DCT Abu Dhabi has successfully navigated the challenges of COVID-19 to help hotels in the emirate drive direct domestic bookings.
DUBAI – Sojern, a leading provider of digital marketing solutions for travel, announced an extension of their partnership with the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) to drive further traveller demand into the Emirate using its Co-Op Marketing Programme. Following a successful pilot of the joint marketing programme, which has reached more than 3 million people so far, Abu Dhabi hotels have been able to increase direct bookings through a highly targeted, digital display and social media advertising campaign.
The hospitality industry has been heavily impacted by the pandemic but DCT Abu Dhabi has worked closely with the UAE government to launch a series of stimulus initiatives to support the recovery of the tourism industry.
“We were looking for ways to support the hospitality industry and navigate the economic challenges presented by the pandemic, and the partnership with Sojern helps us do just that, by supporting hotels in Abu Dhabi to drive direct bookings and improve room profitability,” said HE Ali Hassan Al Shaiba, Executive Director of Tourism and Marketing at DCT Abu Dhabi. “DCT Abu Dhabi is committed to collaborative efforts between the private and public sectors within the local tourism industry to continuously support and drive tourism growth to the capital. Our efforts are aligned with the overall strategic objectives and vision – to support the evolution of Abu Dhabi into a world-class destination, while also reinforcing the capital’s position as a forward-thinking tourism destination.”
Sojern’s Co-Op Marketing Programme is designed to help Destination Marketing Organisations (DMOs) and their partners increase the effectiveness of their marketing initiatives through collaboration, and drive revenue for the travel industry, at scale.
“Hotels in Abu Dhabi were looking to improve their direct booking volumes and reduce commission from Online Travel Agencies through these challenging times,” said Stewart Smith, MD of MEA at Sojern. “As such, we are delighted to have worked with DCT Abu Dhabi, hotel partners, and Spark Foundry to design, build and deliver successful campaigns.”
The Q1 pilot program with DCT Abu Dhabi is a prime example of DMOs and their partner organisations combining resources to directly reach customers with multichannel digital advertising strategies across video, display, native, Facebook and Instagram.
Because of its success, DCT Abu Dhabi has expanded the partnership with Sojern through to the end of 2021 including rolling out the initiative to all eligible hotels in the city. This second phase will further support properties across Abu Dhabi and aims to attract incremental direct bookings from both domestic and international tourists for the rest of 2021.
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