Dubai, a view of tourism in the 22nd century

October 20, 2004 |

Dubai is continuing to win growing numbers of German tourists to its booming array of attractions with a 67% rise to 130,000 visitors in the first half of 2004.

Dubai is continuing to win growing numbers of German tourists to its booming array of attractions with a 67% rise to 130,000 visitors in the first half of 2004. The future looks even more promising, judging by the success of the recent FVW Workshop in the emirate.

The 30 travel agents and tour operator representatives who took part in the second FVW four-day workshop were made ‘Dubai specialists’ after experiencing the destination’s tourism products and services at first hand. They took part in interactive sessions with local tourism officials and managers who presented the emirate’s tourism strategy and the latest products, and were able to see the fast-growing range of attractions on several field trips. The workshop at the newly opened luxury hotel Al Qasr was sponsor ed by the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), Lufthansa, Madinat Jumeirah and Alpha Tours.

Commenting on the 67% rise in German tourists in the first half of the year, Mohammed Khamis bin Hareb, DTCM operations and marketing director, told the workshop participants: “This proves beyond doubt that Dubai is the favourite destination for the Germans and their interest in the emirate remains as strong as years ago. There is still a huge potential to be tapped and we remain committed to benefit from the tremendous opportunities.” Mara Kaselitz, the DTCM’s Germany director, added: “Dubai topped the list of long-haul destinations for Germans this year on the back of unfaltering interest in the destination.

Every segment of the tourism industry has benefited from the German market and we hope the trend will continue in the future as well.” With 47 weekly non-stop flights from Germany in the forthcoming winter season, officials expect the full-year figure of German tourists to reach 245,000 compared to 157,000 last year. With such strong growth from international markets, Dubai hoteliers are continuing to enjoy high occupancy levels with a year-round overall average of 72%, and a 77% rate for the four- and five-star hotels.

The high customer satisfaction levels registered by German tour operators for Dubai are hardly matched by any other destination. TUI customers, for example, give an average 4.4 grade for Dubai on a scale of 5 (very satisfied) to 1 (unsatisfied), the operator’s international relations director, Günter Ihlau, said at the workshop. It is no wonder that the group’s hotel brands Robinson and Iberotel are already looking at potential sites in the emirate. German agents echoed the praise. Denise Altpeter, from Thomas Cook Reisebüro in Saarlouis, said: “People want to go to Dubai and cannot be motivated to consider alternative destinations if capacity there is tight.” The large-scale promotion of new attractions such as the futuristic Burj al Arab tower hotel, the artificial island complexes and other locations, as well as “the great marketing by Dubai” was paying off, commented Ingrid Dubielzig from TQ3 Holiday in Munich. “Everyone knows Dubai as a holiday destination, even people who hardly ever go on holiday,” agreed Gaby Mählmann from Reisebüro Kitzinger in Bremen.

Dubai is continuing to build at top speed with new hotels, office complexes and green spaces. The latest additions include the 40 hectare holiday complex Madinat Jumeirah in the style of an Arabian city, the Al Qasr and Mina A’Salam hotels, and the Dar Al Masyaf holiday homes complex. The airport’s capacity is being tripled from 24 million to 70 million annual passengers, and a new airport will be constructed further away from the city with six parallel runways. Dubai, with just one million residents, is targeting 15 million international visitors a year by 2010 compared to six million this year. Other infrastructure projects include a new cruise terminal, the world’s largest marina and the extensive “Dubai Land” theme park. Experts speak of Dubai in superlatives. “Welcome to the 21th century Arabia,” declared Khalifa Buamaim, the destination’s international marketing chief. And TUI’s Günter Ihlau, also Chairman of the foreign committee of German’s travel industry association DRV, added: “Whoever sees Dubai is looking into the 22nd century.”

With such fast growth, it is unsurprising that the issue of noise and dust from the many building sites is one of the few areas of complaint for tourists. Tour operators are already informing customers about this in their brochures, and agents often have customer feedback about the impact. But Mara Kaselitz and her team in Frankfurt stress that they try to deal with the issue “honestly and openly”, and immediately pass on all complaints to head office. Some even see the large-scale construction as an opportunity. “Why not make a virtue out of necessity?” asked Andreas Burgart, Meier’s Weltreisen product manager. With such spectacular and unique projects, Dubai could offer tourists interesting information tours of the new sites and improve their understanding for all the building sites, he suggested. Balloon trips over the sites are already in planning.

Other key issues for Dubai are to increase the average length of stay and to win new customer segments. The emirate is still mostly a stopover or short stay destination, and Germans already top the length of stay list with nearly five nights on average. Although shopping and golf remain key themes, Trevor Owen, director of incoming agency Alpha Tours, highlighted alternative activities such as desert excursions. Thomas Tischler, head of Tischler Reisen, predicted that Dubai could develop in the future from a package-based holiday destination to one for individual tourists.

The German workshop participants agreed that with 91% of Germans booking four- or five-star hotels, Dubai did not need to extend its offer of lower-priced accommodation for families and less well-off travellers. “There are already enough cheap destinations and some customers prefer to fly on holiday with Lufthansa rather than sit next to just anyone in a charter plane,” commented agent Denise Altpeter. TUI expert Günter Ihlau recommended that Dubai should move away from just stopovers, beach holidays and business travel and develop offers for new trends such as events and entertainment for top-level visitors.

Source: FVW