indian travellers coming to the UAE are choosing Golden Sands as their preferred accommodation.” The team focused on meeting travel agents and tour operators who are selling the destination to family and individuals as well as niche segments such as small family group, golf, wedding and luxury. Representatives from hotels, airline heads, opinion leaders and heads of key travel trade associations along with travel operators were invited to attend the four-day roadshow.

Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) has developed an interactive training programme led by prominent industry experts to help ensure Dubai’s resilient hospitality sector continues to maintain global price competitiveness. The Revenue Management Workshop programme will bring together hotel revenue managers, reservation managers, sales and marketing managers for a hands-on and practical session, to share fundamental best practices in yield management and forecasting, in addition to monitoring applications and tools. The programme spread across 24 workshop sessions, facilitated in partnership with InsightsOut, specialises in both research and revenue management across the hospitality and service industry. With the aim of training 600 professionals, each session has been designed to host a maximum of 25 participants in a personalised and immersive learning environment. Trainees will be educated on key aspects of revenue management including data analysis, optimising demand and evaluating industry standards to set best possible pricing strategies. H E Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General, Dubai Tourism said, “With hospitality roles quickly evolving to meet the needs of a fast-paced industry, understanding revenue management tools and how to apply the concepts to manage inventory and rates remain key to designing effective strategies to thrive in prevalent market conditions. Such training programmes are therefore crucial as we look to further empower Dubai’s hotel industry professionals to play a larger role in contributing to the city’s thriving tourism landscape and ultimately drive better revenue.”

In its first biannual city briefing event of the year, Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) highlighted its strategic framework, activities and campaigns in line with the Tourism Vision for 2020. Hosted for hotel establishments, destination management companies, event organisers, tourism attractions and government departments, the event was held at the Conrad Dubai with approximately 1,000 attendees. Keynote speeches at the latest briefing led by His Excellency Helal Saeed Almarri, Director-General, Dubai Tourism, provided valuable insights into the growth drivers behind Dubai’s record year-to-date international visitation, providing stakeholders with an in-depth analysis of the city’s visitor demographics and visitor satisfaction results from the annual Dubai Visitor Survey. Key successes and learnings from international marketing and business campaigns were also discussed. In addition, these keynotes covered the significance of Dubai’s robust calendar of retail and festival events spearheaded by Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), and Dubai College of Tourism’s first-of-its-kind multi-disciplinary educational platform for the region. Both of these are key elements of the future outlook for tourism in Dubai and set to transform the city’s fast-evolving industry and the overall visitor experience. Another keynote was delivered by Manal Al Bayat, Senior Vice President – Business Development and Integration at Expo 2020 Dubai, who provided crucial insights into what can be expected in the lead up to the event and the legacy it will leave behind.

Dubai’s annual citywide summer celebration, Dubai Summer Surprises (DSS) is set to return to the city from June 22-August 4, 2018, offering a six-week extravaganza of sales, retail experiences and events. Organised by the Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), an agency of the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism), the 21st edition of the popular summer event will feature a line-up of spectacular sales, retail experiences, chances to win and weekly performances to keep the family entertained this summer. Ahmed Al Khaja, CEO, DFRE said, “Dubai Summer Surprises is one of the most popular events on Dubai tourism’s retail calendar, and we are excited to announce this year’s dates. Together with our partners across the emirate, we are putting the final touches to a jam-packed, six-week schedule of sales, retail promotions and events that we know will make Dubai the ultimate summer destination.  We encourage residents to stick around for the summer and experience the full line-up of not-to-be-missed surprises we have in-store!” The highlights of this year’s DSS include a mega Opening Day 12 Hour Sale, a daily Deal of the Day (DOTD) offer, weekly Weekend Destination surprises and the Final Weekend Sale.