DTCM ‘techs’ the road to tourism

Dubai’s tourism department has ventured on a new revolutionary campaign for the city’s travel and tourism sectors. Yousuf Lootah, Executive Director–Tourism Development & Investments, Dubai’s Department of Tourism & Commerce Marketing, shares their journey towards becoming a global hub for innovation.

SHEHARA RIZLY

Elaborate on the objective behind the collaboration with GITEX. Why did DTCM decide to create the Dubai Tourism Futurism Competition?
The 37th GITEX Technology Week, to be held from October 8-12, 2017, has undoubtedly established itself as the region’s largest consumer and trade technology event. The exhibition has evolved to encompass startups and entrepreneurism, both key pillars that act as accelerators of innovation and are supporting Dubai’s growth as a future-ready city. Dubai Tourism is exploring opportunities to partner with start-ups and innovators, not only in the region, but around the world, in an effort to create solutions that are targeted at further revolutionising the city’s travel and tourism industry. By collaborating with GITEX Future Stars, we aim to create an international platform that encourages innovation, allowing the world’s bright minds and start-ups to showcase pioneering traveltech solutions. The Dubai Tourism Futurism Competition is our endeavour to inspire travel-tech innovators and offer an opportunity for them to succeed.

Who was this competition targeting? Do the submissions received match the target audience? The Dubai Tourism Futurism Competition features two sub-categories–hospitality and visitor experience–for which individuals and start-ups from around the world were invited to submit their proposed solutions and business plans. The competition was successful in attracting over 100 submissions from across the globe, a stellar result for the firstever edition.

What are the anticipated shortterm and long-term impact of this competition on the travel and tourism industry?
The Dubai Tourism Futurism Competition is closely aligned to the Dubai 10x initiative which was launched under the leadership of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. As the city continues on its journey to becoming a global hub for innovation in the next 10 years, platforms such as this Competition will not only support in discovering innovative solutions, but will also further facilitate the growth of Dubai’s start-up ecosystem. We also anticipate that these solutions will play a crucial role in achieving Dubai’s Tourism Vision 2020 of attracting 20 million visitors per year by 2020.

Are there any similar programmes and initiatives planned for the future following GITEX?How will you sustain the interest generated towards this initiative after GITEX? We will continue to build on the success of the Dubai Tourism Futurism Competition, as we aim to nurture an environment for start-ups to succeed. We are currently exploring various avenues that will allow us to further encourage pioneering thinking and offer platforms for innovators to create revolutionary solutions that tackle challenges of the future.