Dubai Tourism signs strategic deal with Alibaba

Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Fliggy, the online travel service platform of the global leading technology company, Alibaba Group.

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

The newly-signed MoU entails, among other aspects, 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. In addition, Dubai Tourism would 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 its turn, has committed to 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.

Additionally, being extremely popular amongst the younger generation of Chinese tourists which is rapidly moving away from traditional group tour packages and looking to create bespoke independent travel itineraries, Fliggy is an even more relevant partner for Dubai as there is a clear priority to tap into and build a strong base within this segment as potential visitors to the city.