Atlantis resort eyes Indian tourism market

The Atlantis resort in Dubai, which saw a spectacular firework and celebrity launch in November, has revealed it plans to target the fast-growing Indian tourism market.
 
The luxury 1,539-room property has said it will focus only on boutique and high-end travellers from Europe, US, Russia, Australia and South East Asia, including India, according to website travelbiz monitor.com.

India's close location to Dubai is one of the key reasons for courting the market, said Brett Armitage, senior vice president of sales.

“India was on our mind from the last one year, prior to the opening of our property. There are various reasons behind this, the top most being the distance," he said.

The economic recession meant most high-end clients were looking for short-haul destinations, making Dubai a good place for Indian travellers.

Figures from the Department of Tourism & Commerce Marketing show about 2,50,000 Indians visited Dubai last year.

"We are just going to target 20,000 from the total figure,” Armitage added.

To hotel's sales unit was currently in talks with various big tour operators from India, he said.

The hotel had already appointed a representative to focus on the Indian market and was looking at setting up a sales office in Mumbai or New Delhi by April, Armitage revealed.
 
"This way, we are going to have improved relations with the travel trade and look forward for better sales targets."

Built at an estimated cost of $2.4bn, Atlantis comprises two accommodation towers of more than 20 storeys each, a conference centre, spa, private beach and the water park.

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