DUBAI-- Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, Dubai Tourism, today signed a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, with Fliggy, the online travel service platform of the global leading technology company, Alibaba Group.

The MoU aims to boost the number of Chinese tourists visiting Dubai through closer collaboration in integrated 360-marketing campaigns to strategic high-growth segments. It was signed by Issam Kazim, CEO of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing, DCTCM, and Jerry Hu, Vice President of Fliggy and Alibaba Group, as part of a broader long-term alliance discussion at the Alibaba headquarters in Hangzhou, China.

The agreement also aims to boost collaboration between the partners to deliver an enhanced travel experience for Chinese visitors to the emirate by providing easy access to Dubai’s travel products and information, initiating a payment scheme etc. Dubai Tourism would also continuously maintain and update the ‘Dubai Destination Mall’ page on Fliggy, providing a comprehensive overview of the city’s tourism proposition to the broad customer base that Fliggy delivers. Fliggy, in turn, has committed its resources to help Dubai stakeholders register as vendors on the Fliggy platform.

As a major online travel platform in China, selling a wide range of travel products including flights, hotels, tour packages, and car rentals through online travel agencies and direct travel service providers, Fliggy is a strategic travel partner for Dubai Tourism within China, allowing Dubai’s entire travel and tourism ecosystem to set up and operate their own ‘shop’ on the Fliggy virtual marketplace. Commenting on the MoU, Kazim said, "As one of China’s leading travel platforms, Fliggy is the natural travel partner for Dubai Tourism. China is one of Dubai’s fastest growing source markets - with 258,000 Chinese tourists visiting the city in the first quarter of the year alone, a 12% year-on-year increase - but it is also one in which consumer demands and expectations are evolving at a dramatic pace. It is essential that we keep abreast of these developments.

The agreements made in the MoU will provide Chinese visitors to Dubai with a unique service, alongside latest travel information before and during their trip via the Fliggy platform. The company’s strong connection to Chinese consumers along with its robust operational reach are essential as we seek to attract more Chinese tourists to visit Dubai in the lead-up to 2020 and beyond." The parties also held a meeting to strengthen the relationship between Fliggy and Dubai Tourism, with each entity gaining an in-depth understanding of the other’s work and objectives. Future opportunities were also discussed, including a new year-long cooperation agreement for 2018, which will update the agreement made in 2017.

Dubai Tourism will also seek to work more closely with Fliggy and businesses in Alibaba’s comprehensive digital ecosystem.

© Copyright Emirates News Agency (WAM) 2018.