Dubai: Tourism body Visit California is considering opening a Dubai office in the 2017-18 financial year as it seeks to increase the number of high-spending visitors from the Middle East.
Dean Jacobberger, the organisation’s director of travel trade, said that although the number of Middle East visitors was very small — 274,000 in 2014, the latest figures available, compared to a total of 7.6 million overseas visitors to the state.
“Although the numbers may seem small, it’s still an important market when you take into account the spend and the length of stay,” he said. “It’s a critical market for us, especially when we were able to rebound from the recession on the backs of international visitors. Now we’re several years removed from the recession in the US and the global economy is a little less stable.”
The average spend for a Middle Eastern visitor was $2300, compared $1,800 per trip for the average international traveller.
“When you look at those markets that focus on the luxury segment, which the Middle East plays a huge role in, that is going to help sustain our travel efforts and investment moving forward.”
Jacobberger said Qatar Airways operated daily flights to Los Angeles, with Etihad and Emirates flying daily to Los Angeles and San Francisco. “All of the major carriers are interested in California” and some Middle Eastern airlines were looking at increasing capacity, he said, adding, “We’re really excited about the growth potential. Most of the growth we’ve been seeing in this market has been from the Middle Eastern carriers.”
