Dubai welcomed more than 14.2 million overnight visitors in 2015, marking a 7.5 per cent increase over 2014 and doubling the United Nations World Travel Organisation’s (UNWTO) projected 3 to 4 per cent global travel growth for the
same period.
The GCC maintained the strongest regional foothold, delivering the highest share of visitor volumes for 2015, with a total of 3.3 million, up 12.8 per cent over 2014. Western Europe remained the second highest regional contributor to visitor volumes, bringing in nearly 3 million tourists, reflecting a solid 6.1 per cent growth in numbers.Additionally, India became Dubai’s number one source market for the first time by bringing in over 1.6 million overnight visitors. With 26 per cent year-on-year growth, it was also the second fastest growing market among Dubai’s top 10 source markets for inbound tourism, says Issam Kazim, CEO, Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM), the newly established body responsible for the branding, promotion and marketing of the emirate of Dubai. Saudi Arabia remained the GCC’s lead market and came second overall, contributing 1.54 million visitors, followed by the UK in third with 11 per cent growth, accounting for nearly 1.2 million visitors.Meanwhile, the increased number of tourists was also reflected in the emirate’s hotel industry, which registered a total of 26.4 million occupied rooms in 2015, compared to 24.97 million the previous year. Dubai’s hotel inventory also saw significant growth and diversification, with the number of establishments increasing by three per cent and the number of rooms by six per cent, offering visitors even greater choice.According to the 2015 MasterCard Destination Cities Index, Dubai was the fourth most visited city in the world by international visitors, which is evidence of the emirate’s standing as an international tourism destination. Other accolades and ratings support this: Dubai is the business and events hub for the Middle East and North Africa region as well as home to the region’s best-performing hotel market; the city also has the busiest airport in the world for international passengers, Kazim tells
TTN.'As a growing trend globally, people don’t just want to ‘see’ a city; they want to ‘experience’ it. And this is where Dubai excels – offering visitors the chance, for example, to skydive over The Palm, sample local street food in Deira, take afternoon tea at the Burj Al Arab, see and be seen at the Dubai World Cup and witness New Year’s Eve fireworks in Downtown Dubai,' he says. 'We need to ensure that visitors and potential visitors are aware of everything our city has to offer, including the wealth of experiences that appeal to even the most demanding traveller, and this includes both ‘bucket-list’ experiences and those more off the beaten track,' he adds. Dubai also appeals to the new global traveller. With the growth of the middle classes in emerging markets – especially India and China – millions of people are travelling beyond their national borders for the first time. 'While there is, of course, huge competition among destinations around the globe to appeal to these first-time tourists, they still present an incredible opportunity for us, especially given our strategic location between East and West. To enable us to compete on a global level, we have made a significant investment in understanding what these new travellers are looking for and how we can better cater to their needs,' reveals Kazim.Dubai also has a strong reputation as a family destination, with a quality hospitality offering and a range of attractions suitable for all ages. It is also well-known for luxury, shopping, sun and sand as well as its numerous iconic landmarks. In addition, as a regional events hub, Dubai hosts top international consumer and trade events that attract millions of visitors every year – complemented by the emirate’s strong Mice (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) industry.Dubai already attracts visitors from a wide range of countries across the globe, and each visitor is unique when it comes to what they look for in a destination. By focusing on these details and catering to these needs, Dubai is able to compete with other major cities around the world, he notes.Dubai’s visitors come from across the globe. Its top 10 source markets – made up of India, Saudi Arabia, UK, Oman, US, Pakistan, Iran, Germany, China and Kuwait – contributed 57 per cent of the total number of visitors in 2015. This means 43 per cent of visitors came from elsewhere, including countries such as Australia, France, Italy, Egypt, Russia, Nigeria, Jordan and Canada. This can be attributed to Dubai’s long-standing fragmented source market approach, the growth of home-grown airlines Emirates and Flydubai, as well as the emirate’s geographic position, with one third of the world’s population within a four-hour flight away and two thirds within an eight-hour flight away.A key focus for Dubai Tourism is continuing to diversify source markets, with its efforts targeted at attracting new, first-time visitors from emerging markets as well as driving both new and repeat visitors from strong, established markets, such as India. 'We anticipate our top 10 source markets to remain broadly unchanged, yet we are witnessing an increased propensity to travel in emerging markets such as China, Brazil, Africa and Latin America, where a rising middle-class is creating a generation of first-time travellers,' says Kazim. A combination of Dubai’s connectivity, open visa policies and broad destination appeal enables it to leverage the accelerating trend of travel between emerging and mature destinations. For instance, a visa regulation announced in 2014, granting citizens of the five BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) members a multi-entry cruise visa to the UAE, has boosted tourism from these markets.Dubai Tourism operates four offices in China (Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu), an office in the Russian capital, Moscow, and an office in Mumbai, India. 'We also have a representative office in Sao Paulo, Brazil. In addition to these, we actively participate in consumer and trade shows in all BRICS markets, and organise road shows and familiarisation trips for travel media and trade,' he says. Both India and China showed particularly strong growth in 2015. Inbound traffic from China topped the leader board of year-on-year growth trends with a 29 per cent increase in numbers, amounting to a total of 450,000 Chinese tourists arriving last year. 2015 was also the first time that China featured among Dubai’s top 10 source markets.While the number of Russian visitors to Dubai decreased last year due to currency devaluation and the country’s economic situation, Russia remains a key source market in the long term, and Dubai is continuing to invest in the Russian market.
By K S Sreekumar
