MICE industry in Dubai: Comprehensive Analysis

                           fig 1: Burj Al Arab ( Source:                                            www.dubai-architecture.info)                                                              

Dubai is one of the very fast emerging players in the global MICE industry along with the players like China and South East Asia. It’s the state of the art infrastructure and the cosmopolitan culture of Dubai that attracts the attention of the businesses and corporations across the globe for conducting their meetings and conferences in Dubai.

The given blog will analyze Dubai as a MICE location, recent accomplishments it had made in the given area and SWOT analysis for its MICE industry .

Along with petroleum, tourism, financial sector and real estate sector are very important revenue earners for Dubai. Known for its beautiful and exotic hotels and resorts, restaurants, spas, beautiful land marks, shopping malls and fashion stores Dubai attracts an immense number of tourists every year from all across the globe. In the 1st nine months of 2010 total number of hotel guests was six million (DTCM, 2010). DTCM or Dubai tourism and commerce marketing, pioneer body to take tourism related initiatives in Dubai has an ambitious target of attracting fifteen million foreign tourists in Dubai by 2015. (ttnworldwide.com, 2008)

Dubai attracts both, leisure as well as business tourists. In the past few years there has been considerable increase in business tourism related activities in Dubai. Dubai convention bureau a part of Dubai tourism and commerce marketing is taking strong drives and initiatives to attract business visitors from all around the world to conduct meetings and conferences at Dubai. Like its twin sister Abu Dhabi, Dubai is sending delegates and conducting promotional campaigns all across the globe along with attending international meetings for MICE industry like IBTMs and IMEX etc. In the next part the author will be discussing two very important pillar of the MICE industry in Dubai that is Dubai convention bureau (DCB) and Dubai world trade center (DWTC)

Dubai convention bureau or DCB is not directly involved in conducting meetings and conferences but gives helping hand to the MICE industry in Dubai by promoting it internationally and nationally as meting destination. The services of DCB include the following (DCB website, 2010): -

• Bid assistance: - with the help of its strong expertise it helps national and international host in going for the bid. The prime services include identifying issues that needs to be addressed, writing the bid, providing endorsements from key govt. as well as private bodies, working on the strength and weaknesses of other competing cites etc.

• Site selection: - it helps the host in inspecting convention centers, conference halls, hotels etc. Provides assistance with selection of PCOs (professional conference organizer) and meeting planners, provides local contacts.

• Helps in the promotional activities for the event.

• Provides other complimentary services like tour guides, information booths in meetings comprising over 1000 delegates, govt. contacts etc.

Dubai world trade center or DWTC is the leading destination for conducting exhibitions, conferences, meetings and corporate events. It also provides offices on rent to corporate and consulates from all around the globe. DWTC is considered as the focal point of business related activities in Dubai. In 2009 alone it was visited by some 1.24 Million conference and exhibition visitors (newzglobe.com, 2010)

In the concluding part the blog will attempt to do a brief SWOT analysis for the MICE industry in Dubai: -

Strengths

• State of the art infrastructure with plethora of international standard convention centers, hotels, logistic facilities etc. Dubai has around 566 hotels with more than 67,000 rooms. (DTCM, 2009)

• Crime rates are low.

• Cosmopolitan culture

• Epicenter of trade in Middle East.

• Pro- active government authorities.

• Well connected through air with different parts of the world.

• The leisure activities in Dubai are additional advantage for its incentive travel packages.

• Dubai is strategically placed between Asia and Europe where as it is close to Africa as well.

Weakness

• Dubai is becoming extremely expensive these days. In 2010 it was considered as the 55th most costly city in the world. ( Mercer, 2010)

• It has recently undergone a real estate bubble crash and hence the economy is still in a recovery mode.

• In spite of low crime rate there had been an increase in sex and drug related crimes. Some of them have got huge media publicity.

• Dubai lacks cultural sites.

Opportunities

• The increase in price of oil  will boost the economy.

• Dubai expects further growth in leisure tourism with around 15 Million foreign tourists visiting by 2015. This will surely be advantageous for business tourism in Dubai.

• Dubai is the business and tourism center of Middle East region which is high up on the geo-political and  business agendas of the West as well as emerging powers from the East.

Threats

• In recent times  lots of other cost efficient and exciting locations are rising in the Middle East such as Muscat, Doha and Kuwait City.

• Cities like Prague and Istanbul are attracting lot of tourist attention these days. These cities can offer cultural tourism as well as magnificent modern facilities at a much economical price to lure business tourists from across the world.

References:-

References –

1> DTCM press release, 2010, total number of hotel guest rises…….., available at < http://pr.dubaitourism.ae/2010/12/26/total-hotel-guests-in-dubai-touch-nearly-six-million-during-first-nine-months-of-2010-according-to-dtcm-report/ >

2> Ttnworldwide.com, 2008, Dubai to attract 15m tourists by 2015, available at < http://www.ttnworldwide.com/articles.aspx?id=1107&artid=8150 >

3> DCB website, 2011, Our Services, available at < http://www.dcb.ae/en/article/dcb-services/our-services.html >, accessed on Jan 2011

4> DTCM press release, 2010, total number of hotel guest rises…….., available at < http://pr.dubaitourism.ae/2010/12/26/total-hotel-guests-in-dubai-touch-nearly-six-million-during-first-nine-months-of-2010-according-to-dtcm-report/  >

5> Mercer, 2010, Worldwide Cost of Living survey 2010 - City rankings, available at < http://www.mercer.com/costoflivingpr#Top_50 >