Published on : Monday, April 23, 2018
Issam Kazim, the chief executive of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) told the media in an interview in Dubai that one of their main strategies was a diverse approach.
He added that they would be willing to adopt this strategy as there would be certain changes that would be occurring be it geopolitical or socioeconomic.
He asserted that they had started targeting about six or seven traditional markets that had enabled them to accomplish the 10 million mark in 2013 but since then they had campaigns going on in 44 markets last year.
Dubai Tourism that is an agency of the government of Dubai had recorded 15.8 million overnight tourists in 2017 marking a 6.2% rise from 2016 as per the figures released in February.
Furthermore the emirate has also boosted the average length of stay for leisure tourists by 0.3 days to 6.2 days over the course of 2017 as per Mr. Kazim.
The conventional leading source markets had held their positions last year.
India had contributed 2.1 million tourists in 2017 followed by Saudi Arabia with 1.5 million tourists and the UK with 1.3 million.
However, newer source markets saw the biggest growth in tourists, including China which moved up to fifth position with 764,000 tourists, a 41 per cent year-on-year increase, and Russia in 8th position with a 212 per cent rise in travelers to 530,000.
Mr Kazim told a media source that he aims to maintain the flow of tourists from traditional source markets in 2018 while stimulating efforts to lure tourists from Russia, the CIS, Latin America and the Nordics, especially Sweden, which registered strong growth in 2017.
Promotional activity in China will also continue this year, he added, following a “highly successful” marketing campaign in collaboration with Chinese social media influencers in 2017.
Dubai Tourism this week launches the ‘Dubai Pass’ discount pack – aimed at tourists and residents alike and promising cheaper rates on most of the city’s main attractions and venues, Mr Kazim said.
Also in the pipeline this year is the launch of a new campaign to promote Dubai’s Al Marmoum desert area that is favorable among cyclists, star gazers, nature enthusiasts and hikers. It is also the area where the emirate’s camel races take place.