TravTalk Middle East Online Magazine
The versatile city of Dubai plans to draws attention of different travel segments in the next few years. Opening of the Dubai Opera is a clear example of the way forward in terms of promoting the destination as a cultural hub. Industry experts share their views on this upcoming tourism segment.
Shehara Rizly
Yousuf Lootah, Executive Director Tourism Development & Investment, DTCM
Cultural and sustainable tourism is part of the development agenda of Dubai Tourism in order to achieve 20 million visitors by the year 2020. Increasing cultural awareness by opening Dubai Opera, will create new visitors to the destination. Followed by the opening of the Dubai Canal which adds to the fabric of Dubai’s urban plan as it connects the new through a water way not only through the sea but now through the canal to the old. Other new projects in line is His Highness Sheikh Mohammad Al Maktoum announced the activation of the Hatta development which is an all composing development of a part of Dubai about 100 km away in the mountain with one of the oldest ports, oldest water systems, (3000-years-old) caves and graveyards. Shindaga is being developed with the heritage museum that encompasses aspects of our culture, it revolves around culture, society and life which will be open within the next two years.
Jin Woo, Advisor to the Secretary General on Tourism & Culture, UNWTO Spain
The Middle East has great potential for cultural tourism because of its cultural wealth. Middle East is a good model of sustainable development through cultural tourism. In terms of cultural tourism, partnerships are most important between tourism and culture, these two sectors are so different but they are one so they need each other. Second is private and public partnership, so government and private sector should work together. UNWTO is working with UNESCO very closely in this regard. We organised the inaugural international conference on tourism and culture together in 2015 in Cambodia and next year the second edition will be in Oman.
Dr. Sue Millar, President, ICOMOS International Scientific Committee on Culture Tourism
In the Middle East, we look at historic places, where people want the old buildings, to understand the way of life, but they want to do it in a modern way with the living heritage. The culture of respect you have in Dubai is something to be cherished, something to be built on. People are interested in finding out more about the kind of food, different places, the way of life in the past and in the present, markets like souqs, how dhows are made, how you live your lives inside the quadrangles, inside the houses, etc. So I think the opportunity to actually tell us more about the way of life of the past is a very good one and I know that’s happening here in Dubai in the historic district that you are now beginning to re-develop and that’s a great move forward.
Basma Dawwas, Conference Director, IQPC
Basically our company IQPC organised and conceptualised this topic in order to drive economic diversification and sustainable development through the promotion of cultural tourism. At the event participations from across the GCC and also the Arab world gathered to discuss cultural tourism development in the region. This is the first inaugural event which we hope to continue as an annual event, as a must attend gathering for all the culture and tourism authorities in the GCC and Middle East. A key in this event for the industry is to come together to engage and create and establish foster relationships and partnerships in the industry, stakeholders and let it be travel agents, private companies and public companies and this is what we are going to discuss, a big theme about how to foster and create industry partnerships to promote culture.
