DTCM officials discuss new marketing initiatives with Dubai Stand co-participants at GIBTM-2009

He discussed the new marketing and promotional initiatives designed to boost hotel occupancies and attract more visitors from across the world during this year.

Also present at the meeting were Mr. Mohammed Khamis bin Hareb, DTCM Executive Director Operations and Marketing, and Mr. Eyad Ali Abdul Rahman, DTCM Executive Director Media Relations and Acting Director Business Development.

Dubai Stand measures 406 square metres and has 57 co-participants representing a broad spectrum of hotels, hotel apartments, DMCs and other public and private sector organizations keen to tap the MICE industry potential.

The new initiatives are part of DTCM's continued efforts to market Dubai as a leading leisure and business destination and maintain tourism industry's market competitiveness.

The participants reviewed the global tourism industry market trends and a number of new initiatives aimed at attracting more visitors to Dubai from across the world, especially the Arabian Gulf Cooperation Council (AGCC) states, and boosting hotel occupancies which remained high during the months of January and February this year.

He said the department, in cooperation with the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) and Dubai Summer Surprises (DSS) Office, will hold workshops and Press conferences in the AGCC states soon to promote Dubai during the summer holidays and the Holy Month of Ramadan. Details of the initiatives will be announced shortly.

Mr. bin Sulayem said the new initiatives over the remainder of the year will help generate even better levels of hotel occupancies and help draw more tourists from different parts of the world.

During the meeting, it was agreed that the hoteliers will offer best rates and holiday packages to the visitors, especially during the summer months.

Dubai retained its strong position with its hotels posting all-time high record revenues of Dhs15.25bn and a double-digit increase in room inventory in 2008.Dubai hotel establishments played a host to 6,996,449 guests in 2008, up from 6,951,798 visitors in the previous year.

The slight increase in guest numbers enabled Dubai hotels and hotel apartment posting Dhs15.25bn in revenues, an impressive increase of 15% over the previous year. A 15.9% increase was also recorded in the number of hotel rooms and hotel apartments, which stood at 49,598%.

A three-month familiarization programme -Keep Discovering Dubai- targeting 2000 tour operators, MICE agents and Media representatives had been launched by DTCM in cooperation with Emirates Airlines and other key players of Dubai's tourism industry to provide them a hands-on experience of Dubai.