Tag Archives: Dubai Tourism

Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism and Mastercard launch unique digital city partnership

Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) signed a pioneering Memorandum of Understanding with Mastercard to form a “Digital City Partnership” to further accelerate the emirate’s economic growth in line with the goals of the Dubai Economic Agenda, D33. A global first at a city level, the strategic alliance paves the way for Dubai to harness Mastercard’s multi-rail payments network and data-driven digital commerce technology, which connects over 100 million merchants globally across all sectors and segments to address key priorities of the D33 Agenda. The MoU will lead to the development and implementation of a multi-year Digital Partnership programme in Dubai, focusing on: Enabling growth of trade and exports: The collaboration aims to enable new international trade opportunities for businesses and expand export capabilities, leveraging Mastercard’s expertise in facilitating secure and efficient payment transactions. Developing SMEs and enabling innovation: The partnership will prioritise the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), providing them with digital tools, resources, and mentorship to foster innovation, competitiveness, and sustainability. Attracting and developing talent: Dubai and Mastercard will work together to attract and nurture Emirati and global talents in the digital sector, fostering the development of a skilled workforce equipped with the capabilities necessary to drive the city’s digital economy forward. Accelerating growth across the tourism ecosystem: The Digital City Partnership aims to leverage digital technologies to further enhance Dubai’s tourism industry. Implementing innovative payment solutions and improving visitor experiences will support Dubai’s vision to become a top-three global destination for visitors across leisure, business and specialised services. The visionary commitment of Dubai’s leadership, coupled with the depth and magnitude of this digital partnership, provides a conducive environment to deliver scalable and inclusive use-cases …

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Dubai welcomes 6.02 million international overnight visitors between January-April 2023

For the fourth successive month this year, Dubai’s tourism sector delivered a stellar performance, welcoming 6.02 million international visitors from January-April, an 18% YoY increase, compared to 5.10 million visitors during the same four-month period in 2022. Dubai’s hotel sector has also demonstrated resilience and strength, with an average occupancy of 80% during the January-April period this year, among the highest in the world, exceeding the 76% level achieved by city hotels during the corresponding period in 2022 and nearly matching the pre-pandemic 83% occupancy in 2019. According to a STR Global Hotel Monitoring Update, Dubai ranked first in occupancy, with a rate of 79.9%, only 2.9 percentage points below the pre-pandemic levels of 82.7%, placing it ahead of other global destinations like London, New York, Los Angeles and Paris. The report also revealed that Dubai ranked first in Gross Operating Profit per Available Room (GOPAR), with a rate of USD145 (AED530), just 9% below pre-pandemic levels, followed by Paris (USD 113) and Singapore (USD 102) respectively. Hotel supply reached 148,949 rooms in 814 hotel establishments at the end of April 2023, a 26% growth over the pre-pandemic figures of 118,449 rooms in 722 hotel establishments at the end of April 2019. Moreover, the average length of stay by guests has increased by 13% to four nights compared to 3.5 nights in 2019, indicating Dubai’s appeal as a destination for longer-stay travellers. According to data from industry expert Amadeus, search and booking volumes for Dubai remained steady from September 2021 to April 2023, with searches and bookings to Dubai during January to April 2023 nearing pre-pandemic levels and especially close to the high numbers seen during the Expo and pre-World …

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Dubai College of tourism to increase more professional tour guides

With momentum continuing to accelerate across Dubai’s tourism industry, the Dubai College of Tourism (DCT), a part of Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), is ramping up efforts to increase the number of professional tour guides to cater to Dubai’s diverse visitor profile, further enhance the overall tourism experience and maintain the city’ position as one of the world’s most recommended travel destinations. The latest drive by DCT is to encourage talented individuals to pursue a career as a tour guide. The College runs a world-class year-round training programme for tour guides with the aim of helping prospective candidates obtain a valid Dubai tour guide license, which is a pre-requisite for those interested in taking up this occupation. The training programme hosted by DCT is delivered entirely online and designed to make the process of getting the Dubai tour guide license as convenient as possible, while teaching participants how to correctly present Dubai and its culture to international visitors, as well as key hospitality skills. As Dubai continues to lead global tourism recovery with campaigns and initiatives worldwide to further consolidate and sustain its global appeal in both existing and emerging source markets, DCT envisages that the arrival of visitors from a range of nationalities and cultural backgrounds will create high demand for tour guides, especially those with specific language skills including Portuguese, Spanish, Bulgarian, Serbian, Albanian, Slovakian, Czech, Poland, Romanian and Hungarian. Essa Bin Hadher, General Manager, Dubai College of Tourism, commented: “With the steady increase in global travellers making Dubai their destination of choice and with the in-dustry continuing to regain its vibrancy, it is crucial to deliver exceptional visitor experiences across the board in line with …

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DTCM welcomes support of stakeholders in year of Expo and golden jubilee

Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) held its first bi-annual ‘City Briefing’ for 2021 at the newly built Dubai Exhibition Centre, highlighting the sector’s promising performance since the reopening of the city to international tourists a year ago.  As efforts intensified across the tourism ecosystem to accelerate momentum in this landmark year for Dubai and the UAE, the forum featured a detailed presentation on Expo 2020, the multi-faceted mega event which runs from 1 October, 2021 to 31 March 2022, as well as insights into domestic and global developments and marketing campaigns worldwide aimed at reinforcing Dubai’s profile as a safe, must-visit destination and the world’s best city to live and work in. Presided by His Excellency Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General, Dubai Tourism, the forum hosted over 1,000 key executives from leading establishments in the hospitality, travel, and tourism sectors. It was held within the framework of Dubai Tourism’s regular dialogue with key industry leaders to exchange insights and work with them to ensure the industry is seamlessly aligned with tourism growth initiatives and strategies. By holding the forum at the Dubai Exhibition Centre with precautionary guidelines being comprehensively observed, Dubai Tourism sought to highlight the enormous significance of Expo 2020 to Dubai’s tourism industry and the gathering pace of recovery in the events sector. HE Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General, Dubai Tourism, commented: “Dubai has continued to lead global tourism recovery and has constantly set new precedents in how to safely yet effectively open internationally and critically stay open. Inspired by the visionary leadership of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE, and Ruler of Dubai, the …

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MEDYAF launches 2021 Summer Programme

Dubai College of Tourism (DCT), part of the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism), has announced its second successive Summer Training Programme for students between the ages of 16-19. The distance learning online programme of Medyaf aims to increase Emiratisation within the tourism industry and provides students with relevant information and skills about the sector, as well as introducing the promising opportunities it offers for its citizens and their role in supporting the industry’s success and prosperity. Medyaf was established as part of DCT’s industry nationalisation initiative to lay the groundwork for talented Emiratis to join the city’s tourist-facing workforce. The latest training programme aims to empower students to enhance their knowledge and skills over the summer period, while earning an accredited training certificate. The 2021 Summer Training Programme will be implemented over four consecutive courses with each course taking place for a period of five days. The courses include workshops delivered live by experienced speakers with interactive games and educational activities, and will be held as per the following schedule; 4-8 July 2021, 11-15 July 2021, 25-29 July, and 1-5 August.

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Dubai sustainable tourism launches ‘get into the green scene’ initiative

Dubai Sustainable Tourism (DST) part of Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism)  to further Dubai’s position as one of the world’s leading sustainable tourism destinations, launches ‘Get into the Green Scene’. The initiative is aimed at Dubai residents and visitors to raise awareness of the city’s sustainable attractions and highlight the ease of incorporating sustainable practices into everyday life. The launch of the ‘Get into the Green Scene’ initiative includes a sustainability calendar, featuring a series of environmental days throughout the year and ways in which people can engage within the theme of that calendar day. Included are simple, but fun, eco-conscious actions that promote the city’s natural spaces and hidden gems, as well as spotlights advocacy organisations, partner and stakeholders that are working towards a more sustainable planet. This initiative is just one example of DST bringing together public and private entities to further strengthen the city’s positioning as a forward-thinking, world class destination for sustainable tourism. Moreover, it is also aligned with the recent announcement from HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE on the “Year of the 50th” campaign, where sustainability is one of four strategic pillars that will advance the country, support wellbeing and livelihood as well as proactive development and opportunities. DST is well-placed to drive these objectives forward successfully through its strong partnership network across the city. Yousuf Lootah, Vice Chairman of Dubai Sustainable Tourism, commented on the launch of the initiative, “We are very proud to launch the ‘Get into the Green Scene’, which promotes the ease in which visitors and residents can embrace sustainability-minded behaviours. It also highlights the breadth of work that is being …

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Dubai Tourism mandates hotels to comply with sustainability requirements by 1st July

Directive from Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) mandates that all hotels comply with the ‘Sustainability Requirements for Hotel Establishments’ by the deadline of 1 July 2021, as set by Dubai Sustainable Tourism (DST), an initiative to further enhance Dubai’s position as one of the world’s leading sustainable tourism destinations. Under the directive, hotels must also resume monthly submission of carbon emission drivers. The system has the long-term objective of advancing sustainability performance across the sector.  Back in 2019 Dubai Tourism led by DST trained 528 hotels on the implementation of these sustainability standards and currently inviting hotels for a refresher webinar ahead of July 2021. Due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the deadline was extended for an additional 12 month, a decision that Dubai Tourism took to strengthen the foundations for recovery of the hospitality sector. The progress on implementation of the mandatory standards will be tracked by hotels and audited by DST. Yousuf Lootah, Vice Chairman of Dubai Sustainable Tourism, said: “Over the past year, the strength of the city’s tourism industry is reflected in the safe and successful reopening of Dubai to domestic and international visitors. In alignment with the city’s wider carbon reduction strategy, we know that tourism can also be an area where Dubai truly sets the benchmark at a global level with forward-thinking sustainability and corporate social responsibility practices. We strongly encourage hotels to comply with the 19 Sustainability Requirements set by Dubai Tourism and provide Carbon Calculator submissions by 1 July. We know that with the ongoing support of the relevant government bodies these hotel establishments can play a huge part in achieving the overall carbon emission reduction target over …

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Dubai tourism to showcase city’s diverse tourism proposition and innovative initiatives at ATM 2021

The 2021 edition of the Arabian Travel Market (ATM 2021) taking place for the very first time as a hybrid event from 16-19 May (physical) and 23-25 May (virtual), will see Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) pull out all stops to ensure that the destination remains in the global spotlight with unique events, projects and initiatives designed to further accelerate tourism momentum in this landmark year for Dubai. Over 70 representatives from government bodies, hotels, destination management companies and tour operators will join Dubai Tourism at the Dubai stands in Hall 3 of the Dubai World Trade Centre to safely welcome stakeholders, partners and visitors to a key industry event within a physical setting, as part of continued efforts to lead the recovery of global tourism. Issam Kazim, CEO, Dubai Tourism said, “ATM will play a pivotal role in strengthening the industry in what continues to be one of the most challenging periods for global tourism. With Dubai being the host destination and as one of the longstanding official partners of the event, our participation together with a cross-section of industry representatives is fundamental to the global efforts underway in dealing with a rapidly evolving situation as well as to drive post-pandemic tourism growth.  As we look forward to support ATM’s efforts to help rebuild the travel sector and facilitate business within our industry, we will also leverage this important platform to showcase the breadth of Dubai’s tourism proposition and innovative projects and initiatives while underlining that the health and safety of residents and visitors remains our top priority. We are committed to realising our tourism strategy of making Dubai the most visited and one of …

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Dubai launches summer campaign

Dubai Calendar, part of Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism), has highlighted an exciting array of events and entertainment taking place in Dubai in May and June. From comedy nights to concerts and spectacular performances, the season promises a vibrant schedule of activities on Dubai Calendar that are sure to appeal to visitors and residents of all ages and interests. As one of the first few cities in the world to have restarted the events sector including the hosting of live events with stringent precautionary measures in place, guests can feel confident in attending their favourite shows within a highly safe environment. In line with government efforts to safeguard the public, all events are held with strict adherence to safety measures including contactless payment, temperature checks upon arrival at the venue, wearing of masks at all times during the event and adhering to social distancing. Connoisseurs of comedy have an extensive list of events to choose from, starting this May with the city’s highly anticipated Dubai Comedy Festival, which is returning after a resoundingly successful 2020 event. With an exhilarating line-up of world-class comedians, this edition of Dubai Comedy Festival is sure to draw a smile on everyone’s faces with 10 days of unmissable shows taking place all over the city. From 13 to 22 May, residents and visitors can look forward to an outstanding programme of stand-up sets, energetic variety shows and on-site activations from an international roster of comedians such as Gad Elmaleh, Eddie Griffin, Maz Jobrani, Nemr, Alexander Revva and more.

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Dubai Tourism discusses growing momentum of business events and exhibitions sector with industry stakeholders

Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) hosted the latest quarterly meetings of its Business Events and Exhibitions Committees, providing industry stakeholders with updates on restarting and scaling up events since their resumption in September and the roadmap for the sector as Dubai continues to lead the global recovery. Held virtually to maximize attendance during the Holy Month, the two meetings, presided by His Excellency Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General, Dubai Tourism, were part of a series of meetings and townhalls the department has hosted throughout the global pandemic to both keep stakeholders updated on all stages of the recovery and obtain their inputs on various issues. His Excellency Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General, Dubai Tourism, said, “Guided by the city’s prudent leadership over the past year, Dubai has been able to lead the way globally not only in wider tourism recovery but specifically in the restart of business events. Thanks to the efforts of our stakeholders across the sector, the momentum we built at the end of 2020 has gathered pace this year, with strong optimism for the coming months to further leverage our status as one of the few cities globally to be safely hosting business events of all sizes. As the countdown towards Expo 2020 Dubai continues, business events are playing a vital role in attracting more visitors and showcasing this as a safe city for international gatherings, and also recapturing economic growth across all economic sectors.  We remain attuned to the needs of our stakeholders as we continue on our path and welcome their input, collaboration, and expertise.” HH Almarri, Director General, Dubai Tourism, said, “Guided by the city’s prudent leadership over the past …

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