Dubai reaffirms its position as a top tourism spot for families

Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) hosted a virtual town hall meeting for industry stakeholders, providing an overview of the tourism sector and global travel updates and trends, as well as insights into source markets, initiatives, campaigns and events designed to highlight Dubai’s position as the destination of choice for families during summer time.

The Summer 2021 Virtual Town Hall, presided by Issam Kazim, CEO of Dubai Tourism, is part of the regular top-level industry engagements initiated by Dubai Tourism to ensure the entire industry is seamlessly aligned with the marketing communications and campaigns dedicated to tourism growth.

The meeting, attended by over 600 key executives from the hospitality, travel and attractions sectors, reviewed the progress made by the industry since the reopening of the city to domestic tourism in May 2020 and international tourists in July 2020. It also reviewed the strong measures in place to safeguard the health and well-being of residents and visitors.

During the meeting, it was noted that the wide ranging steps taken by Dubai to successfully manage the pandemic resulted in the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) awarding the emirate the ‘Safe Travels’ stamp. Dubai also launched its own compliance programme, the DUBAI ASSURED stamp to certify and recognise establishments across the tourism ecosystem that have complied with all safety protocols. An ongoing countrywide vaccination campaign has also placed the UAE among the top five nations globally in terms of overall vaccine rollout.

The Town Hall provided an insight into Dubai Tourism’s direction and plans for Summer 2021, to enable stakeholders to leverage and benefit from the various marketing initiatives and ensure the whole city is aligned and able to collectively showcase Dubai as a multi-faceted must-visit family destination.

The new global marketing campaign, which will be launched in May, is aimed at promoting Dubai as an attractive summer destination that offers families a diversity of offerings and experiences to choose from. The campaign will join the series of activations launched by Dubai Tourism across broadcast and digital platforms in key markets since the start of the pandemic to keep Dubai top of mind among global travellers when they plan their next vacation and position it as one of the safest cities in the world to visit.

Participants at the Town Hall were also provided an outline of Dubai’s summer calendar of events including the much-awaited Dubai Summer Surprises, the region’s biggest summer festival and the Eid in Dubai - Eid Al Adha celebrations. Innovative promotions, incentives and value-for-money deals that await families during the summer season in Dubai include discounted rates on hotel stays or airline tickets, vouchers or bonus points to encourage repeat visitation, flexible and unique offers and inclusions within the summer period for family conveniences and added value.

Dubai offers more value than any comparable destination with its world class infrastructure, the vast scope of its events and entertainment centres and hassle free entry process, making it the most preferred city for families. In fact, children below the age of 18 are allowed visa free access to the city, when accompanied by their parents. It was pointed out that the continued collaboration between Dubai Tourism and its stakeholders and partners has greatly enhanced the quality and diversity of the destination’s offerings and events, paving the way for Dubai to offer an unbeatable summer holiday package.

While the pace of the global industry revival in 2021 will be highly dependent on the evolving COVID-19 situation, and the easing of travel restrictions in several countries, it was emphasised that Dubai as a destination will be guided by its diversified market strategy with the industry’s ability to quickly react to changes market by market, helping Dubai to maintain its position at the forefront of the world’s leading travel destinations.

During a Q & A session at the end of the Town Hall, Dubai Tourism CEO answered a wide range of questions related to visas, quarantine and safety measures, vaccination programme and the Summer 2021 campaign and calendar.