PC: Dubai Media Office
In line with the vision to build Dubai as a travel innovation hub, the department of economy and tourism of Dubai, together with Amadeus, a proprietary global travel technology leader, has signed a strategic tripartite memorandum of understanding (MoU). This partnership will help build a city-wide ecosystem for rapid prototyping of travel technology solutions conceived primarily for enhanced experience and higher functional efficiency of the entire tourism infrastructure in Dubai. The collaboration draws on the record-breaking performance of Dubai in 2022, which registered 18.72 million international overnight visitors, and seeks to fulfill the Dubai Economic Agenda D33 strategic objectives of positioning Dubai as a premier global destination for business and leisure.
The MoU was signed by His Excellency Issam Kazim, CEO of the Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM), part of DET, and Maher Koubaa, the Executive Vice-President Travel Unit and Managing Director, EMEA at Amadeus. Various cooperative areas already exist between DET and Amadeus, such as Strategic Travel Data and Analytics, Programmatic Travel Advertising, and B2B Travel Marketing. The new agreement further strengthens their cooperation and allows for Amadeus to establish a Centre of Excellence in Dubai, which will enhance the traveler journey using biometric solutions, airport experience optimization, touchless payments, air capacity enhancement, and improved travel intelligence reporting for hospitality and destinations. The Centre will also support local and global travel sector start-ups.
Issam Kazim, CEO of DCTCM, noted that this partnership was a game changer on Dubai’s journey toward being a global innovation hub. He pointed at Dubai’s business-friendly environment, world-class infrastructure, and strategic location as key factors luring multinational corporations and investors. He mentioned that the combination of Amadeus’ expertise with all that is tourism related in Dubai would create a new set of opportunities for businesses and start-ups, and would help foster economic diversification and sustainable development.
Maher Koubaa from Amadeus expressed confidence about the partnership, stating that Amadeus’ technical expertise would enable Dubai to create an even more personalised travel experience while continuing to set industry standards. He reinforced Amadeus’ commitment of support toward the mission to create innovation and economic growth for Dubai within the framework of the D33 Agenda.
This partnership takes place at a very crucial time in the tourism industry, which needs technology more than ever to meet the evolving traveler expectations and operational efficiency. Partnerships between public and private entities are reinforcing Dubai’s focus on research and development within priority sectors. The collaboration with Amadeus will support the D33 agenda by using innovation to drive economic expansion.
Amadeus provides other companies with technology solutions that include airlines, hotels, travel agencies, and airports for the drive towards the use of digital technology to expand the travel ecosystem. In conjunction with its data-driven booking, distribution, analytical approach, and operational efficiency will drive the industry further.
With strong ties with Amadeus, Dubai will maintain its status as the global leader of travel innovation, ensuring that every visitor gets a seamless and enhanced experience and establishing a framework for technologically driven tourism growth.
