Dubai Update

The DTCM’s major involvement at World Travel Market last November commenced with a flying start on the first day, when new director Ian Scott received a brace of Selling Long Haul awards on behalf of the London office.Presented by Martin Steady, managing director of BMI Publications, which publishes the monthly magazine, the awards were for the 2007 Tourist Office offering the best overall service to the trade, and the Tourist Office which offers the best all-round range of training initiatives for agents.

The accolades came at the end of a year in which the DTCM was also named Best Middle East/African Tourist Board at the British Travel Awards, won the Best Middle East/Africa destination title in the Irish Travel Trade News awards, and was a finalist both in the Best Tourist Board and Best Training Programme categories at the Travel Trade Gazette Awards, and as the Best Golf Destination at the Irish Travel Trade News Awards.

DTCM looks to the future..

Director Ian Scott comments that “spending on leisure and tourism projects in the Middle East will reach £1.5 trillion over the next 20 years, and current investment in Dubai is well over £60 billion.There are many exciting new developments to keep the emirate ahead of the game, with the announcement of ‘The Universe’ further expanding Dubai’s coastline with a cluster of large coral shaped islands which will spread from The Palm Jumeirah to The Palm Deira.As well as the forthcoming opening of Atlantis, The Palm, and Burj Dubai bringing the total number of new beds to over 5,500 this year alone, and ensuring that the emirate’s reputation for iconic hotels continues.”

The UK remains the leading source market to Dubai,with British visitor numbers expected to grow from 700,000 to 1.4 million by 2010, the challenge for the DTCM’s London office is to maintain the momentum.

He adds that “from a trade perspective, we are creating a third module for our Dubai Expert online training programme and enhancing incentives for agents to complete the course. In addition, we are planning two mega familiarisation trips for top scoring Dubai Expert graduates, a series of tour operator dinners, and to increase the frequency of our Dubai Update newsletter and make it digital. For consumers, our advertising will emphasise the emirate’s diversity, and we will launch a new metasearch platform, www.dubaitravelmarket.co.uk,where they can learn about the destination before booking through a range of travel trade partners.”

Dubai grows green

All new buildings in Dubai will now be developed to green standards, according to global benchmarks in sustainable development and a clean environment. The decision makes the emirate the first city in the Middle East,and one of the first in the world, to introduce this method, a major contribution to international efforts to control climate change. In further environment-friendly moves, developer Nakheel has pledged Dh500 million (£68.4 million) over the next five years to fund its new Blue Communities coastal sustainability initiative, and Dubai is to have 30 parks by 2011.