Mohammed calls for focus on tourism
His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, on Tuesday called for greater focus on developing the country’s tourism sector.
Shaikh Mohammed called on the federal and local tourism-related entities to intensify their efforts and mobilise all resources at their disposal to develop tourism into a thriving industry in the UAE, particularly Dubai.
During a tour of the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) Exhibition at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre, Shaikh Mohammed highlighted the country’s unrivalled assets and superb infrastructure that provide a solid foundation for a vibrant tourist industry.
Among the myriad attractions that make the UAE a top-notch holiday destination, he cited the country’s magnificent beaches, enchanting deserts, warm climate, world-class tourism and hospitality facilities and Arabian hospitality.
Shaikh Mohammed said the growing global appeal and the quantitative and qualitative growth of the ATM underscored the increasing prospects of a thriving tourism industry in the UAE and the region at large. He said he was happy with the increasing significance and popularity of the show, which has lined up 2,200 exhibitors from 69 countries.
Complementing Shaikh Mohammed’s upbeat outlook of the tourism industry, a research unveiled on Tuesday said the UAE will experience some of the world’s strongest inbound tourism growth over the next five years. The UAE will see an annual increase in arrivals during the forecast period (2010-2015) of 6.9 per cent, resulting in 3.6 million new arrivals to become the 14th country in terms of absolute arrivals growth, said the survey released by Euromonitor International Travel and Tourism Industry Nadejda Popova at the ATM.
At the National Council for Tourism and Antiquities pavilion, Shaikh Mohammed praised the maiden national campaign for promotion of heritage tourism. The Council’s Director-General Mohammed Al Muhairi presented Shaikh Mohammed a book on Archeology in UAE, which was issued by the Council as part of the campaign.
(KHALEEJ TIMES)
