SUMMARY
Destination Competitiveness Audit- “Dubai”
Here we are summarising our presentation for destination competitiveness using DC (Destination Competitiveness) model by analysing the core resources and attraction of UAE and other supporting factors and resources (Ritchie, 2003). Starting with Physiography and Climate of the country, Dubai is a city-state in the United Arab Emirates, situated within the emirate named as Dubai. The emirate of Dubai is located southeast of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and is one of the seven emirates that make up the Nation as “The United Arab Emirates” which is a federation of seven Emirates with Abu Dhabi as its capital.
Dubai is in the Middle East, surrounded by Gulf of Oman to the north-east Oman to the east and south, the Persian Gulf to the west. The geographical location of Dubai is strategically very significant as it is a spot for the extraction and transportation of crude oil to different nations. (Potts, 2012)The line of the Tropic of Cancer crosses through the UAE, causing the weather in Dubai to be warm and sunny. In the winter it has an average daytime temperature of 25°C , nearer the coast 12-15°C , in the desert or mountains 5°C. With the nights being cool. It mostly rains during the winter period in the form of short gushes and an occasional thunderstorm. On average, rain falls only five days a year. The best time to visit Dubai goes from December to February, to avoid the heat that dominates for many months a year. (Potts, 2012)
The culture and History of Dubai states that’s the union of 7 emirates was formed post british independence in 1971 and the Emir of Abu Dhabi became first president of the UAE. The major population of the country comprises of Muslims hence Islam dominates all aspects of their culture and religion with Arabic as the national language. Most Emirates along with Dubai is a member of the Sunni sect. Matters relating to marriage, divorce, inheritance, economics, politics, and personal conduct are affected by Sharia(Islamic) law. (Christina G. Chi, 2009) Oil and natural gas being their core sector of revenues but as the focus on sustainability and the alternate source of income, Dubai and UAE government started focusing majorly on tourism which all are specially of built environment. Dubai is focusing on tourism and organising Special events and Entertainment facilities. In 2020 a boost to the Dubai tourism is expected as Dubai is organising Expo 2020, which is a mega event (Maello, 2018) and there are different Mix of activities which Dubai offers such as Desert safari, surfing, cruise parties, museums, indoor ice skating and many more. When it comes to the tourism superstructure, Dubai is known globally for its different tallest, fastest, biggest built environment tourist superstructures, it has the hotel brands ranging from business to luxury hotels. BURJ AL ARAB is the only 7-star hotel in the world and also the World’s tallest building. Ferrari’s fastest roller coaster ride on Yas island and many more. Dubai is also known for its hospitality and safe and secure environment which plays an important role in its market ties globally. The history of tourism is closely tied to advances in transport and easy access by air is a prerequisite for any country seeking to be a leading international destination (Enright, 2004). Dubai aspires to be an air transport hub for the Middle and Far East and authorities are building an appropriate communications infrastructure. The civil aviation industry has progressed at speed and the airport is the sixteenth busiest measured by international passenger movements. (Henderson, 2006)Dubai based Emirates and Abu Dhabi based Etihad Airways connects to all the major's cities globally as well as within the United Arab Emirates which makes its tourism destination very accessible for the tourists around the world Many of these customers of the duty-free shopping area where annual sales are amongst the highest in the world (Gulf News,2004a). However, the Dubai Municipal Authorities are already preparing for a new international airport to open when the current facilities exceed their capacity and Emirates airline has seen significant growth.
Emirates is owned by the Dubai government and the largest Arab airline. It flies the most technologically sophisticated planes on certain routes and have won several awards for customer service and is ranked by analysts as an eventual serious challenger to the world’s dominant airlines. Dubai also markets itself as a cruising hub band destination, possibly inspired by the Singapore model (Peisley,2000). The port and tourism authorities have sought to convince the world’s cruise industry that the Arabian Gulf is a sound alternative to the crowded waters of the Caribbean and Mediterranean. Dubai is continuously upgrading its infrastructure to cater the rising demands of its tourism industry. Infrastructure design services in Dubai are really mesmerising. Real estate is one of the prime industries in here and the development of infrastructure project like BURJ KHALIFA, Dubai Marina, IT support companies, Dubai EXPO 2020 which is giving tourism of Dubai a competitive advantage Dubai has the world class infrastructure in the whole world. From roads to the airport to telecommunication, Dubai is home to world-class facilities. The people of Dubai are very welcoming and are in a stage of Euphoria for the tourists. They always welcome new people whether it is tourist or expatriates. tourism industry of other developed nation. Dubai’s Department of Tourism and commerce marketing (Dubai Tourism) and its partner have joined hands to promote the numerous career opportunities that await talented young Emirati, Tourism enterprises have an incredible impact on their destination by creating jobs, contributing to GDP, bringing in new markets for goods and services, all while protecting the local environment and preserving cultural heritage. (Government, 2018). Dubai’s DMOs Political will depends on the efforts to attract 20 million tourists annually by 2020, the year of Dubai Expo. Goals include attracting 21-23 million visitors by 2022, and 23-25 million visitors by 2025. As per Sheikh Hamdan, Crown Prince of Dubai, emirate will achieve its goal to be the most-visited city in the world, through adopting ambitious development plans, initiatives and projects that will make it a preferred tourism destination for millions of people around the world. The Department of Tourism’s strategy is based on the theme of "Only in Dubai" plus promoting the city’s attractiveness as a leading business destination. Dubai DMOs and council plans and strategies to strengthen the tourism sector reflects efforts to promote Dubai’s making it a favoured destination for tourism, business and events, through ambitious initiatives that aim to achieve sustainable growth. (Bridge, 2018)
Dubai DMOs are using its resources very efficiently by utilizing their oil wealth to compete for the growing Economic Ties. The Secretary of State for Foreign & Commonwealth Affairs noted upon signing Abu Dhabi 2010 in the presence of Her Majesty and His Highness Sheikh Khalifa that 100,000 British subjects lived in the Emirates and over a million visited each year for business and leisure. (Abbas, 2018). Beside this each country share consistently high rates of mutual trade and investment. Both Great Britain and the Emirates have historic association in terms of co-operation in the areas of law enforcement, defence, training and military technology. This was reflected recently in the signing of an agreement to co-operate in the development of the Emirates' own nuclear energy plants in the future. This relationship granted them access to exclusive western investments and partnerships. 2000, the international credit boom helped the Emirates solidify their place in the middle East as a financial and cosmopolitan hub. Foreign investment poured in for ambitious project like the world’s tallest skyscraper, largest resort, and even a series of man-made islands. Since then tourism, trade and retail has flourished, attracting a large number of visitors and immigrants (Luc, 2018). By 2014 Dubai was reported to be the world’s 5th most popular tourist destination. (Government, 2018). Dubai does not have any corporate taxation system except for the oil and natural gas companies and on foreign operating banks which gives it a competitive advantage to become a destination for business ventures and investments making Dubai competitive as well as comparative advantageous as per DC Model.