GENTLEMEN M. CHAKO MANI, PRESIDENT OF THE ROYAL PARK TOURISM SERVICES TRAVEL COMPANY, WAS ONE OF THE FIRST LEADERS OF THE DUBAI TOURISM, WHO WOULD PAY ATTENTION TO A HUGE POTENTIAL. FOR TODAY, RUSSIA, UKRAINE AND OTHER FORMER SOVIET REPUBLICS REMAIN ROYAL PARK'S PRIORITY DIRECTIONS. HOW DEVELOP RELATIONS IN TOURISM INDUSTRY TODAY AND THE RESULTS OF THE PAST IN JUNE CONFERENCE "DUBAI - all season DIRECTION", organized by the COMPANY ROYAL PARK TOURISM SERVICES AND "INTREVEL-Stoleshnikov" We spoke with Mr. Mani In anticipation of the exhibition "RECREATION -2007 "IN MOSCOW.
- Mr. Mani, at the beginning of June you and your colleagues from Moscow held a three-day conference “Dubai is an all-weather destination”. How did its results affect the work of both Dubai and Russian tour operators this summer?
- The idea of holding this conference was to emphasize once again that Dubai in summer is as good for Russian tourists as it is in winter. If you sum up the first results, then, for example, the Moscow tour operator "Intravel-Stoleshniki", sales in the UAE direction increased 22% in the summer.
The only limiting factor on the path of further tourist growth from Russia and neighboring countries was not even the lack of confirmation of hotel room reservations, which tour operators usually complain about, but the insufficient number of charter flights that usually begin to fly with the onset of the so-called “high” season.
This summer, only one Transaero company operated charter flights every Tuesday and Friday from Moscow. And all the planes were full. You understand that today one charter program in the summer is no longer enough. Of course, there are regular flights of Aeroflot, but many tourists prefer to travel by other airlines.
Someone is not satisfied with the on-board service, someone has the time of departures and arrivals, as well as the high price of tickets, which increases the cost of an already cheap tour package. Charters are convenient in that they depend on the work of specific travel agencies, booking blocks of places and having the ability to independently determine the price of a tour package.
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In the summer, we observed a marked increase in demand for the Dubai destination. This is especially true for tourists from Ukraine and such Russian regions as Siberia and the Urals. And I can say that the increase in demand was a direct consequence of our conference, which gave a certain impetus to tour operators to reconsider their attitude to such an interesting all-weather direction like Dubai.
- That is, it can be said that it was the conference that convinced tour operators that the UAE could well compete with the main summer destinations popular with Russians and citizens of neighboring countries?
- Yes, I believe that tour operators from Ukraine, Siberia and the central regions of Russia began to sell Dubai with much greater efficiency in the summer. Moreover, the demand for holidays in Dubai among Ukrainian tourists this year was simply fantastic. I am also pleased that the representatives of travel companies from Russia, who took part in the conference, changed their own attitude towards Dubai. They understood how to attract more tourists to the Emirates in the summer, and their opinions had a great influence on the tourists' choice of places for their next vacation, as people used to trust the recommendations of experienced travelers, in this case, representatives of travel companies. A very important component was a wave of positive publications in the press, which once again drew attention to an excellent vacation in Dubai in the summer. In this regard, I would like to thank the Department of Tourism and Commercial Marketing of the Government of Dubai (DTCM), which organized study tours for the conference participants on the most interesting and discussed new buildings in Dubai.
- What, from your point of view, will the upcoming “high season” please the Dubai tourism industry?
- I believe that the "high season" this year will begin much earlier than usual, somewhere in early September, and not at the end of October, as it happened. Demand for Dubai in all major markets has already begun to grow. Moreover, tourists turn their attention not only to expensive five-star hotels on the coast, but also not against city hotels and furnished apartments of class 3-4 *. Many are quite satisfied with their holidays on the city's well-maintained municipal beaches; it is more important for them to live in the immediate vicinity of shopping centers or business districts of Dubai. The increase in demand can be considered the “echoes” of the summer vacation campaign, but it still seems to me that this is a new surge in tourist activity associated with the onset of the “high” season in the UAE.
Ramadan does not even stop many tourists, although before tour operators discouraged travelers, and tourists themselves were reluctant to go to the Emirates during this holy month for Muslims, citing restrictions on food and drink during daylight hours. With the onset of the high season, we expect an increase in the number of charter flights. For example, Krasnoyarsk opens a regular charter service with Dubai. And that is a good sign.
If we translate our conversation into the language of numbers, then the expected increase in tourist flow from Russia and Ukraine will be approximately 25-30% this year. This indicator, of course, depends on the number of regular and charter flights from major cities of Russia and the CIS, and on the number of blocks of seats on them. I assure you, all travel companies will work to meet increasing demand. Therefore, my forecasts for the season are very optimistic.
A couple of years ago, when wealthy Russians did not receive confirmation of booking a hotel in Dubai, they went on vacation to other countries - Thailand, Turkey and so on. Today, the UAE opens up luxury beach hotels in the emirates neighboring Dubai - Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah, Umm Al Quwain. For people who want to relax only on the coast, this is a great alternative to Dubai. That is why I believe that the increase in tourist flow will be at least 30%.
- Mr. Mani, your company is a regular participant in international tourism exhibitions in Moscow, such as MITT and Rest. What do you expect from participation in the exposition "Rest-2007", which will take place at the end of September?
- This exhibition will not be just a meeting place for tour operators with agencies, hoteliers and customers. Five days of intensive work awaits us. Think about it, only "under the roof" of the DTKM stand will be exhibited more than 60 companies whose applications for participation were satisfied. In addition, Abu Dhabi, Fujairah, Sharjah will be presented at separate stands.
I must say that the Dubai hoteliers began to have a slightly different attitude to the Russian tourist market. Previously, the quotas for places in popular Dubai hotels were very strict, today the situation has begun to change for the better for the Russians. And judging by the number of applications for participation in the exhibition "Rest", all the leading hotel chains in the UAE will be presented on the Russian market this year. The main objective of the Dubai tour operators during the exhibition will be to obtain the best quotas for hotels in the coming season.
Another important point. Today we can’t just say “Russia and the CIS countries”. This is too general a concept.
We are well aware that there is Russia, but there are Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Estonia, Latvia, Moldova and other countries. These are completely different markets, and each of them must be given special attention and differentiated approaches must be found to ensure a steady tourist flow in the UAE. In this regard, I consider the work carried out by the DTCM in Russia, the CIS and the Baltic countries to be very valuable, conducting field campaigns and study tours that allow residents of all these states to learn more about the Emirates and to local tour operators to assess the potential of the Dubai destination and perceive it in all seriousness.
- Summing up the results of our conversation, let me wish you and your colleagues success in the upcoming season.
- Thank. By the way, I hope that with the help of the press and, of course, magazines issued by the Russian Emirates company, we will be able to establish a constant dialogue with our tourists who already come to the Emirates, or just look at this hospitable country as the place of potential conducting the next vacation. Until we meet again. Now after the exhibition in Moscow.
/ Interviewed by Elena Olkhovskaya /
