UAE tops as most popular destination for Indians

WAM / Emirates Business

A whopping 65 per cent of Indians living outside their country have made the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), states their expatriate home, the Lok Sabha, the lower House of Indian Parliament was informed during its ongoing budget session.
Of these six GCC states, the UAE tops the list as home to the largest number of Indians, closely followed by Saudi Arabia. The third largest concentration of Indians is in the United States, but their number is way behind, at a mere one fifth of the combined total for the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
Data from India’s central bank, the Reserve Bank of India, also given to Parliament simultaneously, said $ 76.4 billion flowed into India by way of remittances from Indians living abroad. This is the figure for the financial year 2018-19, the last year for which full statistics are available. No country-wise source for the remittances was provided.
Worldwide, the UAE topped the list of countries hosting Indians at 3.42 million. This an increase over 3.1 million Indian residents at the end of 2018 showing the UAE as the most popular destination for those here seeking opportunities abroad.
Separate statistics show that 55 per cent of Indians travelling abroad pass through the UAE at some point in their journey. Simultaneously, the number of Indian tourists to the UAE and hotel occupancy by them in Abu Dhabi and Dubai have also soared.
With big publicity campaigns under way for Expo 2020 Dubai, the expectation here is that the number of Indians visiting the UAE this year and the next will reach record levels.

Dubai recognised as short haul destination of choice for Indians
Dubai has been awarded the ‘Best Foreign Destination – Short Haul’ at the 27th edition of South Asia’s largest travel and tourism exhibition (Satte 2020). Recognising the success of innovative marketing initiatives driven by Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism), campaigns such as ‘School Break’, ‘Monsoon Season’ and ‘Diwali’ have accelerated the emirate’s desirability as the ideal closer-to-home destination for Indian tourists. The prestigious accolade was presented at a special ceremony to the emirate’s delegation during the event. The Department showcased its support for the event for the 17th year, further reinforcing Dubai’s deep and continued commitment to its top source market.

During the show, the Department highlighted citywide developments, discussed international marketing partnerships and explored the success of recent segment-specific campaigns that continued to yield tangible results, showcasing the city’s ability to reinvent itself and remain ‘top-of mind’ to both new and repeat audiences from across India’s smaller and larger cities.
The delegation of 19 Dubai-based partners, including a team from Expo 2020 Dubai, explored networking opportunities with various Indian business partners and stakeholders, with a focus on driving repeat visitation and further enhancing the visitor experience. Attendees were also briefed on the Dubai Expert programme, a specialised training course designed to empower travel agents to deliver personalised experiences to Indian visitors.
Commenting on the award win and Dubai Tourism’s presence at the event, Issam Kazim, CEO, Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM), said: “India has long been one of Dubai’s most important source markets, with the city’s close proximity proving to be a key draw for Indian visitors eager for a short-haul holiday. The market once again drew the highest visitation in 2019 with nearly two million visitors, reaffirming the emirate’s unmatched appeal to leisure travellers and families across a variety of Indian cities. As we ramp up efforts to further solidify the global competitiveness of Dubai to make it the #1 most visited, preferred and revisited global city, strategic events such as SATTE are integral in enabling us to connect with our stakeholders in India, to explore opportunities for enhanced collaboration. In the run up to Expo 2020 Dubai and beyond, we will continue to invest deeply in seasonal messaging, segment-specific campaigns, industry engagements and strategic destination partnerships to continue leveraging the growing tourism momentum from India.”
The Department’s Dubai-based partners present at the Dubai stand included: Expo 2020, EMAAR Entertainment and Hospitality Group, DXB Entertainment, La Perle by Dragone, Meraas Holdings, Majid Al Futtaim – Leisure & Entertainment, Jumeirah Group, Palazzo Versace Dubai, Caesar’s Palace, Atlantis The Palm, Mövenpick Hotel & Apartments Bur Dubai, Golden Sands Hotel Apartments, Occidental Hotel Dubai Production City, Desert Adventures Tourism, Kesavi Travel & Tourism, Arabian Heritage Tourism, Royal Gulf Tourism and Khamas Hospitality.
The event also facilitated several strategic meetings with trade partners, travel agents, outbound and inbound tour operators, MICE operators and digital marketing companies.