The FETAVE (Federation of Spanish Travel Agencies and Territorial Associations) Congress is an annual event aimed at promoting the flow of tourism and identifying future tourism trends. The 2013 edition was organised by Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) and its partner Alpha Tours, as part of DTCM’s ongoing positioning of Dubai as the world’s leading tourism and commerce destination.

The Spanish market is of increasing importance to Dubai, with 41,000 Spanish visitors staying in Dubai hotels last year, an increase of 20% from 2011. During the five day congress, the participants took part in tours of the city and key attractions and had numerous meetings with hoteliers to discuss future business partnerships.

Saleh Mohamed Al Geziry, Director of DTCM Overseas Promotions and Inward Missions commented: “It has been our pleasure to host the congress, one of a number which the city will host during 2013. It gave us the opportunity to promote the emirate to key decision makers in the Spanish market and to provide information on Dubai’s tourism attractions and hotel offerings, with the ultimate aim being to further increase the number of Spanish tourists to Dubai. Each congress and event that we host is an opportunity for us to both demonstrate the uniqueness of Dubai and to play a small role in the future success of businesses and industries. We thank both Alpha Tours for their partnership in hosting the congress and FETAVE for choosing Dubai as a venue for the congress.”

Ghassan Al Aridi, CEO – Alpha Tours, said: “The Spanish market has become one of the up and coming markets for Dubai with more Spanish tourists every year. Hosting such events for tour operators and travel agents from Spain will help boost participant’s activity in Dubai by updating them with the latest information and attractions on Dubai.”