DUBAI TOURISM SHARES POSITIVE INDUSTRY OUTLOOK WITH KEY STAKEHOLDERS AND PARTNERS

Dubai, UAE: 24 June 2019: Dubai’s Department of Tourism & Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) has provided a positive outlook of the industry to leading stakeholders and partners at its first biannual city briefing event, highlighting the sector’s performance across key markets, and sharing first-hand insights into major developments, marketing initiatives and future growth strategies.

 Led by His Excellency Helal Saeed Almarri,  Director-General of Dubai Tourism, the city briefing held at the InterContinental Dubai Festival City last week comes within the framework of regular industry engagements initiated by the Department to further enhance collaboration with its stakeholders and partners to leverage the growing tourism momentum and achieve the goals of Dubai’s Tourism Vision 2022-2025. The event was attended by nearly 1,000 managers and key executives representing all industry segments, from hospitality to tour operators, tourism attractions to destination management companies, as well as top officials from Dubai Police and Expo 2020 Dubai.

 In a special presentation, Dubai Police drew attention to its ‘Oyoon’ smart security surveillance initiative to help ensure the safety and security of all residents and visitors to Dubai, and which covers key sectors in Dubai including the tourism industry. The Expo 2020 Dubai presentation titled ‘500 days to go’ provided an update on the key milestones that have been reached and the infrastructure and logistics in place to host the mega event that will be launched on 20 October 2020.

 Addressing the gathering of industry professionals and senior government officials, HE Helal Saeed Almarri, said: “While we are pleased with the positive performance of the industry since the beginning of this year, Dubai Tourism is committed to hosting such events to ensure that our stakeholders are well aligned with the emirate’s tourism strategy to be able to collectively take advantage of the diverse campaigns and concerted efforts being made to attract more visitors to the city. Maintaining a robust industry is at the core of our cross-sector efforts, and as we look ahead, we are confident that our continued cooperation with both public and private sector partners will ensure that Dubai remains a must-visit destination. We would also like to express our appreciation to Dubai Police and Expo 2020 Dubai for their crucial cooperation that has helped make this first city briefing of the year both comprehensive and meaningful to all participants.”

 Major General Khalil Ibrahim Al Mansour, Assistant to the Commander-in-chief for Criminal Investigation Affairs at Dubai Police, said: “Dubai Police is pleased to be a part of this event as it gives us an opportunity to exchange ideas and views with leading players in Dubai’s tourism industry, and secure their support towards further enhancing the safety and security of visitors. The “Oyoon” system that was presented at this briefing is an important part of Dubai Police’s strategy to use the most advanced technologies to help maintain the city’s peace and harmony, especially by protecting key sectors including the vital tourism industry that will ensure that Dubai continues to be an extremely safe destination for visitors.”

 Sanjive Khosla, Deputy Chief - Sales and Marketing at Expo 2020 Dubai, said: “With fewer than 500 days until Expo 2020 opens, our preparations are well on track. This city briefing is an important part of that. We will be welcoming millions of tourists from around the world, and the hospitality sector has a key role in ensuring that each and every one of those visitors has a fantastic experience, and want to come back again and again, boosting tourism in the long term.”

 The city briefing was followed by the hosting of the Dubai Sustainable Tourism Awards, an initiative of Dubai Tourism to recognise and celebrate the important work of Dubai’s hotels and tourism companies in advancing sustainability within the emirate’s tourism industry.

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.

About Expo 2020 Dubai

Expo 2020 Dubai is guided by the belief that innovation and progress are the result of people and ideas combining in new ways. For six months from 20 October 2020, Expo will bring together 192 countries and millions of people to celebrate human ingenuity: ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’.

·         During the six months from 20 October 2020 to 10 April 2021, we expect to welcome 25 million visits

·         About 70 per cent of all visitors are anticipated to come from outside the UAE – the largest proportion of international visitors in Expo history

·         We aim to create and deliver an inclusive and global Expo with more than 200 participants, including nations, multilateral organisations, businesses and  educational institutions

·         Expo 2020 also has an ambitious volunteer programme, which aims to include more than 30,000 volunteers from a wide range of ages, nationalities, cultures    and backgrounds

·         The Expo site covers a total of 4.38 sqkm, including a 2 sqkm gated area. It is located adjacent to Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai South

·         Expo 2020 Dubai is the first World Expo to take place in the MEASA (Middle East, Africa and South Asia) region