Destination Development and

Institutionalization Strategies

In the OIC Member Countries

No.1 source market for tourists) while Legoland and IMG Worlds of Adventure’s Marvel and DC Comics

based shows are great for children.

Dubai has also become a regular pit stop for global tours of famous artists – singers from around the world

come to serenade an avid audience of Dubai residents as well as tourists who fly in to listen to their favorite

singers.

Going back to the roots – history and culture:

While Dubai has become synonymous with innovation and modernism, the city is now trying to preserve

and display its cultural heritage to the millennial traveler who craves things that are real and embody local

culture. The Heritage Village and the impressive Etihad Museum at the site of the Union House where the

official signing of the unification and independence of the UAE took place on December 2, 1971 have been

developed to cater to this need.

The traditional gold souk and spice souk in old Dubai also attract a stream of tourists who wish to explore

the history of the modern city.

DMO Governance and Organizational Structure

Dubai did not have an official tourismboard until 1989when the Dubai Commerce and TourismPromotion

Board was created. Business was already flourishing; shopping malls were being built and the name of the

board said it all – commerce in Dubai was inextricably aligned with tourism. After the successful

completion of the first Dubai Shopping Festival in 1996 which attracted over 1.5 million visitors, Dubai

was ready to focus on marketing itself to the world and Dubai Tourism and Commerce Marketing took

over the reins of the Tourism Board in 1999.

Figure 24: Organizational Chart of Dubai Tourism

Source: Dubai Tourism

Director General

CEO

Dubai Corporation

for Commerce and

TourismMarketing

Dubai Business

Events (including

Leisure Events and

Cruises)

CEO

Shared Services

(IT, HR, Finance,

Procurement)

Strategy,

Investment &

Development

Regulatory Affairs

CEO

Dubai Festivals

and Retail

Establishment

OrganizationChart of Dubai Tourism