Dubai Tourism Shares Destination Insights with Key Stakeholders and Partners Across GCC

Dubai, UAE; 13 October 2019: Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) hosted a series of strategic meetings with tourism and media companies across the GCC, highlighting the positive performance of the emirate’s tourism industry during the first eight months of 2019. The series of stakeholder meetings discussed the region’s standing as Dubai’s strongest volume generator (representing 20 per cent of all tourists welcomed into the city) in the first eight months of the year, with its lead contributor, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), bringing in more than one million tourists as the second largest source market.

Chaired by Issam Kazim, CEO of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM), the meetings were held as part of the Department’s ongoing commitment to further enhancing collaboration with partners in traditional strongholds and emerging markets in line with Dubai’s Tourism Vision 2022-2025. The delegation toured Kuwait, followed by Riyadh, and Jeddah, and included senior representatives from Expo 2020 who provided an update on major developments of the hugely anticipated event and explored effective collaborations in the lead up to a momentous year for the emirate. These partnerships aim to drive stronger destination appeal for target audiences across the GCC, particularly across the family segment and those visiting friends and families, as well as targeting emerging segments.

Commenting on the visit, Issam Kazim, said: “Dubai continues to rank among the most popular destinations for holidaymakers from across the GCC, thanks to continued strength of the partnerships and deep-rooted stakeholder networks that exist between the city and the wider region. We aim to target further growth in every potential segment of this important market, from short stay and weekend breaks to longer vacations, especially families who are our key audience and make-up the majority of visitors from the GCC region.”

During the visit, Mr. Kazim discussed citywide developments in Dubai’s hotel sector as well as showcasing new and exciting attractions and experiences, value propositions and the diverse retail and festivals sector across the city. A topic that was discussed during a successful round table hosted in Kuwait was Dubai Tourism’s future growth plans and marketing initiatives to further build on the existing synergies with trade partners to provide greater visibility for Dubai’s diverse offerings. The dialogue also explored key milestones as the city counts down to Expo 2020 Dubai with 12 months to go before it officially opens its doors.

Mr Kazim added “Increasing awareness of our evolving destination proposition through strategic programmes ensures we are able to remain ‘front-of-mind’ for travel to the emirate – especially for repeat visits which are a key focus for the GCC market. Meeting with the travel trade and local media remains a fundamental part of ensuring the emirate is promoted to our target audiences across the region. In doing so, we remain committed to aligning with our valued partners as Dubai works towards its vision of becoming the number one most visited city globally.”

Dubai Tourism’s efforts to create targeted and customised experiences for GCC tourists is reflected in the Department’s always-on calendar of strategic activations, marketing campaigns and ongoing trade and business partnerships. Notable successes this year included the #ThisisDubai campaign, an innovative platform collaboration with TikTok, the world’s leading short-form mobile video application, that invited GCC travellers to share their unique Dubai stories with specially themed music for a chance to win a trip to the emirate. The programme delivered exceptional response from the target audiences with over 30 million video views and nearly 10,000 posted UGC videos. Dubai Tourism also entered into a long-term association with the Seera Group, one of the region’s leading providers of travel services in the Middle East and North Africa, as well as activating various broadcast opportunities with top-tier radio stations across KSA and Kuwait. Additionally, specialised fam trips for KSA’s top travel agents, tour operators and media were hosted with more than 90 representatives from trade companies and 70 journalists and influencers invited to explore the latest offerings to help them develop tailor-made itineraries for GCC audiences.

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.