MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA
MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA INBOUND TRENDING DESTINATIONS © My Dubai ONE OF OUR MAIN FOCUSES IS ON LEISURE TOURISM Heritage Village Burj Al Arab BEYOND 2020 Dubai Tourism CEO Issam Abdul Rahim Kazim on his vision towards Expo… and even further afield Issam Abdul Rahim Kazim is the Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing. We asked him why tourism is so important for Dubai. Dubai has almost never replied on oil as a main contributor to GDP. In fact tourism is the number one export upon which Dubai has always focussed, and it continues to be so. In 2012, for the first time, we reached the ten-million visitor mark, and in 2013 we decided our strategy would be to double that figure by 2020, while at the same time tripling the economic impact from tourism. This can be achieved by offering more and more activities, features and facilities for tourists in Dubai, meaning they will stay longer and come back more often. The World Expo planned for Dubai will be a huge investment. What benefits do you plan to reap from this event? For us, it’s a great platform that positions Dubai as a city that can actually host an event of this size, and that’s a major statement in itself. We have so many countries coming here that the logistics and infrastructure required in order to cater for their needs are very important. It’s not just about doing things well at a certain level, because everybody knows about Dubai’s luxury offering. The depth of Dubai’s offering is something we are really highlighting as well: the arts, the culture, the heritage and the gastronomy. All of these will be further enhanced and experienced during the expo, and that is a big advantage upon which we will be capitalising. Also, the infrastructure investment is important, because if we are focusing on getting 20-million visitors to Dubai, we are looking at a sustainable growth. We are talking about annual visitation of 20-million and above from 2020 onwards. So now, when we are looking at Expo, we are not building just for the Expo (which will in fact be for the entire UAE), everything we are building and investing in will be for our own sustained growth in tourism. Issam Abdul Rahim Kazim CEO, Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing
Hotel & Tourism SMARTreport #31 2016 Autumn Edition 29 TOURISM IS AN INTEGRAL PART OF AJMAN AND UAE’S ECONOMY. Yamina Aoucher Director of Tourism Development & Marketing Department, Ajman Tourism Development Department AJMAN The emirate not to be missed Ajman City Zayed Mosque Tourism statistics indicate that visitors are taking notice of the emirate of Ajman, including it in their places to visit when traveling to the UAE. Yamina Aoucher - Director of Tourism Development & Marketing Department of Ajman Tourism Development Department, talks to us about current tourism trends in Ajman… We have seen increased arrivals from Europe, Africa, Asia, America and the region despite several factors that affect the global travels. We are also seeing arrivals from new markets, both as individual and group travels so we are optimistic that it would be fruitful for the tourism industry in the years to come. Tourism is an integral part of Ajman and UAE’s economy. Destination hotels, marinas, shopping centres and other attractions are all part of the changing landscape of Ajman – making it a place to see and be seen. New luxury hotels, wildlife attractions and waterfront tourist resorts are on the horizon. One of Ajman’s biggest attractions is Al Zorah, a unique lifestyle and leisure destination to the north of the city. Al Zorah is characterized by its striking greenery and will feature five-star beach resorts, Creek-side residences, a golf course and golf club to host local and international golfing competition, a wellness centre, fine dining restaurants and more. What kinds of tourism are you hoping to develop? The Emirate of Ajman is working hard to cater to all types of tourists – business or professional, leisure and holiday, tourists travelling to visit friends and relatives and the so-called millennials or youth tourists. For the business or MICE markets, our hotels have spacious meeting rooms and ballrooms that can accommodate exhibitions, trade shows, product launches, conferences and workshops. The facilities are equipped with state-of-the art technology that can provide video conferencing, conference calls and more. The emirate also created a business friendly environment through the Ajman Free Zone that has attracted a great number of companies to benefit from the investment privileges it offers. For the leisure or holiday tourists, we take pride in offering a variety of historical, cultural and recreational activities including religious attractions. Our ancient archaeological sites showcase the heritage of the emirate while Ajman’s castle and forts, majestic mountains and spacious valleys provide a rich backdrop for the steady growth of the hospitality and entertainment sectors.
