WTM with CEO of Dubai Tourism

ITTN interviewed Issam Abdul Rahim Kazim (Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Corporation for Tourism & Commerce Marketing / Dubai Tourism) to discover the latest news and updates from this increasingly popular destination.

As Issam explained, “Most people when they see Dubai on a map, they think it’s like a small little city like a dot… a stopover while transiting through to a final destination and that a couple of days would be more than enough.”

“It’s only when you come in and you spend some time and explore. You realise why it is one of the most popular destinations.” The statistics speak for themselves. A massive 25% are repeat visitors that return within 12 months (based on 2019 figures).

Multi-National Population

Issam shared, “We’ve got about 200 nationalities – they have chosen Dubai to be home and they make up roughly 90% of the population. So, you see literally people from all walks of life in Dubai. This is home to them and it has been home for some, for a couple of generations now. Since COVID, we’ve launched new visa programs. So people now retiring in Dubai, not only the ones already in Dubai but people are now starting to track their friends and relatives to come and retire as well.”

Relocating to Dubai

Issam explained “You are seeing a lot of global and region headquarters that have relocated to Dubai. We already had many but many more are moving in now because of the can-do attitude, staying open, the efficiency of doing business and you’ve got the largest in terms of the busiest international airport in the world.”

“We’re connected by Emirates Airlines to all parts of the world through Dubai. You have one of the largest port operators in Dubai, which is DP World so when it comes to shipping logistics and all these things, the infrastructure itself in Dubai lends itself, perfectly, for business and therefore also for leisures well, and and vice versa.”

An Irish Perspective

“So for us also, we look at it from an Irish perspective, many of the key players within the travel trade, or Irish. So we’ve got for example. Gerald Lawless, one of the founding fathers of the Jumeirah brand of hospitality is Irish.” explained Issam.

He continued, “Emirates Airlines – you had Mauris Flanagan who’s British but of Irish origin, who is one of the founders of Emirates Airlines. You’ve got Colm McLoughlin who was the father of the Dubai Duty-Free and it’s still there today. He is Irish as well. You have got so many from Irish backgrounds who are actually living in Dubai and it has been home to them.”

Michelin Guide

“They launched the first Michelin guide in the region, it was a Dubai guide and we had immediately 69 restaurants. Year two, which was this year, we have now 90 restaurants listed several of which are homegrown concepts. We have started to export our restaurants as well.”, he shared.

Luxury for Big Spenders & Affordable Luxury

Isaam stated “When you talk about hotels, we talk about five-star, four-star, three-star; all across the board to make sure that Dubai is not luxury and only looking at the big spenders but we want to also be known as affordable luxurious as well. And our three-star, I guarantee you our three-star can compete with many five stars around the world as well in terms of quality, services and quality of the rooms and everything else.”

Isaam explains these are the things that have really changed people’s perception of Dubai, especially since COVID when not many destinations were open. People opted to try it, thinking it was expensive but realised it can be affordable if you want it to be. This new mindset of the consumer is boosting traveller numbers.

Safety in Dubai

Issam shared, “When it comes to, for example, the safety of people walking at night, we’re number one in the world. With overall safety, we’re number two only to Norway. This is again a lot of facts that people don’t necessarily know. If you look at different metrics, Dubai is always within the top two or three globally when it comes to safety.”

Length of Stay

Interestingly, Issam detailed that “The length of stay has changed from 2.53 days. Now the average is 3.8 because we have a lot of business travellers, but most of the leisure travellers are staying for 10 days or two weeks and a lot of these guys are repeat visitors as well.”

Jumeirah Beach Hotel

This is one of the most popular destinations because of the variety of options that you have. There is a whole group of hotels next to each other making the area feel like a resort. It has a waterpark right in the centre making it hugely popular with families. Equally, families can chill by the beach. Travellers can opt for the Aquaventure Waterpark at Atlantis Dubai which is also home to a colossal aquarium. There is also DPR (Dubai Parks & Resorts) which has four different theme parks: Motiongate Dubai, Legoland Dubai, Neon Galaxy and a waterpark, Legoland Water Park. Plus Dubai Mall has an extensive retail offering as well as experiences such as an ice rink or ski slope indoors. As Issam explains, on top of all this, Dubai offers a level of service that is second to none.

Doing a Lot Right

With passenger numbers exhibiting material growth year-on-year, it’s clear Dubai are doing an awful lot exceptionally well.