Tourism

The total number of visitors to Dubai in the first nine months of 2013 was 7.9m, and the emirate has set itself a target of reaching 20m visitors per year by 2020. The emirate received a major boost towards achieving this goal when its bid to host World Expo 2020 was accepted in November 2013. Of the anticipated 25m World Expo visitors between October 2020 and April 2021, it is forecast that around 70% will be from outside the UAE. The energy going into providing facilities for tens of millions of foreign visitors is relentless and looks set to continue over the coming years, with endeavours to improve the offerings for sport, MICE, cultural and medical tourism all working to make the emirate a desirable destination for tourists.

This chapter contains an interview with Helal Saeed Al Marri, Director-General, Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, and CEO, Dubai World Trade Centre.