Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) is hosting its largest ever group of travel trade professionals from Africa, during a six-day familiarisation trip aimed at positioning Dubai as a leading destination of choice.

The familiarisation trip, which ends today (June 7), has given over 300 senior management executives from 12 African countries - South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Zambia, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Seychelles, Mauritius, Uganda, Tanzania and Cote D’Ivoire – first hand insights into the array of unique experiences, attractions and activities that Dubai offers, with the spotlight falling on the city’s upcoming summer calendar, starting with the cultural activities during the holy month of Ramadan, followed by the Eid in Dubai celebrations and the Dubai Summer Surprises.

In addition to visiting a number of key attractions across the city, the delegation also attended the  Dubai Tourism Conference and Workshop on June 3, which provided an overview of Dubai’s tourism offerings and the kind of support that is being offered to the African travel trade to promote Dubai in their continent. Presentations were also made by officials from the different agencies and divisions of Dubai Tourism such as Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE),  the organiser of major festivals in Dubai, digital and marketing communications and Dubai Calendar.

The conference was followed by an exhibition on-site featuring booths set up by various partners of Dubai Tourism to give the African delegation, which includes owners and CEOs of travel companies, the opportunity to learn more about the luxury and family tourism products and properties in Dubai.

Issam Kazim, CEO, Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing, said: “This African mega familiarisation trip has the dual objective of showcasing Dubai as the destination of choice for families and travellers from one of the world’s largest continents, and also that the city is truly a year-round travel consideration. As part of efforts to meet Dubai’s Tourism Vision of attracting 20 million visitors by 2020, we continue to work closely with our stakeholders and partners to encourage more visitors from African source markets. This is being further driven by a strong development of overall product offering, which sees a number of key theme parks, retail propositions and attraction led experiences opening in the coming months, which will strongly resonate with African visitors.”

Dubai is a popular shopping and leisure destination for African travellers due to the close proximity and the increased air connectivity over the past year, with close to a million visitors arriving from Africa in 2015. Shopping is the main reason for Africans to visit Dubai followed by entertainment, culture and the diversity of cuisines.- TradeArabia News Service