Dubai has welcomed the largest ever tourism industry Mega FAM trip comprising travel operators, wedding planners, MICE operators, niche segment specialists and media experts representing 16 cities across India from 6-9 December 2014. Hosted by Dubais Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), the Mega FAM which included 440 representatives of the travel industry partners, aimed to provide Dubais Indian trade partners with a first-hand experience of all that Dubai has to offer as a business and leisure destination.

This FAM trip was a huge success, we were pleased to be able to welcome and host such a large group from India, which is one of our key source markets. In fact in the first six months of 2014, India was our second top source market and saw tremendous growth. It continues to be a key focus for us and roadshows to India and FAM trips such as this are a great way to ensure our partners in the market remain up to date with everything going on in Dubai the first-hand experience is also the ideal way to drive enthusiasm for the destination! In addition, this was a valuable exercise for our stakeholders in Dubai who through face-to-face meetings and networking sessions were able to exchange information and ideas which will prove beneficial as we further strengthen business relationships with our partners in India, said Issam Kazim, CEO of DCTCM.

A business session, including a B2B networking session, was also created for the delegation - 95% of which were company directors or owners. The session featured presentations by DTCM and key industry stakeholders such as Emaar, Dubai Food Festival, flydubai, the Department of Naturalisation and Residency Dubai (DNRD), MERAAS, IMG Marvel Adventure, The Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), Dubai Business Events and Dubai Cruise Terminal.

The group stayed at Atlantis, the Palm; Jumeirah Zabeel Saray and Waldorf Astoria Dubai Palm Jumeirah and all attended a series of workshops and meetings held at Atlantis, the Palm.