DUBAI’S DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM AND COMMERCE MARKETING

TO CONDUCT ITS 3 CITY INDIA ROADSHOW

22 member Dubai led Delegation to travel to Delhi, Mumbai & Chennai

Mumbai, September 23^rd, 2013:  Given the importance and potential of the Indian market in terms of visitor arrival traffic into Dubai, the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), Government of Dubai, will be conducting its 3 city B2B India roadshow to network with the Indian travel industry.  As part of its 2013 marketing strategy to boost the overall number of Indian travellers to Dubai; the Department will commence its roadshow in  New Delhi on the 23^rd of September followed by Mumbai on the 25^th and will conclude in Chennai on the 26^th of September respectively. 

Through this marketing initiative, DTCM along with its co-participants consisting of hotels, tourist attractions and destination management companies intend updating the trade with information on Dubai’s existing and new tourism product offerings. The multi-city workshops will target over 1,000 Indian trade professionals comprising major travel & tour operators, wedding planners and up-market leisure operators across India. The delegation will be accompanied by the Department’s officials: Mr. Mansoor Bawazir - Head of Region (India, Middle East & Southern/Eastern Africa) and Mr. Carl Vaz - Director, India Representative Office.

         

Announced earlier this year under the directive of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai and spearheaded by DTCM, Dubai’s Tourism Vision for 2020 sets out how the city will double its annual visitor numbers from 10 million in 2012 to 20 million in 2020.   More than 5.5 million tourists visited Dubai in the first half of 2013, representing an 11.1 per cent year-on-year increase across all key indicators, including hotel establishment guests, hotel and hotel apartment revenues, room occupancy and average length of stay, indicating that Dubai is on the way to achieving its Tourism Vision for 2020.

His Excellency Helal Saeed Almarri - Director General, DTCM commented: “India consecutively ranks as the top source market globally for visitor traffic into Dubai. The total number of Indian guests for the first six months of 2013 stood at 463,175, representing a growth of 15.8% increase over the corresponding period last year. Similarly, in 2012 the total number of Indian visitors totaled 763,986 representing a 9% increase from 2011. Thus these numbers are extremely encouraging and indicate that we are on our way to achieving our Tourism Vision for 2020. Our B2B workshops play a vital role in facilitating the overall number of inbound travellers into Dubai.”

 Mr. Saleh Al Geziry - Director, Overseas Promotions and Inward Missions, DTCM said, “We are excited about conducting our multi-city B2B workshops in India.  India is a very lucrative market and we are aware of the potential it holds in terms of inbound visitor traffic into Dubai.  We are thus happy to be tapping this important market through our unique B2B workshop.  Our delegation comprising of 22 organizations is supported by our co-sponsors such as Emirates Airlines, Atlantis – The Palm and Lama Desert Tourism.” 

Commenting on the upcoming Dubai India Roadshow 2013, Carl Vaz, Director - DTCM India said, “There is always an extensive interest amongst the trade to update their knowledge and own experience of a destination. The roadshow thus provides us with a platform to interact with a significantly higher number of travel agents, tour operators and even wedding planners from various parts of India enabling them to cater to new segments and repeat visitors. The main market segments that we are looking at tapping in India this year are the group series departures and the family segment along with the niche segments of weddings / honeymoon, school groups, adventure / sport and luxury seekers and single women travellers who will be heading for the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) 2014.”

         

The 22 member Dubai delegation will comprise of hotels, resorts, hotel apartments, attractions and destination management companies.  The participants at the roadshow will include Royal Arabian Tours, Bonton Tours and Travels, Discovery Travel and Tourism, Alpha Tours, Golden Sands Hotel Apartments, Dubai Marine Beach Resort & Spa, Sea View Hotel/ Royal Ascot Hotel, Al Rais Tours and Travels, Royal Gulf Tourism LLC, JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai, Jebel Ali Golf Resort & Spa, North Tours, Big Bus Tours, Bin Ali Tourism, ITL Tourism & Travel LLC, Admiral Plaza Hotel, Khalidia Hotel Apartments, The Oberoi, Dubai and Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai Downtown.

The program for the workshops will include presentations by officials of Emirates Airlines, Atlantis – The Palm, Lama Desert Tourism and DTCM in addition to detailed networking sessions between the Dubai delegation and leaders of the Indian travel trade community.

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

With the ultimate vision of positioning Dubai as the world’s leading tourism destination and commercial hub, Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing’s (DTCM) mission is to increase the awareness of Dubai to global audiences and to attract tourists and inward investment into the Emirate.

DTCM is the principal authority for the planning, supervision, development and marketing of Dubai’s tourism sector; markets and promotes the Emirate’s commerce sector; and is responsible for the licencing and classification of all tourism services, including hotels, tour operators and travel agents. Brands and departments within the DTCM portfolio include Dubai Convention and Events Bureau, Dubai Calendar, and Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (formerly known as Dubai Events and Promotions Establishment). In addition to its headquarters in Dubai, DTCM operates 19 offices worldwide.

For further information about DTCM, please contact:

Mr. Carl Vaz

Director – India