One of the largest and oldest travel companies in Dubai, Net Tours, is spreading its wings in the region.
The company has opened branches in Abu Dhabi, Oman and Qatar and also has representative offices in four major European countries - the UK, Germany, France, Italy - besides representatives for Benelux states, Australia and Japan. Net Tours was set up in 1989 and is today a major inbound and outbound tour operator in Dubai. It is now part of an umbrella company, the Net Group of Companies, which also include several specialised units covering the whole spectrum of the travel industry. "The expansion will enable Net Group to consider combination packages which will include Dubai, Oman and Qatar," said the group's sales and marketing manager Mathew Kurian. He said the company has been actively involved with Dubai's Department of Tourism & Commerce Marketing in promoting the emirate as a tourist destination and has co-sponsored roadshows in various markets like India (Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad); Far East (Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Japan) as well as Russia and the CIS. The Net Group comprises of Net Tours and Travels which offers both inbound and outbound travel packages; Incentive Productions which caters to the growing incentives market; Net Cruises, catering exclusively to the cruise industry; Net Conferences & Conventions which targets the conference and convention market one of the fastest growing segments in Dubai; and Net Transport which provides various transport facilities and infrastructure. Kurian said Net Tours offers meet & greet service at the Dubai airport, hotel transfers, and a wide spectrum of packages covering UAE's cultural and historical places. "We also offer trips, combination packages, cruises, desert trips, round trips, and safaris and fixed departures trips to Oman, etc," he said. Locally, Kurian said one of the popular tours for the local community as well as for tourists is the Half Day Desert Safari. "On an average we have between 55 to 120 persons per day for this safari, depending on the season and the day of the week," he said. He said the company offered a variety of outbound packages with the Far East and South Asian destinations being among the most popular. The packages are offered in association with three to five star hotels and include a range of special deals like an extra night's free accommodation, free stay for children and food and beverage discounts. He said Incentive Productions was also currently offering a special travel agent package to promote Dubai to incentive agents until September. The group will also be expanding and upgrading its fleet of cars, luxury coaches and camps to cater to the requirements of travellers during the holiday season. Net Transport currently has a fleet of 19 luxury coaches, 45 Landcruisers, two traditional dhows and six desert campsites.