DTCM hosts record number of familiarisation missions

The number of missions went up by 12% compared with the corresponding period last year. In 2005, an all-time record 501 missions were hosted, an increase of 34% compared with the previous year.

The DTCM Director General, Mr. Khalid A bin Sulayem said: "The main purpose of hosting missions is to familiarize the world with the massive transformation that Dubai has undergone and the status of different projects underway."

He said hosting of such a large number of missions forms part of the strategy to promote and market Dubai as an ideal year-round business and leisure destination in different parts of the world.

Mr. bin Sulayem said the department will host tourism and media missions from the new and emerging source markets of Dubai's tourism industry. Representatives of big travel organizations are included in the familiarization programmes.

The total number of people hosted under the familiarization programme in the first nine months of 2006 was 4916. Last year, 5782 decision-makers from the world of travel, sports and media in addition to other professionals visited Dubai under hosted mission programme as against 2618 people in 2004, an increase of 78%.

In the first three quarters of this year, the highlight number of missions originated from Germany. As many as 558 German professionals and officials toured Dubai in 74 missions. The UK and Japan had 41 missions each with 468 and 368 people benefiting, respectively.

Mr. bin Sulayem said: "The missions programme has been having a cascading impact on Dubai's tourism which has been recording impressive year-on-year growth in tourist arrivals. These missions have helped generate publicity about Dubai that is worth millions of dirhams."

The DTCM also hosts missions during important occasions like the Dubai Shopping Festival, Dubai Summer Surprises, Dubai World Cup, Dubai Desert Classic and the Arabian Travel Mart.