Yeliz Hisman, Director of Sales and Marketing at the Mövenpick Hotel Jumeirah Beach in Dubaiis sharing some insights about Expo 2020 and tourism expansion in the Emirate.

What is Expo? 

It is a global destination for millions of people to share ideas, showcase innovation, encourage collaboration and celebrate human ingenuity. They are organized every five years and last for six months.Some of the amazing inventions which were first brought to the world at an expo include the telegraph in London in 1851, the typewriter in Philadelphia in 1876, the diesel engine in Paris in 1900, the colour TV in New York in 1964 etc. 

Can you tell us more about the vision behind the Expo 2020? 

In May 2013, Dubai announced ‘Vision 2020’ and its ambitious aim to double tourist arrivals to 20 million by the year 2020. It is no easy achievement, with more hotel rooms needed and enough attractions to sustain tourists from a wide variety of markets. 

Dubai is a remarkable place and is positioned as a top destination – not just for tourism but also as a hub for business, medical tourism, for people to live in and for all other aspects. 

Dubai has always relied on its excellent marketing skills to promote itself – whether building the world’s tallest building (a title the Burj Khalifa still retains) or having the world’s largest fireworks display (record broken in January 2014). Winning the bid to host Expo 2020 in November 2013 further ensured that the emirate made headlines across the world. 

How is the market changing? Do you see any shift in the customer base? 

A lot of new markets are already opening up – recently the UAE government announced 13 new countries that will have visa-free on arrival here. Emirates and Flydubai are also opening up new routes all the time.
We see a great potential not only in our source markets – which are inherently growing– but also in gaining market share through changes and policies, new flight routes and more innovative marketing. The tourism and events sector is very exciting and so the diversity of what you face on a daily basis is tremendously exciting and enjoyable. It’s a very passionate sector and the people you meet are all very passionate and very inspiring. I think that’s the best part of the job.