Make the experience authentic, visitors will come

dubai - Tourists select travel destinations based on rich cultural attractions

You can find four and five-star hotels with great guest services anywhere in the world; however, what makes a destination truly unique is its promise of an authentic cultural experience.

Experts at a panel session at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM 2017) shared their insights on how an increasing number of tourists today select their travel destinations based on popular content that they have seen on social media, and rich cultural attractions that will distinguish their holidays from other destinations.

Issam Kazim, CEO of the Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing, noted that hospitality vendors across the UAE have identified these two trends in recent years and have taken steps to provide visitors with modern-day comforts that blend seamlessly with local cultural experiences. This, he said, is just one of the many ways that the country is maximising its tourism potential.

"People want an authentic tourism experience, and I think this is evident when you look at the success of the 'MyDubai' hashtag on social media," he said. "Originally, it was created to be a biography of the lives of Dubai's residents. However, we noticed that visitors who came to the city were using it to share their special moments with people around the world, and that presented us with a unique opportunity and insight on the type of experiences that visitors were looking for."

"While we were focusing on highlighting the new developments in Dubai, such as theme parks, the new shopping malls, the water parks, and the Burj Khalifa - which were great in helping to position us globally - the older parts of the city such as the souks, the abra, the spice and textile markets, all offered unique experiences and the more we started taking travellers to these areas, the more we realised the depth of Dubai's offerings," he added.

'Visit Abu Dhabi' app
Saif Saeed Ghobash, director-general of the Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority, agreed with Kazim, and shared a similar experience with the award-winning 'Visit Abu Dhabi' app, which is available in 10 languages. He explained that the app was something that visitors used from the moment they started planning their holiday, and before they had even touched down in the city. Many tourists said the app had been instrumental in them being able to better plan and enjoy their stay in the capital.

"A key component that is responsible for the popularity of a destination is its people, and this is why it is so important for us to have a well-educated, well-informed, Emirati national that speaks multiple languages," he explained. "Imagine, if you will, walking or driving down the city while that person narrates to you everything that is interesting about that destination. That person has the power to make or break your experience, and that's not technology, that's simply an investment that you can make in training."

Speaking on the power of social media and how it can be used as a tool to attract visitors, Andy Levey, head of marketing at La Perle by Dragone, said: "Everyone has a phone or a tablet; everyone is a publisher; everyone is a media company on social media, whether they have 500 Facebook followers, or a million snapchat fans. It's an efficient and easy way to really publish what's going on. And, just because something is being shared excessively, that doesn't mean that it is stealing from the experience. It only increases the appetite of people to want more, and to be there. It's about what you're wanting to convey to people that you really can't convey in words or in a sentence and that's where these mediums are so valuable."

Heritage sites
When it comes to families, you can be certain that there are at least a few members who are interested in learning more about the heritage of the city. Currently, there are 12 Unesco World Heritage sites within the GCC, with the UAE and Saudi Arabia seeking new listings. There are dedicated cultural villages such as Katara Cultural Village in Qatar, Saadiyat Island Cultural District in Abu Dhabi and the Sharjah Cultural Palace. All these places offer a unique cultural experience and learning opportunity for visitors.

Simon Mead, manager of operations at Arabian Adventures, the destination management company of the Emirates Group, said: "We've got a lot more experiences to offer families. We're finding that families will combine cultural experiences with regards to either going into the desert in the morning and seeing how Bedouins fly the falcons, or visit museums, and they will combine those cultural experiences with the wonderful and the modern that you can experience throughout the Mena region."

- rohma@khaleejtimes.com