Development of Tourism in Dubai - Assignment Example

Desert Safari in Dubai Table of Contents Analysis 3 Results 8 Recommendation 9 Conclusion 10 Works Cited 11 of the of the Course Number Date Analysis For the purpose of conducting this research in an appropriate manner, a questionnaire survey was conducted with 30 individuals (tourists) hailing from different parts of the world. Besides that, in order to give this research a good shape as well as gather detailed information surrounding the subject matter, an unstructured interview was also included. Given the fact that this research revolves around desert safari in Dubai, unstructured interviews were held with 2 individuals (tourists) who availed the desert safari and were not part of the questionnaire survey. Question 1: Which of the following travel destinations do you prefer to visit? Destinations that have deserts Destinations that have beaches 41% of the respondents prefer destinations that have deserts, whereas 59% prefer destinations with beaches. Question 2: Your reason for visit to Dubai Leisure Business Work 72% of the respondents visited Dubai for the purpose of leisure, 18% of the respondents visited for business purposes and the rest visited for job related purposes. If your answer is Leisure, go to question 3; if not, then your survey concludes here, thank you for your kind cooperation. Question 3: What factors drive your decision to visit Dubai? Deserts Beaches Nightlife Culture 26% of the respondents visited Dubai because of its deserts; 34% respondents visited for enjoying the beaches; 25% of the respondents wanted to experience the nightlife; and the rest were curious about Dubai’s culture. Question 4: Have you experienced the desert safari trip in Dubai? Yes No 83% of the respondents had experienced the desert safari tour in Dubai, whereas the rest did not. If yes; go to question 5; or else go to question 8. Question 5: How much would you rate the tour on a scale of 5? 5 (very good) 4 (good) 3 (neither good nor bad) 2 (bad) 1 (very bad) 22% of the respondents rated the trip as very good; 34% of the respondents rated it to be good; 21% of the respondents took a neutral standpoint; 15% of the respondents rated the trip as bad; 8% rated the safari as very bad. Question 6: Which tour service operator did you opt for to book your desert safari trip? Arabian adventures Gtours Dubai Adventure safari Arabian safari trips Dadabhai travels LLC Fun tours Others; please specify 42% of the respondents booked their trip with Arabian Adventures; 22% of the respondents booked their trip with Fun Tours, 18% of the respondents booked their trip with Arabian Safari Trips; 12% chose Dubai Adventure Safari and the rest chose other tour service operators that were not mentioned in the options. Question 7: What did you like the most in Safari Trip? Environment Wildlife Weather Camel rides Sand skiing BBQ dinner Night stay Others; please specify Majority of the respondents (38%) liked overnight stay in the desert as the most beautiful part of the trip; 21% liked BBQ dinner arrangement; 8% liked camel rides; 12% of the respondents liked sand skiing; 10% of the respondents enjoyed weather in the desert the most; 4% of the respondents liked the wildlife and the rest enjoyed overall environment. Question 8: What do you like the most about Dubai’s nightlife? Parties Nightclubs Drinking sex tourism others; please specify 24% of the respondents enjoy parties organized by their friends and relatives the most; 39% respondents enjoy the nightclubs, 24% of the respondents liked the fact that they could drink without any restrictions; 9% respondents liked the sex tourism aspect in Dubai; whereas the rest provided other answers, which were not adequately relevant. Interview question 1: Why did you choose to go for the desert safari tour? Respondent 1: According to respondent 1, the choice to go for the desert safari was driven by the fact that the respondent had visited several places that had beaches. This time, the respondent wanted to experience something new, which has not been done as per respondent’s to do list. Respondent 2: As far as respondent 2 was concerned, the individual wanted to experience the overnight stay during the trip. The respondent was fascinated after hearing about BBQ dinner arrangements and belly dancing program, following the dinner. In one way, the respondent wanted to have a taste of the culture that prevailed in Dubai. Interview question 2: What did you like most about the desert safari tour? Respondent 1: The sand skiing arrangement was the most liked feature of the safari tour followed by the BBQ dinner. Respondent 2: The overnight stay arrangement was liked the most by this respondent. The respondent was also thrilled by the camel ride. Interview question 3: What were the challenges that you faced during the desert safari tour? Respondent 1: According to respondent 1, the trip guide did not have sufficient knowledge regarding places, which were being visited and hence, failed to provide adequate information to the tourists. Respondent 2: There were few inadequacies related to arrangement of the overnight stay. The tents were not properly designed or placed. The tents were not being able to withstand the wind pressure at night and some of them also had holes in them that allowed air to pass. Interview question 4: What changes would you recommend for the desert safari tour? Respondent 1: The tour service providers have to ensure the fact that the appointed tour guide has adequate knowledge regarding overall trip and that they are able to address queries as and when they arise during the trip. Respondent 2: According to this respondent, the tents have to be designed and placed appropriately for tourists to have a pleasant experience during the overnight stay in the desert safari tour. In addition, adequate sand skies and camels should also be provided in order for all the trip members to enjoy. This will also allow the tourists to experience sand skiing and camel ride, without waiting in a queue. Results The results are in complete alignment with majority of literatures reviewed in the literature review section. As is evident from the questions, a good amount of people prefer to visit destinations that have deserts, putting in rest statements that say deserts are the most infrequently visited places in the world. The fact that desert trips offer extensive adventure to tourists is one of the most crucial factors that influence them to avail such a trip (Balakrishnan 62-91). The significant proportion of people that visit Dubai for leisure purpose (72%), as opposed to business or job related purposes, gives an idea of the rich culture as well as other trip options that Dubai has to offer to tourists. Dubai is one of those countries that have a good mix of both deserts and beaches, which renders it a favorable destination for tourists belonging from diverse parts of the world (Henderson 87-99). This is one of the fundamental reasons behind the fact that the country’s tourism industry is greatly developed and is able to generate significant amount of revenues (Grace Chang). The country’s tourism sector has a substantial contribution in its overall economic growth owing to increasing amount of tourists that visits the country every year (Davidson 33-48). The main factors that drive people to visit Dubai are the deserts, beaches and the nightlife. This suggests flexibility in terms of options that the country has to offer to its tourists and consequently, the country has been able to attract greater number of tourists (Balakrishnan 611-629). Desert safari rides are one of the most conventional and famous tourist services provided in the country (Govers, Go and Kumar 15-23). Majority of the respondents have availed this service and quite a few of them have rated the trip to be very good. As far as the desert safari tour is concerned, the researcher would like to stress upon answers of the interview as those will provide a holistic view of various aspects of this trip. According to the interview feedback, most fascinating part of the desert safari is the overnight stay. It was a sort of adventure for the travelers, which included setting up tents, arranging for BBQ dinner, night camel rides and several others. Majority of the respondents seem to have enjoyed the BBQ dinner arrangements and overnight stay. However, they also reported problems with quality of tents provided to them and were also unhappy with limited knowledge that the tour guide possessed regarding overall trip. Moreover, unlike every other Arabian countries where drinking is strictly prohibited, the Dubai government has not imposed any such restriction owing to which the country has been liked by 24% of the respondents. It is widely known that Arabian culture is one of the richest in the world, which is why numerous people come and visit Dubai even to have a glimpse of this culture. The survey also revealed a number of tour operators, among which the ones that are most availed are Arabian Adventures, Fun Tours and Adventure Safari Trips. The growing number of tour service operators in the country indicates considerable developments that the tourism sector has gone through over the last decade (Sharpley 13-30). The development of this sector was very important in order for the country to be able to provide superior quality services to growing number of tourists every year (Henderson 317-326). Recommendation Firstly, it is the primary responsibility of the tourist department of Dubai to ensure safety and security of each and every tourist travelling in Dubai. They should have adequate measures in place to provide immediate support in the event of a sandstorm or any other catastrophic event. The rules and regulations of travelling in Dubai should be clearly stated in every place for the visitors to notice and follow subsequently. In the event of discrepancy, strict penalties should be levied so as to secure the fact that richness of the Arabian culture is maintained appropriately. Drinking should be strictly restricted to within hotels and nightclubs and under no circumstances people should be allowed to drink in public. By doing so, the tourism department will be able to ensure the safety and security of both the alcohol consumer as well as the passerby. The government should encourage existing tour operators to increase physical as well as other services so as to cater to an exponentially growing number of travelers every year. As far as the desert trips are concerned, tour service operators have to ensure that appointed guides have substantial knowledge regarding every aspect of the trip. They should be able to address every queries put forward to them by travelers. This is particularly because majority of travelers seek new information and providing wrong information to them would be equivalent to a misinterpretation of Dubai’s culture. This by no means should be tolerated. The tents that are given in the trip should be of superior quality, which allows travelers to have a convenient night-out, without suffering from the cold wind desert. Furthermore, proper assistance should be given to those travelers who do not have sufficient knowledge about setting up tents. By adhering to abovementioned recommendations, the tourism sector can assure travelers of a pleasant travelling experience and will also be able to uphold the name and fame of their country. Conclusion Dubai is a country known for its rich culture as well as travelling options that is offered to international as well as domestic travelers. The country due to its flexible trip attributes has consistently attracted large number of international travelers over last decade or so. This is one of the major reasons behind Dubai’s significant economic growth as well as development of tourism industry. The development has also led to creation of employment opportunities, which in turn has secured economic growth. However, in due course, travelers have faced certain challenges while availing several tour services. In such cases, the government has to take prudent measures so as to mitigate challenges, maintaining richness of their culture at the same time. Works Cited Balakrishnan, Melodena Stephens. "Dubai–a star in the east: a case study in strategic destination branding." Journal of Place Management and Development 1.1 (2008): 62-91. Print. Balakrishnan, Melodena Stephens. "Strategic branding of destinations: a framework." European Journal of Marketing 43.5/6 (2009): 611-629. Print. Davidson, Christopher. "The emirates of Abu Dhabi and Dubai: contrasting roles in the international system." Asian Affairs 38.1 (2007): 33-48. Print. Govers, Robert, Frank M. Go, and Kuldeep Kumar. "Promoting tourism destination image." Journal of Travel Research 46.1 (2007): 15-23. Print. Henderson, Joan C. "Food tourism reviewed." British Food Journal 111.4 (2009): 317-326. Print. Henderson, Joan C. "Tourism in Dubai: overcoming barriers to destination development." International Journal of Tourism Research 8.2 (2006): 87-99. Print. Mazza, Grace Chang. “Development of Tourism in Dubai.” (2013): 1-24. Lauderg astronomy. PDF file. Sharpley, Richard. "Planning for tourism: The case of Dubai." Tourism and Hospitality Planning & Development 5.1 (2008): 13-30. Print. Read More