Dubai Health Authority’s Health Tourism Council and Emirates Holidays, the tour-operating arm of Emirates Airline, are collaborating to offer visitors a plethora of tailor-made health and wellness holidays in Dubai.
The several medical tourism packages launched include options for GCC residents. The move will help DHA achieve its objective of attracting 500,000 medical tourists by 2021.
The right factors
The move aims to tap the growing demand for health and wellness tourism, leveraging Dubai’s established infrastructure for the wellness market. The emirate has all the factors for a favourable wellness and tourism destination and the partnership will help provide a range of well-curated and bespoke travel packages.
Emirates Holidays is teaming up with world-class spas, wellness centres and health facilities in Dubai, to create a unique destination travel experience for the health-conscious traveller.
Each wellness and health package includes return flights on Emirates; a three- to four-day stay at a hotel property renowned for its health and wellness facilities; a selection of spa and wellness treatments, including a health and wellness programme tailored to the client’s specific needs and daily meals.
As a start, Emirates Holidays is partnering two premier establishments to provide their health and wellness programmes: DNA Health at Madinat Jumeirah and Rayya Wellness Retreat at the Retreat Palm Dubai MGallery by Sofitel.
The health and wellness packages are being launched in association with Dubai Health Experience (DXH), a brand conceived by DHA to strengthen medical facilities in Dubai and its position on the world map of medical tourism.
The packages have been launched to include health services from top hospitals, luxury wellness hotels so that tourists have an excellent wellness experience.
Wellness boom
“Dubai is a favourable location for travellers, particularly from neighbouring GCC countries,” says Dr Layla Al Marzouqi, Director of Health Tourism Council at DHA. “Dubai offers world-class hospitality and healthcare services and our objective is to provide health tourists with a unique experience, the highest medical service standards using state-of-the-art technology accompanied by highly specialised and educated staff.
The wellness sector in the emirate offers excellence in service for travellers seeking wellness services along with several tourism options. We also plan to co-develop preventive health check-up holiday packages of various kinds for individuals, families and children in the future in collaboration with leading hospital and clinics in Dubai.”
According to the Global Wellness Institute, global wellness tourism revenues grew from $494.1 billion (Dh1.8 trillion) in 2013 to $563.2 billion in 2015 — an increase of 14 per cent, a rate twice as fast as overall tourism expenditures (6.9 per cent).
“We are excited to launch Health and Wellness Holidays to Dubai in partnership with Dubai Health Authority,” says Robin Parry, Vice-President of Emirates Holidays.
“We see the health and wellness segment as a significant growth opportunity for Emirates Holidays and Dubai as a destination. With the packages we’ve designed, our customers will enjoy travel on award-winning Emirates, see the best of Dubai’s sights and improve their health and well-being.”
Emirates Holidays will focus on Kuwait and Saudi Arabia as the initial markets for its wellness holidays, with the intention to expand this to other markets over time.
