Expect arrivals from India to maintain 2.2% growth in 2018: Dubai Tourism

Dubai expects to maintain strong over 2 per cent year-on-year increase in arrivals from India, continuing to be its top source market for visitor arrivals for 2018, a top Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM) official said Wednesday.

In 2017, Dubai witnessed over twenty lakh arrivals from India. It was for the first time any source market crossed this mark.

"As a minimum, we want to keep the pace of growth we have seen in the first seven months to continue. Obviously our efforts are towards making sure that the campaigns we have been doing since beginning of the year push for more than that," DCTCM CEO Issam AbdulRahim Kazim told PTI.

Till July this 1.2 million visitors from India had visited Dubai, it was about 2.2 per cent growth on a year-on-year basis, he added.

India currently is the top source market for Dubai, followed by Saudi Arabia and the UK at second and the third spots respectively, Kazim said.

On being asked about the initiatives, the Dubai tourism is taking for making it a preferred destination for Indian visitors, Kazim said it is by providing more customised experiences to the visitors.

"We are making efforts for increasing the length of the stay and repeat visitations as part of our strategy. We are also using diversified approach to tap all segments of visitors from India," he added.

Dubai has also launched campaigns focussing on families targeting school breaks, monsoon season, food festivals and campaigns around festivals such as Diwali campaign for Indian travellers, Kazim said.

Before the conclusion of the year 2018, DTCM will also run the leisure and adventure focus campaign in India, he added.

"We ensure that our campaigns are not umbrella campaign but provide right message and at a right platform to the people in India," Kazim said.

Dubai's Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) aims to increase the awareness of Dubai among global audiences and to attract tourists and inward investment into the emirate.