Frederic Bardin, senior vice-president of Arabian Adventures, said Dubai authorities need to focus on completing tourism development projects in order to bring in more tourists.  Arabian Adventures is part of the Emirates Group and one of the region’s biggest destination management companies.  The number of tourists visiting Dubai dropped last year, but as the tourism sector gradually revives Dubai is becoming more prominent as a tourist destination. World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) research shows that annual travel and tourism revenues in the region will increase 89 percent over the next 10 years to $279 billion (Dh 1 trillion).

Mr. Bardin said, however, that the future of the tourism market in Dubai depends more on completion of its leisure developments.  Referring to Dubailand, a development that has been put on hold, he said “It is a superb idea to develop a major concentration of various theme parks because then you can attract people from all walks of life from the neighboring region.”