Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Fliggy, the online travel service platform of the global leading technology company, Alibaba Group.

The MoU that aims to boost the number of Chinese tourists visiting Dubai through closer collaboration in integrated 360-marketing campaigns to strategic high-growth segments - was signed by Issam Kazim, CEO of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM) and Jerry Hu, VP of Fliggy and Alibaba Group, as part of a broader long-term alliance discussion at the Alibaba headquarters in Hangzhou in China.

The newly-signed MoU entails among other aspects, collaboration between the partners to deliver an enhanced travel experience for Chinese visitors to the emirate by providing easy access to Dubai’s travel products and information, initiating a payment scheme etc. In addition, Dubai Tourism would continuously maintain and update the ‘Dubai Destination Mall’ page on Fliggy, providing a comprehensive overview of the city’s tourism proposition to the broad customer base that Fliggy delivers.

Fliggy in its turn has committed to resources to help Dubai stakeholders register as vendors on the Fliggy platform.

As a major online travel platform in China, selling a wide range of travel products including flights, hotels, tour packages, and car rentals through online travel agencies and direct travel service providers, Fliggy is a strategic travel partner for Dubai Tourism within China, allowing Dubai’s entire travel and tourism ecosystem to set up and operate their own ‘shop’ on the Fliggy virtual marketplace.

Additionally, being extremely popular amongst the younger generation of Chinese tourists that are rapidly moving away from traditional group tour packages and look to create bespoke independent travel itineraries, Fliggy is an even more relevant partner for Dubai as there is a clear priority to tap into and build a strong base within this segment as potential visitors to the city.

Kazim said: “As one of China’s leading travel platforms, Fliggy is the natural travel partner for Dubai Tourism. China is one of Dubai’s fastest growing source markets (with 258,000 Chinese tourists visiting the city in the first quarter of the year alone, a 12 per cent year-on-year increase), but it is also one in which consumer demands and expectations are evolving at a dramatic pace.”

“It is essential that we keep abreast of these developments. Demand for independent travel is growing, with a large proportion of Chinese tourists preferring to make their own arrangements and travel without a tour guide.

“The agreements made in the MoU will provide Chinese visitors to Dubai with a unique service, alongside latest travel information before and during their trip via the Fliggy platform. The company’s strong connection to Chinese consumers along with its robust operational reach are essential as we seek to attract more Chinese tourists to visit Dubai in the lead-up to 2020 and beyond,” he added.

As well as signing the new MoU, the meeting was held to strengthen the relationship between Fliggy and Dubai Tourism, with each entity gaining an in-depth understanding of the other’s work and objectives. Future opportunities were also discussed, including a new year-long cooperation agreement for 2018, which will update the agreement made in 2017. Looking ahead, Dubai Tourism will also seek to work more closely with Fliggy and businesses in Alibaba’s comprehensive digital ecosystem.