Dubai closing AU/NZ office

THE Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing will no longer have a local presence from Aug this year, with the organisation’s head office deciding to instead manage operations from Dubai.

The shock move was confirmed overnight, with a spokesperson saying the change is being made “in order to consolidate Dubai Tourism’s position across key international markets”.

The Australian market has been a key driver of long-haul visitation, overnight stays and visitor spending for Dubai, and the importance of the market has seen Dubai Tourism with a local presence for about 18 years - first with Peter Gisborne and more recently with Julie King and Associates, which took over the representation almost eight years ago ( TD 20 Jul 2010).

Australasian visitation to Dubai has soared from 29,800 in 2000 to just under 340,000 last year, while Dubai Tourism in Australasia has also played a key part in driving awareness of the Qantas/Emirates partnership.

A formal statement from Dubai received this morning said running the Australian/ NZ operations from its global headquarters “aims at deepening the direct long-term alliances with key partners in the region including airlines and trade, forging strategic collaborations in line with the longstanding commitment to, and confidence in, the potential of both markets”.