First-time participation of TAMANI Marina Hotel in Dubai roadshows in China

DUBAI- As part of its unfaltering endeavors to support the governmental efforts to enhance and enlarge the tourism profile of Dubai globally and tap new source markets for tourists, Dubai’s iconic TAMANI Marina Hotel had joined the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) for the first time for a series of successful roadshows in China.

Walid Al-Awa, General Manager of TAMANI Marina Hotel and Hotel Apartment, who represented the hotel at the roadshows, said: “It was the first time we participated in China roadshows as the world’s second populous country is a new market for us and we are keen to tap the high potential offered by this market to get a higher volume of tourists to Dubai Marina.”

He said the hotel has started working on a new action plan to target the local travel agencies that are bringing Chinese groups to Dubai as part of the efforts to set its feet firmly and strongly in this market.

The five-star property plans to offer attractive packages to the Chinese visitors, especially during the summer season, as the Chinese holidays usually comes in summer particularly in May, June and July.

Walid Al Awa held meetings and discussions with more than 180 tour operators in Beijing, Chengdu and Shanghai where the roadshows were conducted from May 26 to 30 with the attendance of a large number of key players of Chinese tourism industry.

The China Roadshow was designed to enhance the networking and business ties between Dubai stakeholders and tour operators in China.Through a series of one-to-one meetings with key tour operators across three cities, the Dubai participants got the opportunity to strengthen Dubai’s visibility and awareness among the tour operators that featured Dubai for future groups from China to Dubai.

The initiative is also part of the efforts to share information about the latest Dubai attractions, tourism facilities and policies. It also provided an opportunity for the Dubai stakeholders to engage with and learn about the Chinese outbound tourism market through in-depth one-to-one meetings and networking.

China is currently the world’s secondly largest economy, largest merchandise exporter, second merchandise importer, second largest destination FDI, largest manufacturer and the largest holder of foreign exchange reserves. In 2013, Chinese tourists made 98 million trips abroad resulting in a total tourism spend of $117 billion.

China is the fast-growing outbound tourism market, with travel and tourism spend anticipated to increase 15 per cent year-on-year between now and 2030. The number of Chinese tourists  to the UAE has been rising fast ever since the Chinese government accorded Approved Destination Status to the UAE.

In April, about 16,000 Chinese tourists were in the UAE as part as part of the incentive package offered by their employer. Dubai-China trade hit AED135 billion in 2013.

There are 4,200 Chinese companies, 356 Chinese trading agencies and 2,500 registered Chinese trademarks in the UAE. The number of Chinese expatriates residing in the UAE exceeds 200,000 people, he noted.Tourism with China also saw a big surge with 276,000 Chinese tourists flocking to Dubai in 2013.

The hotel offers 245 units spread over 55 stories in the picturesque Dubai Marina and overlooking The Palm.