• The Dubai Commerce and Tourism Promotion Board's strategy of targeting the UK travel trade has paid rich dividends, with Dubai emerging as the favourite destination in the world for British travel professionals for the second successive year.
  In an independent survey conducted by Lawson International of the UK, which provides cut-price holidays for the staff of travel firms and airlines, Dubai topped the bestseller league table for the favourite holiday destination.
  The results are based on a poll conducted among travel staff covering the holidays taken by 12,500 British travel industry employees.
  The top ten destinations according to the survey were, in order of ranking, Dubai, Barbados, the United States, France, Mauritius, Portugal, Seychelles, St. Lucia, Thailand and Kenya.
  "We are very pleased with the results of this survey because it places Dubai head and shoulders above all the other leading destinations in the world" said DCTPB Chief Executive, Khalid A bin Sulayem.
  
  More importantly, it endorses the success of our tourism promotion drive in reaching our prime target audience in the UK market," he said. "Britain is already a leading source of visitors to Dubai and the awareness we are creating among travel professionals should ensure the continued growth of visitor traffic from the UK in future," added Mr. bin Sulayem.
• Emirates will introduce flights to Australia next year, following the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the two governments. Melbourne has been named as one of two destinations to be served.
• The Deira City Centre, a major new shopping, entertainment and leisure complex has been officially opened by HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Deputy Ruler of Dubai.
  Developed by Majid Al Futtaim Properties on a 25 acre site close to the Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club, the complex will have more than 170 outlets covering a comprehensive range of products.
  The guiding principle of the development is to offer the best value in town. Its anchor outlets include the 175,000 square foot Continent hypermarket and 60,000 square foot South African Woolworths.
  Among the features of the complex are Magic Planet, the largest indoor entertainment and leisure centre in the Gulf, a 500-seat international food court and a car park for 3,000 vehicles.
• The Forte Grand Jumeira Beach, which opened last year with 242 rooms, is already undergoing a major expansion project.
  A new circular tower, providing an additional 108 rooms, is currently under construction to meet the high level of demand.
  The extension will also provide two additional meeting rooms and food and beverage outlets.
  
• Recent news from Dubai's aviation sector has included the following items:
  Emirates has raised the number of its flights to Johannesburg to three per week.
  Korean Air has launched a twice-per-week charter passenger service from Seoul to Dubai. The flight, which is the emirate's only air connection with the Korean capital, continues to Djerba in Tunisia.
  Austrian Airlines has launched a weekly service between Vienna and Dubai. The carrier switched its regional operation from Riyadh because Dubai is becoming an increasingly popular destination for many Austrians, according to Al Naboodah Travel and Tourism Agencies, its local General Sales Agent.
  Malaysia Airlines is increasing its services between Dubai and Madrid to two flights per week. This is the only direct air link between the two cities.
  Royal Brunei launched a weekly non-stop flight linking Dubai and Calcutta on 5 November. The service is expected to be increased to two flights per week next year.
  Air France is considering the introduction of Concorde on its Paris-Dubai route as part of a plan to upgrade services to the UAE.
  Air India will introduce flights between Dubai and Hyderabad from 3 January.
• The Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza has announced the expansion of its convention facilities through the opening of three new meetings rooms.
  They are a boardroom for ten persons and two function rooms for 20 and 50 persons respectively.
  The hotel already boasts the largest meetings and conference facilities in the region, including its 1,800-person ballroom and other substantial meetings areas.
  The new facilities are designed to give the flexibility to cater to small and medium sized events.
• Abjar Hotels International LLC has announced plans for a major expansion at three of its Dubai hotels.
  The Sheraton and Ramada will be expanded by 250 and 350 rooms respectively, while the new Abjar Beach Hotel, currently under construction as a 150 room property, will have a 400-room second phase.
• The JW Marriott Hotel has celebrated its second anniversary by announcing a major expansion programme.
  The hotel has opened has opened a 48-seat steakhouse, JW's, and plans three more restaurants, a ballroom and auditorium.
  The extension will be completed during the last quarter of 1997.
• Dubai hotels have picked up five honours in the 1995 Hotel of the Year survey by Britain's Executive Travel magazine.
  The Forte Grand Dubai was named Best Airport Hotel in the world-wide poll, as well as one of two runners-up in the Best Hotel - Middle East category, along with the Inter-Continental Dubai.
  The Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza Dubai was runner-up in two categories - Best Conference Hotel and Best New Hotel.
  
• The Emirates Group has formed a new subsidiary to specialise in the provision of advanced business systems for the air travel industry.
  Named Mercator, the new company has entered into a 50-50 joint venture with Swissair Information Systems, which specialises in IT for the Swissair group.
  Emirates and DNATA, Dubai's sole ground handling agent, will switch their operations to the Mercator systems during 1996, then start promoting them to other airlines and airport operators throughout the region.
  
• Business Traveller magazine of the UK has named the Hyatt Regency Dubai as the Best Business Hotel in the Middle East.
  This follows the recent accolade as Best Hotel in the Middle East and Arab World in a poll by Al Iktissad Wal Aamal magazine.
• The Jebel Ali Hotel has launched the new purpose-built Jebel Ali Shooting Club, the first facility in the Middle East to offer pistol, skeet, trap and simulated laser shooting at a single venue.
  The club's facilities include five floodlit layouts for clay shooting, an air-conditioned, computerised ten-lane pistol range and a shooting academy offering lessons and tuition.
  All the ranges meet international standards, allowing the club to host championship events in future.
  The clubhouse features a Mexican restaurant and facilities for private meetings and functions.
• The emirate's largest cinema complex has opened at the Dubai Metropolitan Hotel on Sheikh Zayed Road.
  The development, named Metroplex, incorporates three cinemas with seating capacities of 550, 350 and 250.
  It also features several food outlets, a music shop and electronic games hall.
  Developed by Al Habtoor Group, the owners of the Metropolitan Hotel, the new cinema complex will screen only English-language films.
• Emirates Holidays, the wholesale tour operator and leisure management division of Emirates airline, was named one of the Global Award winners at the 1995 World Travel Market in London.
  The award was given in recognition of the company's role in pioneering the concept of wholesale tour operations in the Middle East.
• A new promotion by the Bur Juman and Al Ghurair shopping centres will entitle tourists staying at twenty of Dubai's leading hotels to a complimentary taxi service from their hotel to one of the two malls.
  The promotion is being offered in association with Dubai Transport Corporation. The participating hotels will issue coupons to guests on arrival.
• Emirates is offering a new facility for its first and business class passengers travelling to London's Heathrow or Gatwick airports - a GSM mobile telephone rent-free for 14 days.
  The offer is open to major credit card holders who reserve their telephone 24 hours before flying.
  The telephones may be used throughout Western Europe and further afield.
• Dubai Municipality has imported a fleet of ten 60-seater luxury buses to be operated on a trial basis on the Dubai-Abu Dhabi route.
  If viable, the service will be extended to other inter-emirate routes.
• Dubai and Abu Dhabi are to be linked by a new air service with effect from January 1996.
  Named CityLink, the service will use amphibious Cessna Caravan seaplanes and operate between the jetties at Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club and Al Ain Palace Hotel, Abu Dhabi.
  Starting with charter operations, the service will be extended to scheduled passenger and freight services shortly, according to its backers Emitrex Aviation Services and Al Qaisar International Group.
• Al Maya Lal's Group has announced that it will open the largest department store in the Middle East in September 1996.
  The Dh100 million Lamcy Plaza will be built on five levels and cover 440,000 square feet.
• Chicago Beach Hotel has won the Lawson International Professional Award of Excellence sponsored by Britain's Selling Long Haul magazine.
• Aeroflot is currently flying an average of 2,000 passengers from Russia to Dubai each week, according to the Assistant Station Manager in Dubai, Francis Davies.
  The airline also uplifts some 3,000 tonnes of cargo weekly from the UAE.
• Dubai organisations have won four of the six 1995 Arab Travel Awards. The selections were made in a poll conducted by Travel and Tourism News Middle East.
  Emirates was named as Best Airline Serving the Middle East, DNATA as Best Travel Agency in the Middle East, Dubai Duty Free as Best Duty Free in the Middle East and Avis Dubai as Best Car Hire Companies.
• France's Accor Group plans to open a four-star Mercure hotel in Dubai. The 350-room project is scheduled for completion in 1997.

• Dubai successfully stole the limelight at the World Travel Market `95 exhibition held in London in November.
• Two major attractions on the Dubai Commerce and Tourism Promotion Board's (DCTPB) stand ensured maximum interest for the emirate's tourist industry at the fair - the unveiling of the spectacular new Chicago Beach Resort development and an on-stand raffle to publicise the forthcoming Dubai Shopping Festival, with a free trip to Dubai as the prize.
• This year's World Travel Market was the most successful ever for Dubai's tourist industry, said DCTPB Chief Executive, Khalid A. bin Sulayem. We had an exceptionally strong delegation with a record 34 Dubai organisations. Most of them reported good business and a high level of trade and consumer interest.
• Mr. bin Sulayem, who unveiled the Chicago Beach model at a press conference during the fair, noted that the DCTPB's presence at World Travel Market had grown steadily over the years.
• In the early years of our participation, the European market had to be persuaded to consider tourism to the Middle East. These days it is clear that Dubai is now well accepted as an established and increasingly popular destination for European tourists, he said. For example the number of UK tour operators promoting Dubai as a destination has risen from 17 in 1991 to 41 today, he said.

• More than 300 buyers from as far afield as Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand and Singapore visited the Dubai Commerce and Tourism Promotion Board's (DCTPB) stand at the recent Incentive Travel & Corporate Meetings Asia (IT&CMA) in Hong Kong.
• This high level of interest provided an encouraging indication of Dubai's growing reputation as an attractive destination for the Asian incentive travel market and the event provided an effective forum for the eight participating Dubai organisations to meet potential buyers in the Asian region.

The Dubai Commerce and Tourism Promotion Board (DCTPB) has published the 1996 edition of its popular travel trade manual Destination Dubai.
"Destination Dubai is the Board's flagship publication for the international travel trade," said DCTPB Chief Executive, Khalid A. bin Sulayem. "It provides comprehensive information about the emirate's tourism facilities and services and offers overseas tour operators all the information they need to put together a Dubai package."
Now in its fourth edition, Destination Dubai includes all essential data on travel and tourism in the emirate, including a directory section covering hotels, airlines, sightseeing, tours, safaris, sports facilities, shopping, dining, entertainment, car hire and other useful contacts.
Chapters in the manual focus on all aspects of the tourist experience, from sports to shopping. In addition, there is a general information section detailing important aspects of travel to Dubai including history, culture, population, visa and customs regulations, health requirements, climate, clothing and lifestyle.
Twenty five thousand copies of the 1996 edition have been printed and the publication will be distributed through the DCTPB offices world-wide and at international travel trade fairs and tourism promotions overseas.