Business & Money | Wednesday 20 May, 2015 12:02 pm |

Alpha Destination Management, one of the region’s biggest travel solutions providers, has been rebranded after 20 years of successful operations as Alpha Tours.

The rebranding has been done in line with the company’s growth strategies and development of tourism industry in the UAE in general and Dubai in particular.

During its first participation in the Arabian Travel Market (ATM-2015) after the rebranding, the company launched three new projects which generated ‘overwhelming” response
from the local, regional and global tourism industry players at the world's third biggest travel industry exhibition.

Alpha Destination Management CEO Ghassan Aridi said: “In the past 20 years, Alpha established itself as a leading Destination Management Company offering variety of quality tourism- related services to millions of tourists visiting the UAE and
Dubai from all over the world.”

“Taking into account our new expansions and the ceaseless success of Dubai as an ideal year-round tourism destination, we decided to go for rebranding and repositioning compatible with the changing scenario,” he added.

He said the previous name was relevant and appropriate in the past two decades during which the company’s major activity was tour operations. “Today, along with our core business of being a destination management Company, we are also into the crucial business of promoting Dubai as a comprehensive event and leisure destination in addition to our abilities to promote other destinations worldwide,” the industry veteran said.

The company’s website has been revamped to offer a variety of interactive services including facilities to book airline tickets, hotel reservations and other tourism related services. The company has also moved its headquarters to a more spacious and purpose-built facility in the picturesque Business Bay in Dubai.

Alpha has been a key contributor to the growth of visitors to the country, especially Dubai. A fast growing tourism, aviation and trade hub, Dubai plans to attract 20 million tourists by 2020, the year in which it will host the World Expo. Since its establishment in 1996, Alpha has emerged as a major tourism industry stakeholder and holds a major market share in the region.


Ghassan Aridi said: “There has been a strong interest in our new offerings – Gourmet Bus, I Venture Card and Stars on Board. Hotels and tour operators complimented us for these innovative products which will enhance the appeal of the destination for the tourists from all parts of the world. New innovative products are in the works and will be unveile soon.”

The new initiatives are the outcome of the close cooperation between the government and private sector, he added.
Gourmet Bus, a first of its kind in the world, will b launched in June. Tourists can explore the city’s sight and
sounds while enjoying five-star international dinner aboar the moving bus. The journey will start from Down Town and the tour will cover Burj Khalifa, Palm Jumeirah, Zabeel
Palace, Sheikh Zayed Road and Burj Al Arab. In front of each seat will be iPad that will provide information to the
guests about each attraction during the tour. Tourists can book the Gourmet Bus tour through the hotels, Alpha offices or through a dedicated website that will be launched
shortly.

Starting in July, the I Venture Card offer 50 per cent discount on actual price of the tickets for 20 popular tourist sites. Priced approximately $200, the pre-paid card
can be purchased from Dubai Airports and some other outlets. The first attraction card of its kind in the Middle East allows tourist to enter more than 20 tourist sites like
Burj Khalifa, Museums, Aquarium in Atlantis Palm Hotel, Dubai Mall, safari and some restaurants, among others.


A booklet is provided to the buyer with each card to show The tourist the sites that one can be entered with the card.
Stars on Board is a special vacation cruise featuring the best Middle-Eastern stars, performers and entertainers. In addition to the daily shows by the pool deck, most on
board entertainment is included in the cost of the trip, giving guests the opportunity to watch all booked artists perform live in both ticketed and general admission shows
at the different venues on the ship. This year, stars featuring include Haifa Wehbi, Ma fi Mitlo show and Kazem
Saher. This year cruise starts from Rome, Barcelona, Marseille, and back to Rome.