Dubai aims to double visitor arrivals by 2020

Dubai aims to double visitor arrivals by 2020
By admin


Dubai will seek to double its visitation to 20 million arrivals per year with the aim of tripling tourism's contribution to its economy, it has been revealed.

Tourism officials unveiled the Tourism Vision 2020 plan at the weekend, identifying development initiatives and "high quality" projects, including infrastructure and capacity growth, as core to its growth strategy.

Dubai's prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, said the targets reflect the growing economic importance of tourism for the destination which has seen arrivals double from five million to 10 million per annum over the last eight years.

"We are aware such goals are ambitious, but more important than ambition is realising these goals in reality," he said.

"We are confident that the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) is capable of achieving what it aims for given the previous accomplishments and the positive results attained."

In order to achieve the targets set out by the plan, DTCM director general, Helal Saeed Almarri, said the tourism body will attempt to maintain market share across the board, while homing in on emerging markets and driving up the number of repeat visits.Increasing length of stay and average expenditure will also remain a focus as the destination makes a play for the family, MICE and business travel markets, he added.

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