THE NUMBER of UK visitors to Dubai has increased by 400% to an annual 200,000 over the 10 years since the country’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing was established.
The performance of the UK has outstripped that of the overall market, which has risen by 300% to 2.5m visitors over the same period.
The DTCM, celebrating its 10th anniversary at World Travel Market this year, claims its future prospects are looking healthy.
This view is backed by Amathus Holidays sales and marketing manager Chris Rees.
“Business in the 1998/1999 season was up by 217% from 1997/1998 and already bookings for the coming season are storming ahead,” he said.
Dubai currently has a total of 266 hotels offering more than 25,000 beds, but this is set to increase by a further 9,000 beds within the next two years. The destination continues to promote duty-free shopping as a major draw to visitors, but it is also encouraging growth in the golfing market. At present, 25 UK operators offer golf packages to Dubai.
Regular sporting attractions include the Dubai World Cup horse race, the Dubai Desert Classic golf tournament and the Dubai Open Tennis Tournament.