Carrie Tayloe spoke to Breaking Travel News as the Go Dubai Card rolled out in the United Arab Emirates

As the Go Dubai Card rolls out in the United Arab Emirates, Breaking Travel News chats with Carrie Tayloe, vice president, product development, Go City Card, about what it offers to savvy travellers to the region.

Breaking Travel News: You are very well established in the USA; why did you choose to launch in Dubai?

Carrie Tayloe: Smart Destinations has had such great success in the USA that extending into the top worldwide cities seemed the natural next step. 

We launched our London Explorer Pass last year, and set our sights on Dubai soon after. 

When it comes to the quality - and quantity - of tourist attractions, there’s just no other city out there like Dubai. 

We also knew the product would resonate well with our US and UK traveller base. 

Breaking Travel News: Who are you aiming the Card at?

Carrier Tayloe: While we believe anyone heading to Dubai can save money with our pass on the city’s most popular attractions, we are focused on targeting travellers from the USA, the UK (where Dubai is the leading long hall vacation destination), Germany, France, Russia and China.

We are also beginning to touch on neighbouring Saudi Arabia and other GCC feeder markets.

Breaking Travel News: What kind of reaction do you expect to get from the GCC market?

Carrie Tayloe: Dubai is one of the top tourism destinations for the surrounding GCC countries and offers something for everyone. 

We also know that these tourists are often repeat visitors, particularly when looking at inbound visitation from KSA. 

GCC visitors are not as familiar with the multi-attraction pass concept, so we have some work to do in terms of building awareness in the market. 

Over the course of the next few years though, we expect regional travellers to embrace the opportunity for both money savings and convenience with our Go Dubai Card.

We recognise translation (to Arabic) is an important step in attracting visitors from the regional market, and expect to have full translation available later in 2017.

Breaking Travel News: Which attractions do you think will be most popular in Dubai?

Carrie Tayloe: While our passes already incorporate the most popular attractions in the city, so far we are seeing that At the Top Burj Khalifa, the Hop-On Hop-Off Big Bus Tour, Aquaventure Waterpark at Atlantis The Palm, the Dhow Dinner Cruise Dubai Creek, and the Royal Safari Tour at Sahara Desert Resort are the top picks. 

We’re still out there adding attractions to our passes, so stay tuned for much more to come!

Braking Travel News: Is the Card only available online? Can it be purchased in shops or at hotels and tourist attractions?

Carrie Tayloe: Our reseller channels include online travel agencies, tour operators, major wholesale distribution outlets, and local point of sale venues such as visitor centres or hotels. 

While we aren’t currently selling our passes locally in Dubai today, we plan to offer this feature later in 2017. 

Breaking Travel News: What are your expansion plans for the Go City Card in the near future?

Carrie Tayloe: Glad you asked. 

We are pleased to now share that Smart Destinations, Leisure Pass North America (New York Pass and Philadelphia Pass), and Leisure Pass Group of London (London Pass, Paris Pass, Berlin Pass, etc.) have combined forces to form an exciting new company that will carry on the name the Leisure Pass Group moving forward. 

The new Leisure Pass Group is now the largest pass provider in the world, with products in close to 30 destinations across the USA, Europe, and the Middle East and a projection to sell over two million attraction passes this year alone. 

Our newly-formed entity will be run by Ted Stimpson, whom many would recognise as the chief executive of Smart Destinations. 

With this exciting new venture will come an on-going and enhanced focus on launching passes in the largest cities on a worldwide scale.

Breaking Travel News: Do you offer a family card?

Carrie Tayloe: No, mainly because our passes generally provide the best possible savings to each individual traveller, including families. 

We try and pass along as much savings direct to our consumers as possible!   

More Information

The Go Card Dubai allows visitors to save up to 55 per cent on admission to over 20 top attractions and tours for one low price.

All three, four, five, and seven day passes include a Premium Attraction choice of a Royal Safari Experience by Land Cruiser, a five star dinner at Sahara Resort, or a Bateaux Dubai Gourmet Dinner Cruise at Dubai Creek.

Enjoy the flexibility to choose attractions as you go and do as much as you want each day. Pay nothing at the gate.