Tag Archives: Dubai Tourism

With the reopening of the city to international tourists and the gradual return to normal life, UAE residents and visitors are once again spoilt for choice when it comes to enjoying the diversity of Dubai’s offerings, whether it is high octane thrills from skydiving, zip lining to jet skiing or a range of entertainment for families at shopping malls and theme parks. While the city is ready to cater to all tastes and age groups, a growing number of holidaymakers are taking a diversion from the city buzz by heading to the desert to enjoy a variety of unique experiences. As a modern city that provides a limitless number of action-centric and family-oriented activities, a totally different package of adventures await residents and tourists in the desert. Apart from taking in breathtaking views of the desert landscapes, Dubai’s famous desert safari allows one to take part in various sports like dune bashing, quad biking, sand boarding, and more, as well as cultural and entertainment activities including the opportunity to take a camel ride or get close to falcons while enjoying authentic Emirati hospitality at a delicious barbeque dinner under the stars. Adventure-seekers are also able go on a safari in the summer, as the desert gets cooler than the city in the late afternoons and evenings, making it an exciting experience to stay up late, eat outdoors with friends and family and enjoy various activities. The growing demand for adventure travel experiences is reflected in the Annual Visitor Report 2019 published by the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism), which shows an increase in desert safaris among all visitor demographics, with the activity being enjoyed by 41 percent …

Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) held a virtual meeting with leading tour operators to discuss a range of new guidelines that are being developed for tourist camps across the city that will positively impact the business of travel companies, further enhance the tourism experience and reinforce Dubai’s position as a must-visit destination. The new features that will be rolled out for tourist camps is based on the latest Executive Council Resolution No. (24) of 2020 that was issued by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai. His Excellency Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General of Dubai Tourism, commented, “As we continue to take a measured and coordinated approach towards a full reopening of the tourism sector, the strategic directive by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai on regulating tourist camp operations is a timely boost to the business of travel companies, and is a reflection of our commitment to work closely with our stakeholders to build a stronger, more sustainable and resilient tourism economy. The Resolution is also testament to the continued support of our visionary leadership to showcase Dubai as the most preferred destination that provides UAE residents and visitors a diversity of experiences. Dubai Tourism will continue to work with its stakeholders and partners to further strengthen Dubai’s destination proposition and ensure that it stays at the forefront of the world’s widely recommended cities for global travellers.”

Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) has extended the deadline for implementation of the 19 Sustainability Requirements and Carbon Calculator submissions by 12 months. The requirements have been laid out to support the emirate’s hotel establishments in their compliance with Dubai Tourism’s hotel classification system, and the long-term objective of advancing sustainability performance across the sector.In light of the current situation surrounding the global COVID-19 pandemic, hotels will benefit from an additional 12 month implementation period to finalise their sustainability compliance, a decision that has has been announced by Dubai Tourism to strengthen the foundations for recovery of the hospitality sector. All requirements will now be mandated from 1 July 2021 with the extension also including the postponing of the Carbon Calculator monthly submissions until the same deadline. The 19 Sustainability Requirements include sustainable management approaches, performance metrics, energy, food and water management plans, guest education, employee training initiatives, the presence of sustainability committees within hotel establishments and corporate social responsibility programmes for local communities. Through improving internal sustainability operations, hotel establishments in turn will enhance the competitiveness of Dubai’s tourism-linked economy. Since its inception in January 2017, the Carbon Calculator – part of the Tourism Dirham Platform, is a tool that has been measuring the carbon footprint within Dubai’s hospitality sector. On a monthly basis hotels submit their consumption of 11 carbon emission sources, including; electricity, district cooling, water, waste, fuel for transportation, fuel for generators, fire extinguishers, and liquefied petroleum gas for analysis. This information is aggregated and analysed to provide valuable industry insights on the sector’s collective carbon footprint. In addition, by formulating a baseline along with consistent tracking, this information enables hotels to …

As Dubai reopened the city to international tourists on July 7, the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) marked the moment by launching its latest digital activation #Ready When You Are. The short video is the third in a series of global digital campaigns launched by Dubai Tourism amid the pandemic to ensure that the city continues to stay front of mind among travellers and to encourage them to make Dubai their must-visit destination. The first campaign was titled #Till We Meet Again, followed by the #We Will See You Soon digital activation. In the wee hours of July 7, Dubai gave a warm welcome to the first international visitors to arrive in the city after a lull in inbound travel. Wearing masks and adhering to social distancing measures, the passengers including families from different nationalities were greeted on arrival by Dubai International Airport staff, who gave them welcome kits containing mementoes provided by Dubai Tourism as a token of appreciation for choosing Dubai as their safe destination of choice. Dubai has deployed strong precautionary measures across various sectors throughout the city, as part of its ‘Tourism Readiness’ strategy to reassure travellers and ensure the safety of visitors at every touchpoint of their journey from arrival to departure from the city. The reopening of the city to tourists follows the successful management of the pandemic, guided by the vision and wise leadership of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and based on the follow up by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince and Chairman of The Executive Council …

Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) reaffirmed its strong commitment to support its stakeholders in the UAE and across the world through a series of virtual meetings to discuss the current and post-pandemic situation. The meetings specifically reviewed the robust mechanism in place to safeguard the health of residents and visitors, and addressed a wide range of queries raised by participants on industry-related COVID-19 regulations, the phased reopening of economic sectors and various measures to kick-start the tourism sector. Presided by the Director General of Dubai Tourism, the meetings were attended by hoteliers and top executives of hospitality groups including Jumeirah, Emaar Hospitality Group, Marriott International, Hilton, IHG, Millennium Group, Accor, Kerzner International, AAAGroup, Investment Corporation of Dubai, Nakheel, Majid Al Futtaim, Lakhraim, Abu Dhabi National Hotel, JA Resorts and Hotels, IHG, Shangri-La, Al Habtoor Group, Atlantis – The Palm, Hyatt International, Mandarin Oriental Jumeira, Dubai, Caesars Bluewaters Dubai, Wasl Hospitality and Rotana, in addition to Emirates. His Excellency Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General, Dubai Tourism, commented, “As the continuous collaboration between the government and private sectors is key to reviving and maintaining tourism growth, it is encouraging to know that this unique model of public-private sector partnership combined with the comprehensive result-oriented citywide management of the COVID-19 pandemic, has already contributed towards achieving significant progress in the current and second phase of our recovery plan, which is the gradual reopening of economic sectors.” HE Helal Almarri added, “With travel behaviours remaining fluid and travellers set to become even more discerning and prudent in their travel choices, we welcome the commitment shown by our partners to work together to help prepare the ground for a meaningful tourism …

Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) held a virtual meeting with key aviation and hospitality partners to discuss current and post-pandemic strategies and joint initiatives aimed at ensuring the tourism industry’s gradual return to normalcy. The meeting also discussed global efforts to minimise the transmission of COVID-19 and precautionary measures deployed to safeguard the health of communities across the UAE. His Excellency Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General, Dubai Tourism, commented, “It must be emphasised that the health and safety of our residents and guests will always remain our top priority as we continue to work with the industry and our government partners not just during this critical period but beyond, to develop innovative approaches, real-time responses, and proactive yet prudent initiatives to ensure that Dubai remains at the forefront of the world’s leading destinations in line with our strategy.” Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports, said, “As health and hygiene standards will play an influential role in encouraging people to travel, we have put in place a set of health and safety protocols at our airports including all necessary quarantine arrangements and the implementation of sanitisation and disinfection measures to reassure tourists that Dubai is one of the safest destinations to visit. We will also continue to receive incoming flights from select destinations, operate cargo flights, as well as flights to repatriate expatriates and guests to their home destinations.” Adnan Kazim, Chief Commercial Officer at Emirates Airline, said, “Emirates commences passenger flights between Dubai and nine destinations from 21 May – London Heathrow, Frankfurt, Paris, Milan, Madrid, Chicago, Toronto, Sydney and Melbourne, and we will also offer connections in Dubai for customers travelling between the UK and …

Dubai College of Tourism (DCT), an institution established by Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism), is helping students to stay focused and engaged during the current period of self-isolation and social distancing through its interactive online learning programme. Ensuring there are no gaps in their learning, the motivational programme enables students to continue building key industry skills and knowledge whilst studying towards their chosen course and preparing for remote internships upon the completion of the semester. By introducing virtual learning techniques, the college’s inspirational instructors have been able to minimise disruption to student development by following the same schedule as if they were in the classroom, with virtual interactive sessions that include a mix of practical demonstrations, live guest speakers, Q &As, group presentations, role-plays and assessments, which are then presented online. Commenting on the programme, Essa Bin Hadher, General Manager of DCT said, “The situation we are facing today is unprecedented, but we have endeavoured to adapt to the new reality with our distance learning initiative. By developing a comprehensive and integrated electronic learning and training environment, we are able to empower our students to continue their education with as little disruption as possible, and remain resourceful and fully engaged at this time. The initial response from our students has been very positive and we commend both them and our highly professional instructors for embracing this new system so seamlessly.” DCT’s distance learning programme also goes beyond practical and theoretical learning to provide mental health support including yoga, nutrition, and tips for remaining motivated. The ‘Wellbeing Challenge’ was introduced to provide students with a holistic package over the Spring break to help combat the disruption to …

Dubai Sustainable Tourism (DST) an initiative of Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) outlines simple adjustments that residents can make to help keep the city operating as sustainably as possible during the period of lockdown. Building on the UAE’s #StayHome initiative, DTCM laid out 12 steps to sustainability, which are; Responsible consumption: purchase local produce to support local businesses and to minimise on the food miles each item has travelled to be delivered to your door; Meal Planning: Think ahead to avoid over buying or bulk purchases, consider the delivery drivers, remain conscious of food waste and be supportive of the community by only buying what you need. Maximise Natural Light: Turn the lights off in rooms that aren’t being used and open your curtains and windows for additional daylight and fresh air; Energy Conservation: Ensure that air conditioning units are only working in rooms that are being used, try to only run the dishwasher when it is full and only use one glass throughout the day, washing it once you’ve finished with it. Use water wisely: Support Dubai and educate your family members on conscious water usage; Concentration: Avoid distractions, set house rules for your family members to respect working time and don’t have the television on in the background if not being watched. Health and wellbeing: Remain active, and practice meditation to remain productive and to maintain a positive frame of mind, follow Yoga La Vie for live online sessions. Avoid sitting on the sofa whilst working, sitting upright at a desk will keep you engaged and in ‘work mode’; Go paperless: Avoid printing paper and adopt a digital filing and document review system. Virtual …

Dubai College of Tourism (DCT) has announced the launch of its new online tour guide training programme, which is designed for individuals looking to become professional certified tour guides. Upon passing the programme, applicants will receive a two-year license and will be able to apply to become professional guides for tour operators or start their own tour company. Designed to make the process of getting a tour guide license as convenient as possible, the programme will teach prospective candidates how to present Dubai and its culture to international visitors, in addition to the skills they need to excel in this position. The course, training and testing is currently available in English, with a Mandarin version being developed and to be launched soon. To enroll for the programme, one has to meet certain requirements, which are listed in the online training platform. Commenting on the programme, Essa Bin Hadher, General Manager of Dubai College of Tourism said, “One of our main goals is to ensure that anyone who visits Dubai has an unforgettable experience and is able to create memories that last a lifetime. Tour guides across the city are critical players in ensuring we achieve this, and by launching our easy-to-access programme we are also laying the groundwork for many more talented emiratis and expatriate residents to join the city’s tourist-facing workforce. With online and distance learning assuming more significance due to the current situation, we have sought to simplify the process of obtaining a Dubai tour guide license through this programme.” Once candidates have fulfilled the preliminary requirements, they need to complete three stages within a maximum of 90 days. This includes the ‘Dubai Way’ section, a 12-hour e-learning …

Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism), is offering its employees the opportunity to add value to their professional careers and broaden their skill sets through a range of online courses, while they continue to work from home due to the unprecedented situation caused by COVID-19. Offered in both Arabic and English languages, the courses can be accessed via the online platform of Dubai College of Tourism (DCT), an institution established and mandated by Dubai Tourism to provide vocational and tertiary education, specifically for Emiratis and expatriates who are keen to take up a career in tourism or be employed in tourist-facing roles across various sectors. With a specially curated curriculum that meets the needs of both students and future employers, DCT courses move away from the traditional academic university programmes to provide a hands-on approach that is unrivalled within the industry. With the office environment going virtual during the current period, the entire Dubai Tourism workforce is taking some time out from their busy work schedules to enroll for courses of their choice on DCT’s online platform. Over 30 per cent of the workforce is engaged in following the courses on a daily basis with course completion rates reaching 85 per cent. This figure easily surpasses the global average of less than 10 per cent for online learning course completion. Participants can choose from 50 different courses offering over 500 hours of learning content in the areas of business, digital marketing and the recently introduced Tips and Tricks for Microsoft Teams and the ‘Working remotely from home’ course. The diverse topics include Google Analytics for Beginners, Fundamentals of Digital Marketing, Business Writing, Enterprise Risk Management, Business Continuity, Information …