Dubai bags another global award for its spectacular tourism development

Travel and tourism industry decision-makers and readers of an influential Spanish monthly, Viajes y Turismo, have voted Dubai as the 'best original destination' by an overwhelming majority from a list of destinations short-listed for this award category.

The DTCM Manager Overseas Promotions, Mr. Khalifa Ali Buamaim, received the award from Mr. Faustino Castilla Santamaria, Director of the Madrid-based publishing house, at the Dubai Stand on the sidelines of the Arabian Travel Market (ATM-2004) which concludes tomorrow.

A Spanish delegation to the four-day regional tourism and travel exhibition and DTCM officials, including the DTCM Executive Overseas Promotions, Mr. Saleh Al Geziry, were present at the ceremony.

Representatives of the 84 co-participating organizations of the DTCM-organized stand too joined the presentation ceremony on Wednesday.

After receiving the certificate and a memento, Mr. Bumaim said: "The award from this influential publication is another acknowledgement of the hard work and dedication that both the public and private sectors have been putting in over the years to put Dubai more firmly on the world tourism map. We appreciate the honour given to us and assure to the global community that we will work even harder to keep up the confidence posed in us.

He said the number of Spanish visitors staying with the Dubai hotel establishments have been increasing each year with the year 2002 recording an impressive 20 per cent growth over the previous year and the year 2003 registering 18 per cent increase despite the negative trends that played havoc with the global tourism industry.

The department has been aggressively promoting Dubai as an ideal year-round business and leisure destination in different parts of the world through its network of 13 Overseas Representation offices.

It participates in a large number of exhibitions and conducts road shows to tap new and emerging markets in addition to consolidating its already strong position in crucial markets.

Mr. Al Geziry said Europe has remained a strong source market for the Dubai tourism industry, with the UK and Germany contributing the most number of tourists.

An eight per cent growth in European guests was recorded by the Dubai hotel establishments in 2003 with a total of 1,294,885 visitors, up from 934,239 guests three years ago.

Mr. Faustino said: "Dubai's fast and firm rise on the world tourism map is the result of the collective efforts of every one involved with the tourism industry and its approach towards crossing more miles to be on the world's top 10 destinations."

He remarked: "As a destination, Dubai has been developed from the scratch in a record time. It is, without any doubts, the best original destination. Spaniards likes Dubai as the destination that offers the best of Arabia amidst the equally best modern-day facilities. This growth and equally strong popularity confirms Dubai delivering much beyond the visitors' expectations."

The monthly publication from Madrid has a wide readership among the Spanish-speaking travel and tourism industry professionals for the past 12 years. This year's awards list included hotels, tour operators, and destination management companies and operators of other tourist facilities from across the world.

Dubai has won 14 awards in 2003 in different categories of overseas exhibitions and readers' polls of reputed media outlets abroad.

The DTCM, created in January 1997 replacing a promotion board that existed for nine years, is the principal authority for planning, supervision, and development of the tourism in Dubai. It oversees the licensing of hotels, hotel apartments, tour operators, and tour guides.