The Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing’s (DTCM) - India Representative Office was adjudged the ‘International Tourism Organization of the Year’ at the second Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) Travel Awards, at a ceremony held recently in Mumbai, India. Shri Chhagan Bhujbal, Deputy Chief Minister, Government of Maharashtra, presented the award to Carl Vaz, Director of DTCM’s India Representative Office, in the presence of more than 500 travel and tourism officials. 
 
A unique feature of the TAAI Travel Awards 2010 was that travel agencies across India voted for the various categories. The feedback from travel agencies is vital in assessing the performance of industry players since the travel agents are usually the first point of contact for the customers and are responsible for arranging the hotels and travel itinerary for the tourists.  
 
In 2009 a total of 529,000 guests from India stayed in Dubai’s hotels, representing a 7.34 per cent increase over the 2008 figure of 493,000 guests. Moreover, in the first quarter of 2010, the number of Indian visitors to Dubai grew by an impressive 33.67 per cent over the corresponding period in 2008, with a tally of 169,000 visitors. DTCM has been operating a representative office in India for the past 14 years.
 
During 2009 and in the first half of this year, DTCM India unveiled several activities such as joint promotions with travel trade members, segment-oriented communication including the launch of Dubai-specific supplements in key publications across India, in addition to effectively initiating unique promotions for ‘Dubai Shopping Festival’ and the ‘Kids Go Free to Dubai’ campaign.