Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 2 November 2017:  Dubai is celebrating four award wins at The World Travel Awards 2017 held recently in the emirate - accolades that once again cement the city’s standing as a tourism pioneer in the region. Established in 1993 to reward and celebrate excellence across all sectors of the tourism industry, The World Travel Awards brand is globally recognised as the ultimate hallmark of quality in tourism. 

Issam Kazim, CEO, Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM), said: “Tourism is a central pillar of Dubai’s economic growth and diversification, and the city continues to be a must-visit destination for both business and leisure travellers – increasingly including repeat visits. But, in order to remain globally competitive, we must continuously innovate and adapt to the evolving nature of the travel industry. This forms the basis of Dubai’s strategy, ambition, and our determination to maintain and grow our standing as a premier global travel destination. In accordance with our Tourism Vision 2020, we are working tirelessly with our industry partners to broaden Dubai’s offering across events, attractions, infrastructure and services. We are therefore honoured to have received these accolades that demonstrate that once again, Dubai is pioneering tourism in the region.”

Dubai’s tourism sector demonstrated industry excellence with wins across four different categories, including being named the Middle East's Leading Destination, the 20th time Dubai has won this category since the inception of the awards. The city was also given the title of the Middle East's Leading Meetings & Conference Destination, a worthy acknowledgement of the work of both the Dubai World Trade Centre and Dubai Business Events in showcasing the city as a MICE destination, and the fifth time that the city has topped this category.

Dubai Tourism was named the Middle East's Leading Tourist Board in recognition of the department’s pioneering work in promoting the emirate’s tourism proposition around the world, and the sixth time it has been awarded this accolade since 2008. Dubai’s pioneering Sustainable Tourism Initiative was also acknowledged, winning the Middle East's Leading Sustainable Tourism Initiative award for 2017.