14.26 MILLION IN 2015, MAKING THE EMIRATE ONE OF THE WORLD’S FASTEST-GROWING TOURIST DESTINATIONS AND A GLOBAL HUB CONNECTING EAST AND WEST.
The 7.5 percent visitation growth rate achieved by Dubai in 2015 is the double of the global industry’s three – four percent increase estimated by the World Tourism Organization for the same period.
As Issam Kazim, CEO, Dubai Department of Tourism & Commerce Marketing (DTCM), noted, 14.26 million international arrivals bring Dubai one step closer to realising its tourism vision for 2020, which aims to welcome 20 million travellers per annum by 2020.
“Dubai’s location, being at the centre of three continents, Asia, Europe and Africa, makes it an ideal hub,” claimed Samir Arora, cluster general manager, Ramada Downtown and Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham, Dubai, further observing that besides its bucket list tourist attractions, with its trading centres and exhibition venues, the emirate is also considered the financial gateway of the Middle East.
In other words, the destination has something for everyone, said Shaun Parsons, general manager, Le Méridien Dubai Hotel and Conference Centre.
“Dubai has had a monolithic growth and the credit for this is definitely attributed to the vision of the rulers complemented by the tireless efforts of DTCM in promoting Dubai to key feeder markets and potential emerging markets,” commented Parsons, while also applauding Emirates’ expansion strategy.
Speaking of the leadership’s commitment to the industry, Lorne Riley, director of corporate communications, Dubai Airports, pinpointed, “Dubai recognised the importance of the aviation sector as an engine for economic development long before it emerged as a global hub.
Thanks to this early awareness, Dubai has over the years evolved a unique aviation model that revolves around an open-skies policy […], a consensus-based approach to investment, and a focus on growth and linking underserved markets with efficient operations.”
In fact, besides its strategic location, heavy investments in infrastructure, its open-skies policy and, nevertheless, a visionary leadership have all contributed to the transformation of Dubai’s image within the spam of just a few decades, with aviation acting as a prime vehicle in this development.
According to an Oxford Economic Report, in 2013 for example, Emirates, Dubai Airports and the aviation sector as a whole contributed some USD26.7 billion to Dubai’s economy, accounting for almost 27 percent of the emirate’s GDP, and by 2030, this number is expected to rise to USD88 billion, equivalent to 44.7 percent of GDP.
Demonstrating aviation’s significance, for every USD100 of activity in the sector, a further USD72 is added in other segments of the local economy and for every 100 jobs created in the industry, an additional 116 positions are being offered elsewhere in Dubai.
Therefore, the emirate’s rise over the past years is even more obvious when delving into the statistics of Dubai International, where traffic has skyrocketed from 47.26 million in 2010 to over 78 million in 2015, establishing it as the world’s busiest airport for international traffic.
“Dubai’s favourable location at the intersection of Europe, Asia and Africa, placing Dubai within an eight-hour flight of two-thirds of the world’s population only added to the speed with which the city has emerged as the world’s number one international airport,” posited Riley.
With the joint efforts of the private and public sectors, the city has been able to utilise its strategic location, where unlike at other transit airports, winter weather does not affect operations either, thus, it offers a convenient transit point for airlines and travellers from East to West and vice versa.
As Tania Mitchell, regional manager, revenue and digital marketing, Middle East, Premier Inn, noted, Dubai itself is a phenomenal success story with the destination making steady progress towards positioning itself as a global hub for international carriers.
“This is a major factor which drives visitation numbers every year,” supported Mitchell.
As Moussa El Hayek, chief operations officer, Al Bustan Centre & Residence, put it, from the humble beginnings, Dubai has evolved into one of the busiest destinations worldwide and has managed to surpass other prominent air hubs.
“The development of high-tech aviation facilities, metro stations, the well-known Dubai Tram, shopping malls and one-of-a-kind attractions lifted its reputation as [an ideal] stopover for shopping and tourism for people who are on-the-go, yet [would like to enjoy] their travel,” added El Hayek.
