DUBAI BUSINESS EVENTS HOSTS ASIA STUDY TOUR

Dubai is well known as tourist hotspot. It would therefore be of little surprise to learn that the visitor numbers to the Emirate have risen from 0.6 million in 1990 to a whopping 11 million in 2013. Even the destination’s national carrier has seen strong growth, moving from 80,000 passengers when it began operations in 1985, to 46 million that it carries annually today. Needless to say, tourism soon became a major focus for Dubai, outrunning traditional businesses such as pearl fishing and even the famous oil and gas industry.

For Indians, Dubai has always been an oft-visited destination, starting with VFR travel owing to the large number of Indian expatriates in the Emirate, and growing to include other segments as well. So much so that Dubai welcomed 3,000 short of one million Indian visitors in 2014. One of the major source segments from the market is MICE as a result of the Emirate’s close proximity to India as well as state-of-the-art facilities for all MICE related needs.

Keeping in mind the strong growth trajectory of MICE from India and other Asian countries, Dubai Business Events organised a Dubai Asia Study Tour to showcase the Emirate as the ideal MICE destination. The Study Tour invited a mix of agents and media from across Asia and gave them a glimpse of the various venues and services available to host a successful event in Dubai.

The Study Tour was organised and hosted by Dubai Business Events, an arm of Dubai Tourism in charge of MICE activities in the Emirate. The entity recently opened it’s India office in Mumbai which is led by Vijay Puthran, India Representative, Dubai Business Events. Royal Arabian, Hunter Tourism, Desert Gate and Connect World were the Study Tour’s on-ground handlers.

Speaking at the inaugural dinner of the Study Tour, Steen Jakobsen, Director, Dubai Business Events said that tourism and hospitality accounts for over 20 per cent of the Emirate’s GDP and is hence a major focus for the government. The destination’s vision is to welcome 20 million visitors by 2020, making it the most visited city.

“We notched a growth of 6 per cent in 2014, which puts us well on our way to our 2020 vision. We have big expectations from the Expo 2020 – 25 million visitors at the time, which will add 1-2 per cent to our GDP. It will also prove our capability as a business events destination,” Jakobsen added.

He further stated that the aim is to make Dubai a premium destination for business events, making it the most visited city by this segment as well. “We hope to build strong relations between the trade visiting FAMs such as this one and the Dubai venues to propel business flow between the two. Dubai Business Events is, of course, available to help in planning and execution,” he said.


Dubai’s roadmap

During a media roundtable during the Study Tour, Jakobsen revealed that Dubai Business Events is following three strategies for increased business: To increase Dubai’s market share in global events that travel to new venues every year; to attract new local and regional events that can be home grown and made stronger; and to increase the number of visitors at these events. They work with event organisers globally to ensure numbers and also develop new events that will take place in Dubai annually, he said.

“The 2020 aim is to welcome 3-4 million visitors annually just for events, and we need a strong strategy for this. We also know working with ground handlers etc. is important, and are hence encouraging partnerships and collaborations among stakeholders for conference deliverables,” said Jakobsen.

Infrastructure construction is also beginning for 2020 as well as for events beyond the Expo to allow the hosting of international trade shows, he added. Among these are the Legoland theme park, Bollywood Park and Motion Gate Park slated to be ready by 2016. “India is a very strong market with even more potential. We hope the Bollywood Park will push numbers further,” said Jakobsen.

Saudi Arabia, India and UK are the Emirate’s top markets, with China and Africa among the emerging sectors. The Emirate also perceives a growth in interest from Latin America. Emirates and flydubai are both increasing their routes to India reflecting the importance of the market, opined Jakobsen.


Venues steal the show

The Dubai Asia Study Tour gave the attendees a peek at some of the best MICE venues available in the Emirate. Among these were hotels with impressive space and services to cater to every kind of event. The JW Marriott Marquis Dubai, the tallest hotel in the world, features 1608 rooms, including penthouse suites that are rented out for product launches and press conferences. The hotel also boasts of expansive meeting and banquet spaces and sees an average of four weddings a week, largely of Arabic and Indian families.

The Address Montogomerie Dubai opened its golf course to the visitors, showcasing the greens as ideal for team building activities.

The Sheraton Grand Hotel Dubai features smaller meeting rooms for events seating about 100 when divided into three meeting spaces. The property also boasts six restaurants, including one that serves Indian cuisine.

The Atlantis the Palm Dubai, The Palm Jumeirah’s iconic hotel features large ballrooms and meeting spaces, and also welcomes several Indian weddings at the venue. It’s unique Aquarium themed restaurant is also popular for small events and meetings.

The Dubai World Trade Centre features over 90,000 sqm of exhibition space, and is set to add even more when its ongoing expansion is completed.

Last but not the least was a visit to the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding (SMCCU), a not-for-profit unit operated to break the myth several visitors hold in their mind about Dubai.