Destination Development and
Institutionalization Strategies
In the OIC Member Countries
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The Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM or Dubai Tourism) is the principal authority
for the planning, supervision, development and marketing of tourism in Dubai. It has several divisions that
focus on specific aspects of the tourism industry.
The Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing is managed by a Director General under whom
there are multiple CEOs or division heads responsible for each division like marketing, festivals and shared
services. DTCM has a structure based on the professional delegation of activities. The marketing
department is responsible for marketing and promotion while the regulatory division is in charge of
licensing hotels and tour operators and the festivals division arranges shopping festivals.
The Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing is primarily responsible for the branding
and marketing of Dubai. It works with all stakeholders like hotels, restaurants and airlines to promote
Dubai as the leading leisure and business travel destination.
Dubai Business Events is the official convention bureau for Dubai. As a division of the Dubai Corporation
for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM) its main goal is to establish Dubai as a premier business
event destination by promoting the destination and attracting international meetings, incentives,
conferences and exhibitions that can help grow economic development, jobs and knowledge creation in
the emirate. Encouraging leisure events and making Dubai a premier cruise destination also falls under
the jurisdiction of Dubai Business Events.
The Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment is focused on creating festivals and retail events that
encourage shopping. Its core responsibility is to position Dubai as an international events and
entertainment hub.
The Regulatory Affairs division manages the licensing and classification of the tourism industry of Dubai,
including licensing and classification of hotels, the licensing of tour operators, and the provision of permits
for events. It also looks after Legal Affairs. The principal objective of the Legal Department is to provide
advice and counsel on legal issues of concern to the DTCM.
The Shared Services division provides a range of important administrative services including: Human
Resources, IT, Finance and Procurement. The Internal Audit department is responsible for auditing of all
the financial transactions of the DTCM.
These departments support the various activities of DTCM in enhancing its overall performance to position
Dubai as one of the leading tourism destinations of the world.
3. The Role of DMOs
a) The role of DMOs in terms of marketing
The Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing is responsible for marketing Dubai and it
has a very structured approach. When given the task of attracting 20 million tourists by 2020 it did not go
about advertising and promoting Dubai aggressively because there were only 80,000 hotel rooms available
in the city and they were not enough to handle that many tourists. So, a pragmatic and gradual approach
is followed.256
256 Interview with CEO Investments and Support Services, Dubai Tourism