Tour companies in Dubai are doing good business over the summer and some expect an increase of 30 per cent in business.
This is due to increased tourist interest as a result of the annual Dubai Summer Surprises (DSS), say industry insiders.
“The DSS has been very good so far as we already have lots of inquiries for the holidays. The good news is that there is more awareness about Dubai now and the city is attracting tourists in huge numbers every year,” said Denis Hicban, business development manager, Lama group of companies.
Although summer is a relatively tough time for outdoor excursions in Dubai, the increase in the number of inquiries and booking this year indicates an upsurge in the trend. “It’s a misconception that people don’t prefer desert tours in summers. Evenings in the desert are pleasant anyway so we have lot of tourists opting for the safari. In addition, we give our customers huge summer discounts,” said a representative from Arabian Nights Tours and Travel.
The sales department of the Big Bus Company confirms that ever since the company’s business has been growing steadily even during the summer. However, the trend so far has been very positive for the company which conducts city tours in Dubai. This year the business is expected to be more than 30 per cent higher than last year during the same period. The company receives maximum enquiries from European tourists during the summer.
For most tour operators dealing in inbound tourism, the GCC market has been traditionally strong but in the recent past there has been a noticeable increase in demand for Dubai in the overseas markets as well especially Europe. Summer time welcomes lots of tourists from Germany, Italy, France and Russia as well as from the Far East and Australia which are beginning to open up now.
“We are looking forward to receiving guests from India, Germany, Austria, Malta, Albania and Turkey which are the key markets for our company. This time around we are also expecting business from the Far East as there have been some queries from the region,” said Hicban.