Under the leadership of Chairwoman Ms Muna Al Gurg, Young Arab Leaders (YAL) successfully hosted yet another Executive Meetup with Issam Kazim, CEO of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing as the speaker, on the evening of 09 May 2018.

Executive Meetup is a series of casual meetings organized by Young Arab Leaders to encourage networking and knowledge exchange between YAL exclusive members, hosted by prominent executive leaders in the UAE such as Issam Kazim who share their insights as to what the future holds for certain industries.

Muna Al Gurg, YAL Chairwoman and Director of Retail at Al Gurg Group, opened the evening by introducing Issam and inviting the attendees to make the most of this exclusive opportunity to interact with him. Issam briefly introduced his professional background and his role in Dubai Tourism.

With the Dubai Tourism Vision 2020 on the radar, the Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing is tasked with developing and implementing effective tourism strategies to further promote Dubai as a world-class destination for tourists from various markets. The key objective of the vision is to welcome 20 million visitors per year by the year 2020.

Issam shared some of the key strategies that are planned, vetted and put into action, working towards this ambitious vision. Numerous Public-Private partnerships facilitated by Dubai Tourism play an integral role in enhancing Dubai’s offerings to guests, as a destination to remember, while competing with other vibrant cities. Strategic partnerships with entities like Dubai Airports allow for collaboration in delivering landmark projects and eventually achieving a shared vision. Likewise, the DCTCM also takes into consideration renowned multinational startups which could revolutionise the tourism industry.

In line with the values of welcoming tourists to Dubai as ‘Guests’, plans are put in place to better cater to the dynamic needs of visitors with diverse demographics & languages, through leveraging the massive amounts of tourism data, complemented by research and surveys. For instance, an in-person survey conducted in Airports and popular tourist spots like Dubai Mall had 30-40 thousand respondents in just nine months and key insights were discovered by the study.

Other noteworthy initiatives include the establishment of the Dubai College of Tourism to provide cutting edge training to aspiring hospitality professionals and to prepare tomorrow’s workforce. Also, strategic plans are made to provide enriching experiences specifically for famous artists, influencers and athletes to thereby reach their millions of fans through social networks.

Furthermore, projects are underway to highlight Emirati cultural heritage in Dubai, through further development of cultural monuments in various parts of the Emirate. In promoting Dubai as a truly cosmopolitan city for tourism, a lot of touchpoints are taken into consideration, ranging from making home-country brands more accessible to offering tour guides speaking specific dialects.

In conclusion, Issam shared a few interesting facts and statistics including the fact that Dubai has a reputation for being one of the safest cities in the World. He added that work is also in progress in further simplifying the visa process and travel for tourists as well as transit passengers. Finally, the attendees shared personal experiences and exchanged innovative ideas to look back on.

A networking session followed, which concluded the evening,

More About the Speaker:

Issam Kazim is the CEO of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM). Issam’s accomplishments since taking up his post at DCTCM in February 2014 include launching the new and improved Dubai Tourism website, developing destination tools such as the Dubai Tourism App and creating and rolling out a highly successful global marketing campaign in more than 30 countries.

Prior to joining Dubai Tourism, Issam worked at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) as Director of DXB Live and Commercial, and successfully created, developed and launched a number of strategic live events, including Dubai Sports World, Dubai Indoor Football Championship, and Dubai Music Week. He also has experience leading various teams at Nakheel, Dubai Bank and Commercial Bank of Dubai.