The Most Useful Information to Know Before Visiting Dubai

1. VERY USEFUL INFORMATION ABOUT DUBAI – TOUR GUIDE Desert safari A major business and aviation hub of the Middle East, Dubai is the 2nd largest emirate of the 7 emirates (an area of 3,900 sq kms). Also billed as the shopping capital of the Middle East, Dubai is known for its massive malls and souk districts located on either side of the creek It is also famous as ‘The City of Gold’ and the Gold Souk in Deira houses nearly 250 gold retail shops. If you are looking for a unique destination that is a dynamic business centre, as well as a tourist paradise offering attractions, shopping, fine dining and quality accommodation, it’s ‘Definitely Dubai It offers a kaleidoscope of attractions for visitors. Tourists can experience rugged mountains, awe-inspiring sand dunes, sandy beaches, lush green parks, rustic villages, luxurious residential districts, ancient houses with wind towers and ultra-modern shopping malls. Burj Al Arab The emirate has grown into a one-stop shop for business, leisure, shopping and adventure. Dubai offers golf courses, aquariums, indoor skiing and ice skating, malls, water sports, scuba diving and sand dune driving, desert safaris, camel rides and much more. From the most opulent and expensive, to the only seven-star hotel in the world, Dubai also offers a range of accommodations to suit every pocket. There are also resorts in the desert where tourists can experience unmatched peace and tranquility.

2. Atlantis Dubai is famous for its architecture and houses. Three of the largest artificial islands (Palm Jumeirah, Palm Jebel Ah and the Palm Deira) in the world are in Dubai. The tallest building in the world, Burj Khalifa is in Dubai. It is ranked as the world’s 2nd most popular destination for shopping after the United States. The Dubai Mall in the emirate is the world’s largest shopping mall based on total area, and 6th largest by gross leasable area. Dubai has also established itself as a major destination for an eclectic array of local and international events and earned a reputation as the sporting capital of the Middle East. Throughout the year, it hosts a range of popular annual sporting activities, dazzling entertainment attractions, as well as conferences and exhibitions. Dubai has a lively nightlife and is famous for the most exotic cuisines in the world. Sheikh Zayed Road The best time to visit the emirate is between December and March. It is well connected to over 220 destinations across 6 continents with 130 airlines operating flights to and from the Dubai International Airport making it one of the busiest airports in the world in terms of International passenger and cargo traffic.

3. Skyscrapers Tourism is an important part of Dubai’s economy. To give a thrust to tourism, The Dubai government formed the Dubai Commerce and Tourism Promotion Board in 1989, which was later replaced by the Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) in January, 1997. DTCM’s vision and mission were to establish Dubai as a leading tourism and commercial hub, and strengthen its economy. The division’s broad objectives were to increase awareness about Dubai in international markets and to attract tourists and inward investment into the emirate. So far, the Department’s objectives have been successfully achieved with Dubai being ranked 9th in the MasterCard Worldwide Index of Global Destination Cities, outstripping cities such as New York, Amsterdam, Kuala Lumpur and Shanghai in 2011. The Index ranked countries in terms of international arrivals, In a bid to boost inbound traffic to Dubai, the DTCM launched ‘Kids Go Free’ campaign in 2009, an initiative to suit every budget and preference, and to encourage families to travel together under a value-added dubai tour package. India Focus India Focus Dubai is one of the top destinations for labour and business traffic from India. The many job opportunities that the emirate has thrown open to Indians in the last decade has resulted in a large

4. Indian population moving to Dubai, due to which it mainly receives VFR traffic from India. Currently, India is one of the top 5 markets for Dubai in terms of visitor arrivals. From January- March 2012, Dubai received 207,774 Indian visitors, which was an 11% increase compared with the same period in 2011. With road shows, training programmes and FAM trips for the Indian travel trade, DTCM is aggressively promoting Dubai as the most lucrative outbound destination among Indians. Dubai is rapidly emerging as a sporting destination, and with an array of sporting events lined up in Dubai, the DTCM is looking to promote the emirate as a Sports Tourism destination in India. In addition, DTCM is looking to promote Culture and Heritage Tourism in India. MICE Focus MICE Focus Dubai attracted business traffic from the USA, UK, Europe, India and neighbouring countries such as Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. In order to cater to the Business and MICE segments, a dedicated Dubai Convention Bureau was set up under DTCM. In a bid to diversify from an oil- based economy to one that is service and tourism-based, the Government of Dubai has been increasingly promoting itself as a leisure and business destination. As part of this stage) DTCM started showcasing the destination in international markets through international travel fairs in 2000. The first such step was taken at Holiday & Travel Show in Manchester targeting the British in January, 2000, and within a couple of years, DTCM pavilions could be seen at almost every leading international travel trade show and exhibitions like ITB, World Travel Market, European Incentive and Business Travel Meetings, IMEX and ITME, as well as smaller fairs like Holiday World in Dublin, and MATKA in Finland. USEFUL LINKS Corporate Incentive Travel Planners MICE INDIAA – Digital MICE Magazine & News ▪ ▪