Dubai Tourism and H.I.S. CO., LTD. form strategic partnership to promote Japanese travel to Dubai

Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) and H.I.S. Co., Ltd., one of Japan’s leading travel agencies, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Tokyo to confirm a strategic collaboration between the two entities. This month’s agreement marks the first of its kind for Japan’s travel and tourism sector, and emphasises the commitment from Dubai Tourism and H.I.S. Co., Ltd., to increasing awareness amongst Japanese travellers, while positioning the emirate as the destination of choice across multiple target audiences including female travellers, honeymooners, families and seniors segments.

The MoU was signed by Issam Kazim, Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM) and Tatsuya Nakamori, President of H.I.S. Japan at the H.I.S. headquarters in Tokyo. Marking the onward agreement aimed at expanding Dubai Tourism’s marketing reach and penetration within the market, the MoU outlines plans to deliver an enhanced visitor experience for Japanese tourists in Dubai by providing increased ease of access to marketing collateral for the emirate’s variety of travel products, tailored information through localised campaigns and retail store promotions in major cities across Japan.

As one of Japan’s leading travel agencies selling a wide range of travel solutions including holiday packages, hotel stays and optional tours, H.I.S. began strengthening its investment into Dubai upon the introduction of direct flights paths between Japan and the emirate.  Since then, H.I.S. has begun implementation of a variety of promotions, both independently and in collaboration with Dubai Tourism, which target key visitor segments including females and senior travellers. Furthermore, the MoU highlights both partners’ commitment to working together towards the promotion of Dubai as a ‘2019 H.I.S. Preferred Destination’.

Commenting on the importance of this partnership, Issam Kazim, Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM) said: “H.I.S. is a significant partner for Dubai with its considerable reach across the Japanese market and longstanding history in the travel sector. Our future focused collaboration allows us to promote Dubai as the destination of choice for Japanese travellers, as we work together to drive our efforts in the market. We have seen continued positive growth in the number of Japanese guests visiting the city, and we look forward to working closely with H.I.S to further increase interest and visitation from our target segments in Japan to Dubai.”

Dubai has had experienced sustained growth in visitor numbers from Japan during 2018, with the latest tourism arrival figures showing an increase of 18% in the first three quarters of the year (January to September 2018) when compared to the same period last year, reaching a total of 76,900 visitors.