Tag Archives: Dubai Tourism

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 …

Making its show stopping debut at the 24th edition of the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF), Dubai’s biggest citywide shopping extravaganza created by Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), an agency of Dubai Tourism, is Light Art DXB, combining the elements of movement and light, which will be on display from January 7 until February 13, 2019 at the Burj Park Plaza. Creating a dynamic environment from optimally placed giant mirrors, Light Art DXB will bathe Downtown Dubai’s Burj Park Plaza in a mesmerising kaleidoscope of light. The display of six dynamic sculptures, created through rotating mirrors and supported by a strategic placement of light, will complement the Burj Park Plaza and additionally work in harmony as a reflection base for Burj Khalifa. A bespoke artistic installation by Dubai Tourism and masterminded by Dubai-based technical designer, John Jossifakis, in collaboration with Frankfurt and Athens-based lighting designer, George Tellos, Light Art DXB is the first in a series of new installations the city will enjoy in 2019.

As the 24th edition of Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) begins, travel agents, tour operators and hoteliers ensure logistics are handled with care. To mark the special occasion, Majid Al Futtaim’s six shopping malls hosted a 12-hour mega sale, offering shoppers an incredible 25 to 90 per cent reductions across participating stores. Other events include fireworks display and plenty of chances to win big through a raffle, with the ultimate prize worth over AED 50,000 to spend at Majid Al Futtaim malls during DSF. This year, Dubai Shopping Festival is running from December 26, 2018  to February 2, 2019. Visitors to this year’s Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) will be treated to a host of entertainment on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day with Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), an agency of Dubai Tourism, giving more reasons to visit the city’s malls and landmarks on December 31, 2048 and January 1, 2019. During the day, shoppers can enjoy the best deals across fashion and jewellery, while at night, visitors can watch multiple fireworks and many live concerts, events and gala dinners across the city. Shoppers visiting Al Barsha Mall, Al Bustan Centre, Al Mulla Plaza, City Centre Shindagha, City Centre Me’ aisem, Burjuman Centre, Karama Centre, Oasis Mall, Dubai, Dubai Outlet Mall, Etihad Mall, Reef Mall, Times Square Centre and Century Mall have the chance to win a cash prize from AED 10,000 by spending over AED 200 on December 31.  From January 5, and every Saturday until February 2, one lucky winner who spent AED 200 on or before December 31 will be drawn to step on to the Global Village stage and spin-the-wheel to win a cash prize …

Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) has introduced business to business (B2B) online platform that offers a white-label reservation and ticketing solution for attractions and experiences to operate more efficiently, allowing better connection to their customers. Attractions will be able to create personalised ticketing systems under their own brand name, while expanding their reach and increasing their customer base to a diversified audience. Additionally, the Attractions Marketplace will equip partners with sophisticated reporting tools, with an integrated back-end system that allows analysis of ticket sales and key distribution channels, with the system also providing an interactive dashboard summarising bookings made via each sales channel, sales target performance and inventory and capacity occupancy. Launching in January 2019, the B2B ‘Attractions Marketplace’ has been designed to create a seamless technological framework to further stimulate industry cohesion through the connectivity of the city’s attractions and experiences with the global industry’s network of B2B resellers. Guided by the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister, the UAE and Ruler, Dubai, and the government’s 10X Initiative, the online marketplace will give the city’s diverse portfolio of attractions and experiences a higher level of digital maturity through robust technology, mobile transactions and timely bookings by industry resellers. Developed by Dubai-based technology provider, PrioHub, an entity under the dnata group, in partnership with PrioTicket technology, the Attractions Marketplace has been designed after conducting in-depth research into the local travel sphere and interaction with sector stakeholders to identify key challenges faced by the emirate’s attractions in marketing themselves to a global audience. Providing attractions and experiences with a world-class platform to automate their operations instead of manual …

Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), an agency of Dubai Tourism, has announced that this year’s Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) is running from December 26, 2018 to February 2, 2019. Back for the 24th edition, this year’s shopping extravaganza will be the longest, bringing shoppers more exciting events, promotions and opportunities to enjoy rewarding shopping experiences across the city. There will be additional retail sales, deals and discounts from a diverse range of top global brands, along with mega raffles and more chances to win life-changing prizes from luxury cars, gold and cash. In addition to the series of exciting sales and promotions, DSF will also offer an extensive line-up of exciting events and activities for visitors to choose from, including concerts by music icons, spectacular fireworks shows and free-to-attend family-oriented activities in malls and activations by leading brands. Ahmed Al Khaja, CEO, Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), said, “Dubai Shopping Festival is one of the most popular festivals in the retail calendar and is enjoyed by thousands of residents and tourists alike each year. Such was the success of last year’s festival, and we’re bringing it back bigger and better than ever before with an elongated, five-week programme of events, promotions and family entertainment. From deep discounts on a host of top-name brands to life-changing opportunities to win, and a packed calendar of world-class entertainment, Dubai will be a truly special place to be during this festival.”

The International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) is hosting its 57th chapter in Dubai. Running till November 14, the four-day conference is being attended by over 1,150 senior industry professionals and association meeting planners from across 75 countries. Congress delegates have descended on the city from across the world to experience a dynamic programme of education, networking and business opportunities. ICCA and Dubai Business Events have collaborated to create an exciting offering of forward-thinking education sessions, site visits to Dubai’s most innovative enterprises and a social programme showcasing the best of Emirati cultural delights and local hospitality. Welcoming delegates to the congress, His Excellency Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General, Dubai Tourism, said, “Business events are a crucial part of not only our tourism strategy, but our wider economic development. Whether through the year-round calendar of home-grown trade shows or major congresses like the ICCA congress that we successfully bid for – we understand and use the power of meetings and conferences to facilitate the rapid transition to a knowledge economy, and to grow scientific advancement and key industry sectors in Dubai and the UAE.” Nina Freysen-Pretorius, President, ICCA, said, “I would like to once again thank ICCA for selecting Dubai to host this congress, and to the Local Host Committee and all stakeholders involved for their role in planning. Our thanks also go to all the sponsors and supporting organisations of this event. The number of international association meetings has doubled every ten years since the establishment of ICCA 55 years ago, and we have identified the Middle East as an important growth area. In fact, we now have a dedicated seat for the region on our board, a permanent regional …

The Department of Tourism & Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) has announced a new social media competition under the #MyDubai initiative, offering Dubai residents the chance to win two Emirates return tickets for their friends and family to visit them in the city. The competition will select two winners each week for 15 weeks starting from October 15, 2018 to January 31, 2019. The competition calls on all residents to share compelling moments in their lives that highlight the diverse culture and soul of the city. Participants can submit their entries on the MyDubai Facebook page, or simply upload those on their personal Instagram and Twitter accounts by using #MyDubai and #MyInvite. Issam Kazim, CEO, Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing said, “The passion for the emirate that exists amongst both UAE nationals and the communities of more than 200 nationalities living here is a key driver for Dubai’s success. These residents take pride in posting about their experiences in the city and sharing their special moments with the world. The best advocates of a city are the people who live in it and through this campaign, we hope to encourage residents to highlight what truly lies beneath the urban and technological experiences and highlight why Dubai has maintained its position as the fourth most-visited city in the world. What started out four years ago as a city-wide initiative to create the world’s first autobiography of a city has today grown into a mammoth library of user-generated content that has allowed us to tell a unique story by capturing real-life dynamic moments that both residents and visitors experience in this remarkable destination”.

Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) hosted its inaugural Dubai China Conference on September 19-20 at Atlantis The Palm, Dubai. The two-day event, which welcomed over 900 attendees, featured integrated workshops and informative guest speakers offering valuable insights from both Chinese and local industry experts. With panel discussions strongly attended throughout the event, guests were invited to deep dive into Dubai’s China-readiness strategy, along with  engaging into presentations led by industry partners. Breakout periods were also built into the two-day schedule to allow industry players to share knowledge during networking opportunities alongside partners such as Huawei, Ctrip and Tencent. There was also a series of engaging workshops hosted by Mafwengo, Fliggy and Alipay enabling attendees to meet the teams for discussing further potential collaborations, as well as Meituan and DaZhongDianPing which delved into the digital cooperation trends in Dubai. With exponential growth in overnight visitors from China, the event offered a clear indication of the market’s rising prominence as one of Dubai’s fastest growing source markets, after closing the first eight months of 2018 with a record 578,000 visitors – a growth of nine per cent over the same period in 2017. While demand from Chinese travellers is increasing at a quicker rate than capacity, visitation growth is supported by a 9.5 per cent increase in air capacity over the last five years, and increasingly competitive ticket pricing. Furthermore, the percentage of those on China-Dubai flights who stay in Dubai has increased by 29.2 per cent highlighting the increase in demand for elongated stopovers for Chinese tourists.

Dubai welcomed a record 8.10 million international overnight tourists during the first six months of 2018, representing a consistent increase on the same period last year. Figures released by Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) have confirmed the continued success of the emirate’s tourism sector. A destination of choice for a number of global markets, Dubai is on track for projected growth into the second half of 2018. Top source markets continued to witness stable year-on-year performances in the first half of 2018, with India, KSA and the UK retaining their top three positions when compared to the same period last year. India again brought in the highest number of international guests, once again crossing the 1-million-mark over a six-month period, up by 3 per cent year-on-year. KSA and the UK retained their spots as the second and third largest feeder markets respectively, with the former rallying to a slight increase and remaining as the highest traffic driver from the GCC region. His Excellency Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General, Dubai Tourism, commented, “The first six months of 2018 have both generated and sustained a steady performance, supporting strong growth across our global feeder markets. Attracting 8.10 million visitors during the first half of 2018 stands us in good stead as we accelerate momentum towards our visionary aspiration of becoming the most visited city in the world.”

Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) recently hosted an immersive workshop to provide hotels with a refreshing outlook of its innovative Sustainability Board Game and encourage hospitality stakeholders to enrol their properties in the Carbon Calculator, to further enhance Dubai’s position as the world’s leading sustainable tourism destination. The Board Game and Carbon Calculator have been created specifically for the hotel industry and serve as integral awareness tools used by the Dubai Sustainable Tourism (DST) initiative, launched by Dubai Tourism to support and encourage hotels to actively drive sustainable tourism practices, efficiently manage their resources and reduce the collective carbon footprint of Dubai’s tourism industry. 74 hospitality professionals from 51 hotels attended the workshop in addition to representatives from Dubai Municipality who presented the Dubai Lamp, the world’s most energy efficient lamp designed by Philips Lighting and Dubai Municipality. The industry event held at Zabeel House by Jumeirah, Al Seef was hosted by Tourism Development & Investments at Dubai Tourism. Yousuf Lootah, Executive Director – Tourism Development & Investments, Dubai Tourism, explained the mechanics of the Board Game and highlighted DST’s Carbon Calculator programme, emphasising the ways in which private sector collaborations can be key to achieving the wider objectives of DST and further raise awareness of adopting eco-friendly practices in hotels across Dubai.” Ahmad Saeed Al Badwawi, Director of Applied Sustainability and Renewable Energy Department, Dubai Municipality, said, “The applied sustainability and renewable energy department at Dubai Municipality participated with Dubai Sustainable Tourism by presenting “Dubai Lamp” the most efficient lamp in the world.”