Dubai Tourism has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with H.I.S. Co., Ltd., one of Japan’s leading travel agencies, to collaborate on promoting the emirate as a destination of choice to Japanese travellers.

The agreement was signed in Tokyo by Issam Kazim, chief executive officer of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM), and Tatsuya Nakamori, president of H.I.S. Japan, and outlines plans to deliver an enhanced visitor experience for Japanese tourists in Dubai by providing increased ease of access to marketing collateral for the emirate’s variety of travel products, tailored information through localised campaigns and retail store promotions in major cities across Japan.

Furthermore, the MoU will see both entities work together to promote Dubai as a ‘2019 H.I.S. Preferred Destination’.

Commenting on the importance of this partnership, Kazim said: “H.I.S. is a significant partner for Dubai with its considerable reach across the Japanese market and longstanding history in the travel sector. Our future focused collaboration allows us to promote Dubai as the destination of choice for Japanese travellers, as we work together to drive our efforts in the market. We have seen continued positive growth in the number of Japanese guests visiting the city, and we look forward to working closely with H.I.S to further increase interest and visitation from our target segments in Japan to Dubai.”

Dubai experienced sustained growth in visitor numbers from Japan during 2018, with the latest tourism arrival figures showing an increase of 18 per cent in the first three quarters of the year (January to September 2018) when compared to the same period last year, reaching a total of 76,900 visitors.

 “We have seen consistent growth in the demand for travel to the emirate from Japanese tourists and are expecting this to continue from target segments including female and senior travellers. With the support of Dubai Tourism, and by strengthening our nationwide marketing strategy, we hope to support further increases in Japanese visitor numbers to the city.” Nakamori said. - TradeArabia News Service