Dubai has unveiled a raft of new projects to enable it to achieve its ambitious tourism goals, with a new brand and logo part of the mix.
At Arabian Travel Market earlier this week, Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) revealed its aim to achieve the title of world’s most visited city – a title currently held by London. Dubai currently ranks at number 7.
The new target joins its existing goal of doubling visitation to the emirate to 20 million arrivals per year by 2020 with the aim of tripling tourism's contribution to its economy.
“While the city is already seen as a must-visit destination, a continuous drive to innovate will lead to a constant reinvention of the visitor experience creating one that is unrivalled anywhere else in the world,” DTCM director general Helal Almarri told a media briefing in Dubai.
He revealed a number of measures designed to achieve these goals, with preparations for its hosting of Expo 2020 to form a major part of the process. Other plans include a new brand campaign and city logo, to be unveiled at ATM, along with the recent establishment of the Dubai Corporation for Marketing and Tourism (DCMT), an increased network of overseas offices and the merging of the DTCM with Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE).
A new social media campaign, #MyDubai, also encourages visitors and locals to take photos of Dubai and share them on Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #MyDubai. In doing so, DTCM hopes to capture a “social media autobiography” of the city, further cementing its reputation worldwide as a premier destination for travel.
Some of the other projects that form part of DTCM’s future focus to attract more visitors include IMG World, Dubai Safari Project, Blue Water Island and Mohammed Bin Rashid City.
Art and culture also form an important part of Dubai’s vision for the future, with confirmation the Dubai Food Festival will return after its successful debut this year, and this year’s hosting of this year’s Dubai International Film Festival and Emirates Airline Festival of Literature.
Having hosted musicians including Justin Bieber and The Killers this year, it was stated that Dubai as a venue for music concerts would be a continuing focus into the future. Recent concerts held in Dubai include the Blended concert, in which Elvis Costello, Diana Krall and Xavier Rudd performed.
Meanwhile, the destination revealed growth in international visitation of 10.6% in 2013 year on year equating to 11 million hotel guests. Guest nights rose 11% on 2012 figures.
Those numbers put the destination “on track” to hit its Tourism 2020 target, DTCM confirmed.
