Outbound

DTCM to tell trade Dubai is handicap-ready

Deep sea diving and corporate golf, new segments on the anvil

Bhisham Mansukhani - Mumbai

Carl Vaz Country Manager, India, Dubai Tourism and Commerce Marketing

As part of its 2006 agenda, Dubai Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) plans to inform both - the Indian trade and travellers of its handicap-friendly approach and infrastructure. It is also set to promote deep sea diving and corporate golf tourism to the Indian market which has so far predominantly taken to shopping and desert adventure.

As part of the initiative, DTCM will print and distribute booklets that will identify locations within the airport, hotels, malls, public places and tourist attractions which are handicap ready. Carl Vaz country manager, India, DTCM, says, "I must emphasise that this is not a promotion of any kind. The objective is essentially to highlight the human element of Dubai. We want to give the destination a human face by allowing the handicapped a chance to experience the destination without limitation. The theme is 'Dubai - Simply Accessible'."

In India, DTCM is in the process of unfolding the campaign and organising related events to create awareness.

The introduction of more tourism activities in the Indian market by DTCM also significantly marks an attempt to further diversify the destination's appeal, here. The organisation has been talking to some of the premiere golf clubs across India and will be looking to ally with them to do some events with them in Dubai. Dubai Golf Holidays, an umbrella body for all of Dubai's golf clubs, also specialises in formulating itineraries for incoming individuals and groups. The non-playing spouse and children will also be catered to by being taken for city trips and a range of other activities.

Vaz adds, "Water sports, be it deep sea fishing or scuba diving, has so far not been promoted enough to Indian tourists since I feel there will be many takers. I have been trying to get the travel trade excited about the product. Truth be told, tour operators haven't been excited by the product just yet since most Indians still want to simply sightsee. But that will now change." Vaz said he saw this initiative as a key transition for Dubai towards a special interest, FIT destination for the Indian market.

"When you send someone on a special interest tour, that person is completely clued into a particular activity. The family will always vacation together even though they may have their own preferences. The FIT is a captive market for special interest tourism and will now be a major draw in Dubai," Vaz assured.