A first-choice destination

Issam Kazim, CEO, Dubai Corporation for Tourism & Commerce Marketing, explains why

Q: What have been the key achievements of Dubai’s tourism industry over the past 12 months?

The pandemic affected the world in every way imaginable, impacting how we live, work and travel, and this was felt in Dubai too. However, the city has returned to normality after demonstrating a high level of resilience, foresight and agility in safely navigating its way out of this unprecedented challenge under the guidance and decisive leadership of His Highness, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, followed up by His Highness, Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council of Dubai. Over the last 12 months, Dubai has fully regained its vibrancy, reinforcing its position as a first-choice destination for international travellers. The world has placed its trust in Dubai as a safe and exciting city to travel to, and this is evident in the remarkable industry turnaround, resulting in Dubai welcoming 7.28 million international overnight visitors in 2021, representing 32% year-on-year growth. International visitation to the city surpassed 3.4 million visitors in Q4 2021, achieving 74% of the total pre-pandemic tourist arrivals of Q4 2019, and paving the way for Dubai hotels to deliver a stellar Q4 performance that surpassed pre-pandemic levels. Average occupancy reached 67% in 2021 – one of the highest occupancy levels internationally – compared to 54% the previous year. A steady stream of domestic and international investment in the hospitality sector saw inventory increase to 755 hotel establishments and 137,950 rooms by the end of 2021, compared to 711 hotels establishments that were open with 126,947 rooms at the end of 2020. The biggest success story of the past year was, of course, Expo 2020 Dubai, which played a pivotal role in driving interest in Dubai worldwide and accelerating momentum across several sectors including tourism. As the first in-person global congregation of such magnitude since the onset of the pandemic, the six-month-long Expo, from October 1 2021 to March 31 2022, attracted 192 participating nations and more than 24 million visits by residents and leisure and business travellers from around the world. Expo 2020 made 2021 a truly momentous year for Dubai, which also celebrated the UAE’s Golden Jubilee.

As part of the city’s commitment to always offer something new, unique and world-class to every global traveller, further strides were made in broadening Dubai’s appeal with the opening of new attractions such as Ain Dubai, Deep Dive Dubai, The View at The Palm, and more recently, in February, the Museum of the Future.

The unparalleled tourism offering, combined with a multi-pronged strategy to keep Dubai open, safe and accessible, saw Dubai being voted the No.1 global destination in the Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards 2022. The Tripadvisor Awards also recognised Dubai as the world’s No.1 destination for ‘City Lovers’ and No.4 destination for ‘Food Lovers’, providing a major impetus to our efforts to build on all our destination pillars, from culture to cuisine. In two other high-profile accolades announced this year, 16 Dubai restaurants were named in the Middle East & North Africa’s 50 Best Restaurants’ list while Michelin announced that it will be adding Dubai to its Michelin Guide series with the first ever Michelin Guide Dubai to be launched this June. We are proud of these achievements and accolades, as they have repeatedly validated Dubai’s position as a global tourism destination. Yet, all this would not have been possible without the unwavering support of our valued stakeholders and our loyal guests.

Q: Dubai’s tourism sector was extremely resilient throughout the pandemic, standing out globally as a top performer – what factors contributed to this success?

It is important to recognise that our entire city has been resilient and determined in overcoming the odds, thanks to our visionary leadership that inspired us to look at ways of transforming challenges into opportunities. Dubai was one of the first cities to close and go into a lockdown mode, then became one of the first to open and stay open. Dubai’s approach from the start of the pandemic has been one of preparedness, agility and consistency.

We took assertive measures from the start, becoming one of the first cities in the world to fully embrace and implement stringent safety measures in line with international practices. Once the Government of Dubai established an effective process for managing the pandemic, the focus shifted to reviving the economy, and highlighting the city’s position as one of the safest in the world. Our safety standards have been second to none and the effective citywide management of the pandemic meant we were able to safely reopen all key sectors in the city including our domestic tourism market in May 2020, followed by opening the city to international visitors in July 2020. This focus on health and safety has led to Dubai being ranked No.1 globally in Bloomberg's Covid Resilience Ranking.

The UAE is also the single most vaccinated nation in the world, with more than 97% of the total population fully vaccinated so far, leading to increased confidence in Dubai among tourists.

In order to successfully rollout its postpandemic strategy, the Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) stepped up collaboration with government and private sector partners to drive demand for domestic tourism and strictly implement the safety guidelines. In tandem with our

From above: Dubai is open, safe and accessible

Ain Dubai New attractions include the Museum of the Future efforts to position Dubai as one of the world’s safest destinations, we also launched a series of global marketing campaigns to ensure Dubai retained its global appeal and to encourage international travellers to make the city their destination of choice once it was safe to travel. Together with our partners, we continue to take steps to instil confidence and trust in global travellers and reassure them of the city’s ability to receive guests safely and allow them to enjoy a wellrounded destination experience.

Q: The DCTCM has ramped up its global marketing and promotional campaigns – what’s been the impact? We have consistently used innovative global campaigns to further highlight the city’s multi-faceted touristic appeal and reach our international markets.

Our ongoing global campaign, Dubai Presents, featuring Hollywood stars Jessica Alba and Zac Efron launched in late 2021 and brings to life the exceptional experiences that visitors can enjoy during their stay in Dubai.

Filmed by Director’s Guild award-winning director Craig Gillespie, Dubai Presents has been rolled out in 27 countries across 16 languages via cinema, print, broadcast, out of home, digital and social media channels. It has generated more than 850 million views across multiple platforms since its launch – driving enquiries, stimulating engagement and spurring bookings.

In March, the campaign featured yet another celebrity with the release of ‘Dubai Presents: Shah Rukh Khan in Dubai’.

This latest film showcases why Dubai is a must-visit destination, as the Bollywood superstar brings into focus the best experiences that Dubai offers to international travellers.

Our Gastronomy Always On (GAON) campaign aims to reinforce Dubai’s position as a global gastronomy hub, providing support to our stakeholders in the F&B industry, as well as highlighting and promoting the city’s calendar of culinary events including the ninth edition of the much-awaited Dubai Food Festival from May 2-15, 2022. Campaigns such as these bring the destination to life and demonstrate that Dubai is continually striving to stay top-of-mind, ahead of the curve, and retain its competitiveness as a global destination.

Q: What have been the positive repercussions of Expo 2020 for Dubai’s tourism industry?

Expo 2020 marked an important milestone in Dubai’s history – becoming the first World Expo to be held in this region and the first global mega event open to the public since the start of the pandemic.

While welcoming in excess of 24 million visitors during the six months of the show, Expo 2020 delivered one of the most memorable, immersive and engaging events ever to take place in Dubai, as well as leaving a lasting legacy for the UAE and the MENASA region. Expo 2020 has ushered in an incredible new era for our tourism industry. Its success can be felt reverberating throughout the city, not just in the robust tourism industry performance in Dubai, but also in the numerous investment opportunities and providing a major boost to businesses and entrepreneurs.

Expo 2020 has made a major impact, not just on tourism, but across other sectors such as business and finance, transportation, healthcare and retail, and paved the way for a new modern metropolis, District 2020, which is set to become a fascinating attraction for travellers in the future.

Expo 2020 will place our emirate at the heart of a dynamic international agenda, enabling us to demonstrate our position as a leading global city for trade, investment and tourism.

Q: How is Dubai setting global benchmarks for destination best practice in terms of sustainability and achieving Net Zero?

We have embedded sustainability at the heart of our tourism strategy.

Dubai’s sustainability agenda dovetails with global efforts to combat climate change and preserve and protect natural bio-diversities and ecosystems, while supporting the UAE’s commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the UAE NetZero 2050 initiative, as well as strengthening Dubai’s position as a leading sustainable destination.

IN NUMBERS

2021

7.28mn

International overnight visitors

+32% Year-on-year growth

67% Hotel occupancy No.1

Globally in Bloomberg's Covid Resilience Ranking

2022

24mn

Expo 2020 visits No.1

Global destination in the Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards 2022.

No.1

Destination for ‘City Lovers’ No.4

Destination for ‘Food Lovers’

As the travel industry continues to evolve and innovate, Dubai has launched major initiatives designed to meet the needs of a new generation of travellers who are seeking to explore destinations that are committed to sustainability.

The Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan will further reinforce the city’s diverse development programmes, as we strive to make Dubai the best city in the world to live and work in.

The recent launch of the Dubai Can initiative, the brainchild of His Highness, Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council of Dubai, has received an overwhelming response as it encourages people to undertake simple lifestyle changes such as using refillable water bottles and public water stations and installing water filters in their homes, offices and schools to turn the tide on plastic and inspire mass action to actively reduce the use of singleuse plastic bottles.

Sustainability projects such as Dubai Can are imperative as we gear up to welcome travellers who actively seek out sustainable tourism experiences.

Q: What are the primary objectives for strengthening Dubai’s tourism sector in 2022?

We are continuing to build on the momentum of last year, as well as the recently concluded Expo 2020, with the DET looking to drive and support growth across all sectors.

Initiatives will be introduced to further increase visitor arrivals, strengthen relationships with the travel trade and explore new channels to source visitors. By highlighting Dubai’s versatility, we plan to demonstrate its position as a thriving global hub for business, tourism, gastronomy, retail and events.

We remain committed to advancing Dubai’s proposition in collaboration with city stakeholders and partners, to ensure every visitor is able to explore, experience and enjoy our diverse offering.

Beyond attracting visitors, it remains our priority to ensure that visitors, entrepreneurs and investors are provided the best incentives and opportunities and are able to take advantage of the various initiatives designed to support tourism growth, including new visa categories and programmes such as the Five Year Multi Entry Visa for employees of multinational corporations, and the Retire in Dubai and Virtual working programmes.

While we continue to follow a diversified multi-geographic approach to markets, we will also focus on domestic tourism, which clearly played a pivotal role in driving Dubai’s tourism economy in 2020 and 2021 and is continuing to do so in 2022.

We also look forward to the opening of new attractions and infrastructure and leverage our year-round calendar of leisure and business events to attract more visitors.

As travel confidence increases, we expect to see momentum accelerating throughout 2022 and beyond, as more people discover Dubai’s wide tourism appeal.

Q: How will the destination build on its reputation as one of the world’s most in-demand destinations?

Dubai’s success is driven by its ability to evolve and adapt, based on a diversified market strategy that ensures there is no over reliance on any single market or region.

During the past year, we have welcomed a more diversified visitor profile – from global professionals to remote workers, to ‘bleisure’ travellers, to multi-generational families and international millennials, alongside our core traveller segment.

In addition to the global tourism market, we are placing emphasis on further developing the high-value domestic market. Ultimately, our goal is to strengthen our existing and emerging markets, as well as identifying new growth opportunities at home and overseas, while creating unique value and providing the best guest experience, even as we promote the city as a global liveability hub that is home to more than 200 nationalities and delivering exceptional experiences and an outstanding quality of life.

Q: What role will digital/VR/AR play in the visitor experience?

The DET is committed to a mobile first, digital first agenda, customising its visitor experience for travellers from each source market based on the audience mix and segment preferences. These include the use of integrated mobile apps, immersive gamification, and creating unique pathways for start-ups to ensure a transformative travel experience. At the outset of the global challenge, we accelerated the use of digital platforms and remote campaigns to position Dubai as a safe destination for global travellers and sustain its international appeal. We even launched a series of digital activations across social media and digital platforms and partnered with global technology and internet leaders and digital platforms like Microsoft, Google and Snapchat to raise destination awareness in a creative way. With the growing presence of technology in the travel lifecycle, and with increasing demand for unique travel offerings and bespoke customer-centric experiences, it is crucial to stay abreast of the consumers’ rapidly evolving needs by embracing data, analytics and disruptive innovation to further raise awareness of the destination, its diversity of offerings and experiences. Hence, we foresee a future led by digital, VR and AR platforms and products that will be welcomed by both destinations and travellers.