Day: September 19, 2021

DUBAI, The Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) hosted a virtual forum for stakeholders and partners, to provide them with an opportunity to obtain updates and key insights on the upcoming Expo 2020 and share an overview of the industry and key developments and initiatives for further accelerating Dubai’s tourism growth.

The forum is part of an ongoing programme of industry engagements initiated by Dubai Tourism to further enhance collaboration with its stakeholders and partners, and to build on the growing industry momentum in the run up to the region’s first World Expo, to be held from 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022. Sumathi Ramanathan, Vice President, Market Strategy and Sales, Expo 2020, joined the virtual event to deliver a detailed presentation that covered key aspects of the mega event, including its innovative features, country pavilions, events and entertainment, ticket categories and prices, transportation within the sprawling site and the health and safety protocols that will be in place, in line with international standards and practices.

“We regularly host these strategic stakeholder engagements to make sure that the industry is always up to date and aligned with the various initiatives that are launched to showcase Dubai as a safe destination that provides international travellers the opportunity to enjoy a multitude of experiences. The latest forum assumed greater significance, as it enabled Dubai Tourism to share a positive industry outlook and highlight the optimism prevailing across the city, just as it readies itself to welcome the world to Expo 2020. In leading the global tourism recovery under the guidance of our visionary leadership and with the support of our stakeholders and partners, Dubai has been extremely proactive, creative and focused on ensuring the city remains at the forefront of the world’s leading travel destinations. Now that we are heading into a history-making period with Expo 2020 and the UAE Golden Jubilee, we are counting on the continued support of our stakeholders, as we further enhance Dubai’s position as a global tourism destination.”

Participants at the forum were also encouraged to take advantage of major festivals and events, with the aim of greatly enhancing the quality and diversity of the destination’s offerings and events, paving the way for Dubai to reinforce its position as a must-visit destination. It was pointed out that a variety of partnership opportunities could be leveraged by stakeholders from the diverse festivals and events, such as the fifth edition of the Dubai Fitness Challenge from 29 October to 27 November, celebrations surrounding the 50th anniversary of the UAE on 2 December and the next edition of the iconic Dubai Shopping Festival, which kicks off in December.

Source: Emirates News Agency

ABU DHABI, The UAE’s tourism sector recorded 62% occupancy rate in H1-2021, outperforming 10 other major global tourism destinations including China (54%), United States of America (45%), Mexico (38%), the United Kingdom (37%), and Turkey (36%).

The country’s hotel and tourism establishments attracted nearly 8.3 million guests during this period, recording 15% growth compared to that of H1-2020. During the reference period, guests spent nearly 35 million nights in the UAE hotels reflecting a growth of 30%, while the average length of their stay increased to 4.1 nights at a 12.5% growth. This’s accompanied by a 31% growth in hotel establishments’ revenues to reach AED11.3 billion. Domestic tourism accounted for 30% of the total number of guests at these hotel establishments.

Dr. Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi, Minister of State for Entrepreneurship and SMEs, and Chairman of the Emirates Tourism Council, affirmed that the positive results achieved by the tourism sector in the first half of this year reflect the soundness of the vision and directives of the wise leadership on the importance of the tourism sector as a major driver of the economy. They highlight the strength and flexibility of the national tourism sector, the development of the UAE’s tourism market and the diversity of its products, and the efficiency of national campaigns in highlighting the tourism components that characterize the country. In addition, they shed light on the unique and diverse destinations housed by the seven emirates of the country; and the continuous development and excellence of their hospitality features and services. He noted that the latest achievement is a result of concerted government efforts aimed at developing domestic tourism to attract larger numbers of domestic and foreign tourists.

He pointed out that these results are of great relevance in light of the tightening of travel restrictions in some major tourism markets around the world due to the impact of COVID-19. It reflects guests’ trust in the national tourism products, and their competitiveness in establishing themselves as preferred choices for the country’s citizens and residents, compared to other foreign tourist destinations.

He explained that the qualitative development witnessed by the UAE’s domestic tourism landscape and the growing demand for tourism destinations and hotel facilities within the country confirm the effectiveness of government initiatives to boost domestic tourism.

Furthermore, the minister underlined the UAE’s continued efforts to consolidate its leading position on the global tourism map, and to achieve progress on various international indicators for tourism and hotel services, noting that the growth of tourism in the country confirms the growing global confidence in the preventive measures taken to ensure the health and safety of hotel guests and visitors.

He also noted that the high vaccination rates in the country, which is at 80% now, is one of the highest in the world, which has contributed to raising the level of safety and confidence in the UAE’s tourism sector.

He further explained that the authorities concerned with tourism development in the country continue their joint efforts and coordination to increase the growth of UAE tourism in the next phase through qualitative projects and initiatives, including preparation for the internal tourism campaign during the next session. It will also see the launch of external tourism promotional campaigns with the aim of opening new markets to attract tourists to the country. In addition, he highlighted the importance of hosting the global event Expo 2020 Dubai in October and world delegations from more than 192 countries, which will give a great boost to the country’s tourism sector, leading to further progress in hotel sector growth indicators, hotel occupancy rates and tourism activity in general.

In this context, Haitham Matar, President of InterContinental Hotels and Resorts Group for India, Middle East and Africa, explained that thanks to the support of the UAE government and the clear vision it adopts in developing the tourism sector and enhancing its leadership, competitiveness and sustainability, the sector has achieved remarkable growth and recovery in the past period, which is confirmed by the strong performance of the portfolio of the Group’s hotels in the UAE.

Matar also emphasised on the distinguished role of the tourism authorities in the country and the distinctive national tourism initiatives such as the ‘Coolest Winter in the World’ campaign, which greatly supported local tourism, fuelling a growth in demand and an increase in reservations.

For his part,, Mohammed Jassim Al Rayes, Executive Vice President of Al Rayes Travel, highlighted the increased demand for domestic tourism in the UAE over the past period. “This increase in demand for domestic tourism has sparked a healthy competition among tourism companies to provide distinctive tourism offers aimed at promoting domestic tourism in nationwide,” he said.

Source: Emirates News Agency