Alpha Destination Management, a leading destination management company in the Arabian Gulf, has registered a growth of almost eight per cent in 2017.

Making the announcement Ghassan Aridi, CEO of Alpha Destination Management, said: “2017 had been a very good year for us. Some markets such as the CIS, specifically the Russian market, came back very strongly. We have also seen a very good increase from the UK market. Both are very significant source markets for Dubai.”

Talking about the new trends that emerged in 2017 in the UAE tourism sector, Aridi, stressed: “In 2017 many markets returned back in a big way while other markets disappeared altogether for some reasons. The UAE tourism sector under the leadership of Helal Saeed Almarri, director general of Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), and his team have done a great job in executing the outstanding vision of HH Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. As a destination, the UAE continues to impress both residents and visitors with a tourism product that never ceases to evolve. Dubai’s tourism fundamentals are extremely strong and its vision incomparable. The solid foundation that the government has put in place through broadening portfolio of leisure and business attractions and facilities, diversification of source markets, collaboration between various business sectors will continue to boost and sustain demand."

Looking ahead, Aridi is extremely positive and confident about the future of tourism industry in 2018. He said: “I think the future is great and we expect to see continuous increase in tourism numbers in 2018 as compared to 2017. We are very positive about the future of the industry because the tourism authorities for Dubai know what is required to boost tourism in the emirate and one can see it from the events happening here. A whole lot of exciting activities and exhibitions are taking place which are helping us a lot to increase our business. Dubai is getting bigger and with it the tourism industry is getting bigger.” - TradeArabia News Service