ArtashNikki

Dubai: The Dubai tourism industry continues to defy global economic downturn as international hotel operators continue to look at the emirate and the Gulf region to expand their portfolios.
International tourists still regard Dubai as one of the top destinations around the world.
While the emirate is combating market downturn, which has hit the tourism sector hard, Saleh Mohammad Al Geziry, the director of overseas promotions at Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), said that the challenges are making Dubai stronger and it is “being looked at with greater interest than before.”
Starting on Wednesday, Arabian Travel Market, the region’s exhibit destination for all things tourism, will provide a perspective and foothold for the industry to dig deeper for regional opportunities.
Though the show has seen some decline in exhibitor numbers, a number of new entries into the market will contribute in lifting the sector’s growth.
DTCM revealed that the city had seen 7.5 million visitors last year, over 6.9 million from the year before, at a time when international arrivals began to decline.
Tourism revenues in 2008 hit the Dh15.26 billion mark, up 15 per cent from the previous year.