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Discovering
Dubai
Highly-focused campaigns that DTCM undertakes contribute significantly to making Dubai a preferred global destination By Latha Krishnan
W
ith path-breaking events, never-beforeseen projects and record-breaking feats, Dubai has captured the imagination and hearts of people all over the world and attracted them into its arms. And a lot of credit for that goes to the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM). When DTCM first came into being in Dubai in 1989 as the Dubai Commerce and Tourism Promotion Board, its main objective was to attract tourists and inward investment into the emirate. In the past 25 years, it has achieved that objective and continues to do so in more splendid ways. “It’s hard to comprehend the pace of change that Dubai has undergone over the past 25 years and the remarkable achievements that it has enjoyed. When the precursor to the DTCM, Dubai Commerce and Tourism Promotion Board, launched back in 1989, Dubai welcomed around 600,000 visitors – today that figure is well over 11 million,” remarks, Helal Saaed Almarri, Director General of DTCM. DTCM is the principal authority that plans, supervises and develops the tourism sector in Dubai. It also holds the responsibility of licensing and classification of hotels, hotel apartments, tour opera-
tors, travel agents and other tourism services. The supervisory role of DTCM covers the upkeep and promotion of archaeological and heritage sites, and also ensures that sustainable and responsible tourism practices are carried out in Dubai. To further develop the tourism sector into a world-class one, DTCM also conducts training programmes for personnel of the tourism industry to increase their awareness of providing world-class experiences to tourists. Over the years, DTCM took up several responsibilities and crossed important milestones, such as introducing the phased classification system for hotels and hotel apartment establishments in 1999; becoming the first tourism promotion body in the world to achieve the ISO 9000:2000 Certification in 2000; opening the Dubai Cruise Terminal under its management in 2001 and establishing the Training Solutions department the same year; opening the Dubai Convention Bureau (DCB) in 2003 to promote Dubai’s MICE capacity around the world; launching www.definitelydubai.com, a consumer-facing interactive portal and Dubai Green Tourism Awards Programme in 2009; winning the Best Government Website category in The Internet Awards Middle East in 2011, and launching tge Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM) in 2013.
In April this year, DTCM launched the new, updated hotel establishment classification system and in September, the Department introduced e-Permit and e-Ticketing Platform, a centralised platform for the sale and distribution of tickets for all events in Dubai as well as an online system through which all procedures related to the application, processing and licensing of event permits are operated. Events that Dubai experienced over the years have contributed to the increased role of DTCM in its mandate to promote Dubai as a prime destination for tourism, entertainment and events. Under the leadership and valuable guidance of His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, DTCM has worked in close partnership with different industries including real estate, transport, aviation, hospitality, healthcare, retail, as well as government departments and organisations to develop and promote Dubai as a world-class tourism destination. “Much of Dubai’s progress can be attributed to the rapid development of the city’s high-quality tourism infrastructure — from hotels, restaurants, retail establishments and award-winning attractions — and, very importantly, to the dedication of our tourism partners, who are committed to the high-standards to
which Dubai is renowned,” affirms Almarri, who also points out the support DTCM receives from the government of Dubai to ensure the successful promotion of Dubai worldwide. The government of Dubai continues to bring in new legislations to ease the establishment of businesses that enhance tourism. An example Al Marri cites is that of recent waivers put in place to appeal to developers of three and four-star hotels. In March 2014, a new ruling by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs was issued exempting citizens of 13 European member states from requiring a pre-entry visa to the UAE. The highly-focused campaigns that DTCM offices around the world undertake have also contributed significantly to making Dubai a household name and preferred destination globally. “DTCM now has 20 overseas offices — from Australia to China, Russia to South Africa — all of which work to promote and market the city as the number one tourist destination. The reception of the travel trade — from tour operators, travel agents and airlines — is the other crucial ingredient. Without their commitment, our visitor figure would not be what it is and nor could we set our sights so high when we look to welcome 20 million visitors by the year 2020,” Almarri explains. “In addition, as part of the #MyDubai initiative, launched by Shaikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council, the DTCM is encouraging residents and visitors of Dubai to share their experiences about the city. The residents have proved themselves to be the biggest advocates of Dubai, and since the initiative was launched in January 2014, we have had more than 1.9 million posts on Instagram using the MyDubai hashtag, showing the remarkable experiences to be had here.” These and other initiatives that the DTCM has set in motion will see the tourism industry, which significantly impacts other industries in Dubai, grow exponentially in the coming years. Together, these industries and their growth will see that Dubai, which is already ahead of Hong Kong, France, China and Germany in the inflow of visitors, will comfortably welcome 20 million visitors by 2020.