MIDDLE EAST TOURIST ARRIVALS UP 50% - UAE UP 164%, SAUDI UP 127% & KUWAIT UP BY 135%

Destination Sri Lanka reported a major influx of Arab travellers as Middle East Tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka surged 50 per cent in January, 2010 compared to the same period last year, according to statistics compiled by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority and announced by the Middle East office of the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Board (SLTPB).

“Judging by these early results, destination Sri Lanka is on track to surpass figures attained last year where tourist arrivals saw a double-digit growth,” said Heba Al Ghais Al Mansoori, Middle East Director of SLTPB based in Dubai.

Announcing the results, Ms. Al Mansoori confirmed that the strongest growth was registered from the UAE (up by 164%), Saudi Arabia (up by 127%), Qatar (171%), Kuwait (up by 135%) and Jordan among others.

Apart from the Middle East, regions that saw a marked increase in visitors are Western and Eastern Europe, and South Asia.

“With the widespread effects of the credit crunch and the stability that finally dawned on Sri Lanka as the war came to a halt and decades of strife ended, Sri Lanka is a destination with good value for money and one with an exotic locale that tantalizes tourists,” said Ms. Al Mansoori. “Peace will finally bring prosperity and development into the country and open up more areas for tourism development which otherwise was not accessible during the war.”

Cultural attractions, entertainment, shopping, and dining are some of the factors that draw modern day Arab travelers to their preferred destinations and Sri Lanka offers a good product that scores on all counts and is less than four hours flying time away from the Gulf.

Factors such as the government’s support for the tourism sector, and expansion of low-cost carrier services are also contributing to the growth of the tourism industry.

Residents, tourists may request for information in Arabic or in English by sending SMS to mDubai’s 4488

February 9, 2010

Dubai eGovernment has announced the launch of its popular instant information service on Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) 2010 events through mDubai, providing the public with a reliable, up-to-date communication platform about the daily activities related to Dubai’s annual shopping extravaganza. mDubai is an innovative communication channel that facilitates interaction between the public and government departments via SMS.
 
The DSF 2010 service provides information about five random events on any given day. To request information in Arabic for five random events, users only need to type “DSF A” and send it as an SMS to 4488. The same information can be received in English by typing “DSF E”.

“DSF is one of the most important entertainment and shopping festivals of the year as there are numerous fun-filled activities such as concerts, exhibitions, competitions and promotions that offer exciting prizes. Dubai eGovernment’s goal is to allow residents and tourists to have a truly enjoyable experience throughout the DSF festivities by providing up-to-date information about the daily activities,” said Ahmed Bin Humaidan, Director-General, Dubai eGovernment.
 
“Users may request information about a random list of activities so that they can set a schedule and choose which places they would like to visit first. This service is particularly useful for tourists or visitors who will be in Dubai only for a short period. Having experienced the advantages of the mDubai information service during DSF 2009, residents and visitors are now again taking advantage of this innovative service as shown by the growing volume of requests we have received since the service was launched,” he added.

The mDubai service is one of the most successful e-services of Dubai eGovernment as it receives thousands of pull messages and sends millions of push messages each year. Some of the most common push messages include health card expiry notifications; traffic on roads; driving test notifications; traffic fines notifications; opening and closing timings of water bridges; trade licence expiry notifications and payment voucher notifications.
 
The most widely availed pull messages include fines enquiries from Dubai Police; flight information from Dubai Civil Aviation Authority; prayer timings from Islamic Affairs & Charitable Activities Department; transaction status inquiries from Dubai Department of Economic Development and daily event schedule inquiries for Dubai Summer Surprises and DSF.