Dubai Tourism Highlights Its Commitment To North America At New York Times Travel Show 2020

Dubai, UAE, 2 February 2020: Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism), in partnership with Expo 2020 Dubai, concluded its successful participation at the New York Times Travel Show 2020, North America’s largest travel trade and consumer show, from 24-26 January at the Javits Convention Center in Manhattan, New York. For the first time, the Department, alongside Expo 2020 Dubai, were the presenting sponsors at the travel show, exhibiting to more than 35,000 attendees alongside a delegation of more than 700 exhibitors across international travel and tourism, hospitality, leisure and entertainment sectors.

The trade show forms part of Dubai Tourism’s year-round calendar of international roadshows and trade events for 2020, aimed at strengthening its presence to global audiences to provide greater visibility of the city’s diverse offerings. Bringing together Dubai’s network of industry stakeholders across the public and private sector, the event offered a valuable platform for partners to strengthen existing partnerships, as well as forging new relationships with leading business to business travel professionals with the aim of increasing awareness of Dubai as a preferred travel destination to Americans. The event is testament to the continued prominence of the USA as one of the emirate’s top source markets, closing 2019 with a record 667,000 visitors, and representing a two per cent year-on-year increase on 2018.

Discussions at the event were led by His Excellency, Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General, Dubai Tourism, where a ribbon cutting ceremony marked the first day of the exhibition and a welcome address highlighted the importance of the USA to Dubai. His Excellency, along with a partner team from Expo 2020 Dubai, also hosted a lunch with 100 trade media to drive awareness and consideration around the city’s evolving product offerings to showcase Dubai as the destination of choice for American tourists. The Dubai Tourism stand won ‘Best in Show’, an award voted on by attending industry members and consumers beating over 700 other stands to win this prestigious recognition.

Issam Kazim, CEO, Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM), said: “We were pleased to be part of such a long-standing and reputable show alongside Expo 2020 Dubai, where we had the platform and scale to really raise awareness of what the city has to offer in such a landmark year for Dubai. From Hatta and hidden gems to technology and innovation, Dubai has now, more than ever, an experience for all North American travellers. We received valuable feedback from both consumers and the travel industry across the three days while exchanging opportunities to gain further insights into this important market. As we push full steam ahead into 2020, we look forward to fostering the relationships that were built at the show as we continue to work even more closely with our partners to refine our offerings and tailor-made experiences that will appeal to our North American guests.”

Dubai Tourism’s ongoing initiatives and continuous engagement across the USA is supported by a robust schedule of trade roadshows, media familiarisation trips and broadcasts to increase awareness in the market. In addition to Expo 2020 Dubai, the Dubai Tourism stand featured industry partners Emirates Airlines, Emirates Vacations, Arabian Adventures, Emaar Entertainment, and Emaar Hospitality.

About Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism)

With the ultimate vision of positioning Dubai as the world’s leading tourism destination and commercial hub, Dubai Tourism’s mission is to increase the awareness of Dubai among global audiences and to attract tourists and inward investment into the emirate. Dubai Tourism is the principal authority for the planning, supervision, development and marketing of Dubai’s tourism sector. It markets and promotes the Emirate’s commerce sector, and is responsible for the licensing and classification of all tourism services, including hotels, tour operators and travel agents. Brands and departments within the Dubai Tourism portfolio include Dubai Business Events, Dubai Calendar, and Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (formerly known as Dubai Events and Promotions Establishment).