Keep Discovering Dubai Campaign Successfully Wraps Up

Keep discovering Dubai, the largest familiarization initiative ever witnessed in Dubai, has successfully seen over 2400 travel trade and media representatives experience the emirate in less than two months, helping to push tourism and further broaden Dubai’s international appeal.

In partnership with a number of key stakeholders including; Emirates airline and Group, the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), Dubai hoteliers and Destination Management Companies (DMCs), the campaign included hosted visits of travel trade, MICE organisers and media. Travelling from a total of 62 countries, across six weekends and incorporating over 7,300 hotel room nights, the initiative has been a critical step in further extending Dubai’s reach in these challenging global economic times.

This landmark programme is expected to help bolster and position Dubai as a first choice holiday and conference destination around the globe, with international media exposure from the campaign already proving positive. Feedback from the travel trade has also been exemplary, with many important business relationships established, that are expected to prove fruitful for the Dubai tourism sector across the coming months.

HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates airline and Group said: “The Keep discovering Dubai campaign is a shining example of Dubai’s key players working together to drive and sustain a positive and lasting image of Dubai. The unique mix of nationalities hosted from across the world has helped Dubai further position itself globally as a leading holiday destination, an important step in retaining market share within the current environment. Emirates has always been committed to actively promoting Dubai around the world and we are pleased that the campaign has been such a success.

“Across the coming months we expect to see a heightened interest in Dubai globally. The purpose of this trip was not only to generate positive leads but also to create lasting business relationships with the many people that visited Dubai. Furthermore, the intense media scrutiny Dubai has received over the last few months has now been overshadowed by the positive experiences of the many high profile international media invited as part of the campaign.”

Mr. Mohammed Khamis bin Hareb, DTCM Executive Director Operations and Marketing Division, said: “The unique campaign, combining both the travel trade professionals and media representatives, has helped tremendously in creating better awareness about Dubai and its strong tourism product offerings to visitors from different parts of the world. The tourism industry will benefit enormously from this initiative in the months to come and this will help boost hotel occupancies and visitors’ number to Dubai.

“At the DTCM, we continue to aggressively promote and market Dubai in our established and emerging source markets. Keep discovering Dubai formed part of our overall strategy that we are pursuing in the wake of changing global economic environment. We are confident that Dubai will be able to post far better results than other destinations in the near future. It is critical that we maintain a constant dialogue with international travel agents, tour operators and MICE agents, about the destination and its growing strengths and attractions. This campaign has helped achieved significant goals that we have set for it, in consultation with the tourism industry players in the emirate.”

Hundreds of people from multiple nationalities, working across the travel and tourism industry in Dubai, helped coordinate and bring the Keep discovering Dubai campaign to fruition, creating a seamless programme built on Dubai’s core strengths of warm Arabian hospitality, inspirational developments and natural beauty.

Each group that took part in the campaign was individually managed, ensuring the highest quality service throughout. MICE organizers were also targeted as part of the Keep discovering Dubai campaign, in a bid to secure a higher share of the lucrative global meetings, conference and exhibition market.

To further reinforce the key messages and maintain the global buzz achieved during the Keep discovering Dubai campaign, Emirates airline and Group have invested an additional AED 40 million promoting Dubai in their new Meet Dubai global advertising campaign.
 

Emirates Launches Unbeatable Family Friendly Holiday Offer in Time for Dubai Summer Surprises

Coinciding with their participation in Dubai Summer Surprises as a key sponsor for the twelfth edition of the summer extravaganza this year, Emirates has recently launched the ‘Kids Go Free’ promotion offering families from across the globe an incredible saving when they visit Dubai with Emirates. The promotion will run up to 20th September, 2009. The promotion, which has been developed to further attract international visitors to Dubai across DSS, will see one child under the age of 16 years fly free and up to a maximum of two children stay, eat and play in Dubai for free when travelling with two paying adults; once again proving that Dubai is the ultimate family friendly holiday destination.
 
Collaborating with some of the emirate’s most impressive attractions this one-of-a-kind offer will provide families with the opportunity to take an exciting break, in a unique destination, without breaking the bank.
 
“Dubai Summer Surprises is an important event in Dubai’s calendar. Each year the festival attracts thousands of international visitors into Dubai to shop, explore and be entertained in the emirate. This year, Emirates has launched an innovative and competitive promotion called Kids Go Free, that we believe will further push travel to Dubai, said Ahmed Khoory, Senior Vice President Commercial Operations, Gulf, Middle East and Iran Emirates.
 
“The Kids Go Free offer allows families from across the globe to take a well deserved break, in an exciting destination, without the financial strain an international holiday can bring. Knowing that their child will travel, stay, eat and play for free takes a huge degree of financial pressure off the family budget. We hope that this enticing offer from Emirates will enable more families to experience Dubai Summer Surprises and have their annual holiday in this exciting destination.”
 
The Kids Go Free promotion is applicable for passengers travelling with Emirates to Dubai from select destinations around the world and includes Meet and Assist at Dubai International Airport.
 
A total of 33 hotels in Dubai are participating in the promotion with a hotel to suit every family’s budget and preference, from a six star luxury hotel to serviced apartments. In addition to free flights, accommodation and meals children will also have free entry to a wide range of Dubai’s most interesting children’s attractions, ensuring an action packed family vacation. Some of these exciting and complimentary activities include;
 
• Wild Wadi Water Park, including a medium meal
• The Lost Chambers at Atlantis The Palm Dubai
• Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo in Dubai Mall
• Dubai Ice Rink in Dubai Mall
• Sega Republic Indoor Theme Park in Dubai Mall (opening June 2009)
• Ski Dubai in Mall of the Emirates
• Bowling at Magic Planet in the Mall of the Emirates
• Round of golf and access to the driving range at The Montgomerie Dubai
 
The Dubai Mall, the world’s largest, will also provide each family with some incredible discounts to be utilised within the mall, helping families save even more money and make good use of the recently announced increase to Emirates’ free baggage allowance.
 
For further details and full terms and conditions please contact your local Emirates office.

Emirates Launches Unbeatable Family Friendly Holiday Offer

In a never before seen offer, Emirates has today launched the ‘Kids Go Free’ promotion offering families from across the globe an incredible saving when they visit Dubai with Emirates.

Coinciding with Dubai Summer Surprises and running from 15th May to 20th September 2009, the promotion will see one child under the age of 16 years fly free and up to a maximum of two children stay, eat and play in Dubai for free when travelling with two paying adults; once again proving that Dubai is the ultimate family friendly holiday destination.

Collaborating with some of the emirate’s most impressive attractions this one-of-a-kind offer will provide families with the opportunity to take an exciting break, in a unique destination, without breaking the bank.

“We are incredibly excited about this exceptional deal – never before has Emirates launched such an innovative and competitive promotion. In these tough economic times it is important to provide families with a holiday option that allows them to escape and relax without the financial strain an international holiday can bring,” said Nabil Sultan, Divisional Senior Vice President, Revenue Optimisation and Distribution Emirates.

“Knowing that their child will travel, stay, eat and play for free takes a huge degree of financial pressure off the family budget. We hope that this enticing offer from Emirates will enable more families to have their annual holiday in this exciting destination.”

A total of 33 hotels in Dubai are participating in the promotion with a hotel to suit every family’s budget and preference, from a six star luxury hotel to serviced apartments. In addition to free flights, accommodation and meals children will also have free entry to a wide range of Dubai’s most interesting children’s attractions, ensuring an action packed family vacation. Some of these exciting and complimentary activities include:

• Wild Wadi Water Park, including a medium meal
• The Lost Chambers at Atlantis The Palm Dubai
• Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo in Dubai Mall
• Dubai Ice Rink in Dubai Mall
• Sega Republic Indoor Theme Park in Dubai Mall (opening June 2009)
• Ski Dubai in Mall of the Emirates
• Bowling at Magic Planet in the Mall of the Emirates
• Round of golf and access to the driving range at The Montgomerie Dubai

“Dubai is an exciting destination for families the world over. The emirate offers countless entertainment options for children of all ages, from the culture of the traditional souks to the thrilling desert safaris Dubai is one family holiday destination not to be missed,” added Sultan.

The Dubai Mall, the world’s largest, will also provide each family with some incredible discounts to be utilised within the mall, helping families save even more money and make good use of the recently announced increase to Emirates’ free baggage allowance.

The Kids Go Free promotion is applicable for passengers travelling with Emirates to Dubai from select destinations around the world and includes Meet and Assist at Dubai International Airport.

For further details and full terms and conditions please contact your local Emirates office.

The Middle East And Far East Get Closer With Emirates

Emirates airline is bridging the Middle East and Far East – two regions that continue to record healthy growth rates – with its announcement of double-daily services from Dubai to Kuala Lumpur and introduction of three additional weekly flights from Dubai to Jakarta, effective 1st May 2009.

The announcement closely follows the release of World Bank forecasts that point to 5.3% rise in the gross domestic product of the Far East region this year.

Richard Vaughan, Emirates’ Divisional Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations Worldwide noted: “Despite the current economic environment, the Middle East and Far East regions continue to register growth in their Travel and Tourism industries. In the Far East these industries are expected to post average annual gains of 6.3% over the coming 10 years.

“While Malaysia continues to be a leading holiday destination, Indonesia is investing significantly in developing its MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences & Exhibitions) infrastructure in order to get a slice of the bustling conference market in the Far East. We are also noticing a growing outbound tourism market from these countries as Malaysians and Indonesians increasingly embark on overseas holidays.

“Emirates’ growing services will provide the infrastructure to support this growth.”

Jakarta
Emirates will expand its current daily service to 10 flights a week. The three additional flights will operate on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, and will introduce over 1200 passenger seats and approximately 50 tonnes of cargo capacity per week per direction. The flights provide business travellers smooth connections to Johannesburg, Kuwait, Muscat, Doha and Bahrain, and support the Indonesian government’s initiatives to boost trade and commerce with Africa and Middle East.

The extra cargo capacity will advance Indonesian exports of garments, leather, shoes and tropical fish to Europe, North America, Africa, Middle East, and the Indian sub-continent.

EK358 will depart Dubai at 10:55 hours and arrive in Jakarta at 22:35 hours.

EK357 will depart Jakarta at 17:55 hours and arrive in Dubai at 22:45 hours.

Also effective 1st May, the existing EK357 flight service will be renumbered to EK359, while flight timings and days of operation remain unchanged.

Kuala Lumpur

Emirates will add two flights to its existing 12 flights-a-week service, bringing the total to 14 flights a week. This development is strengthened with the introduction of First Class cabin service on four of the 14 weekly flights to Kuala Lumpur, underscoring Malaysia’s importance in Emirates’ Far East network.

Also, the UAE is one of Malaysia’s top trading partners. The country’s total trade with the UAE in 2008 amounted to USD 4.5 billion – an increase of 45.7% over the previous year.

The start of a three-class service will cater to increased tourist arrivals from the Middle East to Malaysia during June – September holiday season. The service will be available on EK342/343 on Mondays, Wednesdays, Saturdays, and on EK 346/347 on Sundays.

Cargo capacity will increase by 17% post expansion.

EK342 will depart Dubai every Wednesday at 10:30 hours, arriving in Kuala Lumpur at 21:35 hours. Return flight EK 343 will depart Kuala Lumpur the following morning at 02:00 hours, arriving in Dubai at 04:50 hours.

EK346 will depart Dubai every Sunday at 03:15 hours, arriving in Kuala Lumpur at 14:15 hours. It will turnaround as EK347, taking off from Kuala Lumpur at 19:30 hours and arriving in Dubai at 22:20 hours.

Also effective 1st May, the existing EK343 and EK347 flight schedules have been revised.

More information is available on www.emirates.com