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20 check-in counters for special people

DUBAI — The Dubai Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) will open 20 check-in counters at the Dubai International Airport (DIA) for people with special needs, particularly wheelchair-bound passengers, in July.

The initiative aims at encouraging special needs tourism in the emirate.

Jamal Al Hai, Chairman of the Board of DCA, made the announcement yesterday at a Press briefing on the 3rd International Tourism Development Forum for People with Special Needs in the Middle East. The Forum is scheduled for tomorrow at Le Meridien Dubai.

"We are trying our best to make the Dubai airport more user-friendly. We have coordinated with an international consultant so we can effectively address the concerns of passengers with specific requirements," Al Hai said.

In addition to this, he said the DIA would soon have three additional car parking areas dedicated to people with special needs.

"We have set up courses for airport staff, which trains them on how to be more responsive to the demands of this group of travellers. We also keep conducting surveys inside the airport in order to get people's feedback on how we can improve our facilities and services," the DCA official said.

Al Hai mentioned that special needs tourism was expected to grow further in the coming years, provided the government and private sector address the issue on infrastructure and service development in the tourism sector.

"Our objective is to establish Dubai as a city that cares for tourists with special needs. Huge financial investments have been made on infrastructure development at the airport, hotels, airlines and transportation," he said.

The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), Al Hai said, has recently provided the Dubai airport with 10 mini-vans to be used as metered taxis for tourists with special needs and their family members.

In 2005, Dubai received around 300,000 tourists with special needs. The figure increased to 400,000 in 2006 and is anticipated to touch half a million tourists this year, Al Hai noted.

Around 500 participants from across the Gulf region are expected to attend the one-day Forum for People with Special Needs in the Middle East. Dr Abdelrahim Abdelwahed, Business Media Consultant of Media Hub International, organisers of the forum, said the event sought to encourage more tourists with special needs to travel.

"To meet their demand, we have to at least meet the basic infrastructure requirements. We have sought the cooperation of hotels, tourism boards, and government offices in addressing this issue," he said.