One year into the delivery of Dubai?s ?Tourism Vision for 2020?, significant first steps have been taken to achieve the target of attracting 20 million annual visitors by 2020, leading the emirate?s tourism authority to state a new ambition: for Dubai to become the world?s most visited city.
If a growth rate similar to that achieved in 2013 is maintained ? a 10.6 per cent year-on-year increase equating to 11 million hotel guests ? Dubai will achieve its Tourism Vision target and with London currently holding the title of world?s most visited city (16 million tourists in 2013), the emirate is using its participation in the 2014 edition of Arabian Travel Market to outline why the number one ranking is an ambitious, but realistic, goal.
Having announced the Tourism Vision for 2020 at last year?s edition of Arabian Travel Market (ATM), the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) will discuss the achievements made over the last 12 months based on the collective commitment from industry stakeholders to sector growth and development; demonstrate the continual enhancements and evolution of the city?s destination offering; and preview a new marketing blueprint designed to further raise the emirate?s international profile.
?Since His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai, announced the Tourism Vision for 2020 at last year?s ATM, the UAE has won the right to host Expo 2020 in Dubai; the first phase of our second international airport has opened at Dubai World Central and a substantial number of new hotels, attractions and events have opened, taken place or been announced,? said Helal Saeed Almarri, Director-General of Dubai?s DTCM, speaking ahead of the ATM.
?Further, in addition to UAE federal pre-entry visa regulations on European Union member states being lifted, major legislative changes have been made which will directly and positively impact the tourism sector and enable us to attract more business and leisure travellers,? he said.
?The Tourism Vision for 2020 is a framework which gives all of us in the tourism industry a clear and collective focus. The Vision has been embraced to its fullest by both governmental departments and the private sector – and this first year is just the beginning. During this year?s Arabian Travel Market (May 5-8), the Dubai presence and the exhibits and announcements of our stakeholders will demonstrate that 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,? Almarri said.
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Source:? Dubai aims to be the world’s ‘most visited city’, Emirates 24/7?http://www.emirates247.com/news/dubai-aims-to-be-the-world-s-most-visited-city-2014-05-04-1.547892 published May 04, 2014. Viewed May 09, 2014.