Where will the tourists go?

Iyad Abdul Rahman,
Executive Director, Media Relations and Business Development, Department of Tourism and Commercial Marketing, Dubai Government

COMPETITION IN MODERN tourism industry is so high that everyone, even the most popular international recreation center, which upon rules apply and Dubai, you need to constantly thought about what and how to attract the attention of beginners and experienced travelers. About Strategy of development of tourism industry of the emirate in the coming year we were told Iyad Abdul Rahman, executive director of Media Relations and Business Development Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing Government of Dubai (DTCM).

Iyad, since we are a Russian magazine, we are not interested to learn about what DTKM will do to further strengthen ties with the tourist markets of Russia and the CIS countries.

Dubai has a long and strong relationship with the tourist market of Russia. So, for example, the Russian tour operator Natalie Tours chose Dubai to host its annual retreat in September 2010, which was the sixth time that representatives and heads of travel agencies and companies collaborating with Natalie gathered. This will certainly lead to an increase in the number of Russian tourists arriving in Dubai.

If we take the statistics, the number of Russian-speaking guests in Dubai hotels in the first half of 2010 amounted to 237 986 people, which is 17% more than in the same period of the previous year, when this figure amounted to 204 153 guests. Dubai is a tourist destination that is different from many others, and therefore attracts a huge number of travelers from Russia, which is clearly demonstrated by the numbers in the arrivals hall of Dubai International Airport in the first half of 2010.

In addition, the budget airline Fly Dubai today offers regular direct flights from Dubai to such important and large Russian cities as Yekaterinburg and Samara. I believe that thanks to the constant purposeful work of the DTCM, the number of tourists from these resource-rich regions of Russia to Dubai will increase markedly in 2011.

What are the strategic plans of DTKM for 2011?

We expect Dubai's tourism industry to show steady growth in 2011, which is why DTCM is making every effort to strengthen the tourism and hospitality sector in the emirate. For example, in the new year we plan to increase the number of foreign offices of the Department of Tourism and Commercial Marketing to 18, which will allow DTKM to conduct more active activities in key foreign markets for Dubai. With the goal of turning Dubai into a Middle Eastern cruise tourism center, DTCM also plans to open new cruise terminals that can serve more than a hundred cruise liners and hundreds of thousands of passengers in 2011.

The Department of Tourism is also going to significantly increase quality standards in the hotel sector of the emirate, as it is fully responsible for issuing licenses to hotels, hotel apartments, tour operators, travel agencies and agencies. DTKM is also involved in promoting the interests of Dubai in the commercial and tourism spheres on the world stage, and is also the key government body responsible for the planning, control and development of the tourism and hospitality sector in the emirate. Armed with a vision of the final strengthening of Dubai as the leading tourist destination and business center in the world, the Department of Tourism and Commercial Marketing of the Government of Dubai carries out constant and active work, which is of great social and economic importance, including the development of eco-tourism in the emirate. Thanks for the answers to our questions. We wish DTCM success in all endeavors.

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