Destination Development and
Institutionalization Strategies
In the OIC Member Countries
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locals are a minority in their own city accounting for just under 9% of the population. On weekdays locals
account for only 6% of the population.
By creating a modern city that is the source of pride for the people and is a tourist magnet that brings in
business opportunities for the local population, the government has been able to keep the community
happy. The world’s tallest building, a gleaming new airport and a rapid transport system that is both
convenient and awe inspiring and a leadership that is not complacent and is setting ever higher goals and
achieving them makes for a local population that backs every initiative that attracts more tourists and
more revenue to the city. The government also has an Emiratization program that is encouraging the
participation of locals in private sector jobs such as hotels, airlines and entertainment centers.
Entrepreneurship skills are being developed and incubators like Intelak are aimed at encouraging locals
to come up with tourism and hospitality related projects.
Facilitating investments
Dubai Tourism is very active in studying the needs of the tourists and actively collaborates with the
stakeholders to disseminate the findings of their research262 . For example, when their surveys conclude
that families are asking for more family friendly activities, they encourage investors to set up theme parks.
Legoland and IMG Worlds of Adventure are two recent outcomes. Regular interaction with stakeholders
across the spectrum from the tourist to the hotel and facility owners makes it possible for them to
prioritize their efforts.
For example, when they met with hotel owners and they complained about delays in construction due to
approval issues, they formulated a plan according to which all approvals for new hotels get issued within
60 days. When tourists expressed their need for Wi-Fi in hotels, they encouraged hotels to not only set up
free Wi-Fi but also made sure that Wi-Fi connections were of high speed.
In view of Dubai Tourism’s ambitious plan to double the number of tourist arrivals from10 million in 2012
to 20 million in 2020 they looked at the entire value chain andmade sure every sector that affected tourism
was encouraged. Hotel rooms had to be increased from 80,000 to 160,000 in 2020. This involved building
new hotels and adding staff that met the quality standards that had been set in Dubai. While the Emirates
Academy of Hospitality Management exists in Dubai to train management staff, there was a need to start
training programs for chefs and front office staff so Dubai Tourism set up a tourism college that offers
short courses.
Infrastructure, accommodation, air connectivity, access and policy enablers continue to be the facilitating
levers that ensure Dubai remains price competitive and attractive for a broad range of global travelers. By
consistently outpacing the global forecast for visitors, Dubai has been able to continue to encourage the
stakeholders to invest in expanding their offerings. The solid foundations that have been put in place
through diversification of markets, a broadening portfolio of attractions and facilities and a collaborative
approach between the hotel and hospitality sectors and the retail community, as well as the collective
contribution of government, public and private enterprises has made it possible to make the 20 million
tourist arrivals target an achievable one. However, this does not mean that DTCM can become
complacent 263.
262 Interview with CEO Investments and Support Services, Dubai Tourism
263 Government of Dubai, Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing. (2017, February 7). Dubai welcomes record 14.9 million
overnight visitors in 2016 [Press release]. Retrieved fro