Wakanow seals ticketing deal with UAE’s largest resort

Africa’s leading travel portal, Wakanow, has entered into a business agreement with Dubai Parks and Resorts, becoming its largest African fulfilling partner for ticket sales.

The Group Deputy Managing Director of Wakanow, Mr. Ralph Tamuno, who also happens to be the first African entrepreneur to set foot on the grounds of the wonder-packed resort, is optimistic that the partnership would open a new vista of opportunities and unique experiences for the African traveler.

While giving details on how Wakanow was selected from a pool of travel companies in Africa for the deal, Mr. Tamuno said, “beyond our strategic goal of always leading the way and shaping the travel business in Africa, we also collaborate with other market leaders from within and outside the continent to create value for our fast-growing travel market. Dubai Parks and Resorts is a massive investment and its owners clearly needed a partner with pedigree and panache. Wakanow was the natural choice for such a partner.”

In his remarks during the official signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two organisations, Head of Sales at Dubai Parks and Resorts, Mr. Elwin Kemming, described the partnership as a bold step in creating remarkable experiences for travelers from Africa.

“Our partnership with Wakanow is a union of two widely admired tourism brands, joining forces together to provide memorable experiences for travel lovers globally. With deep-rooted presence throughout Africa, we are confident that Dubai Parks and Resorts can consolidate on Wakanow’s significant reach and foothold across the African market,” he stated.

According to the CEO of the resort Raed Kajoor Al Nuaimi, the organisation’s sales and marketing philosophy is to build on the efforts of Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM).

“We participated in our first trade show in March, attending the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai. This was followed by our participation at the World Travel Market in London in November. Both events signalled the start of our push towards partnerships with global tour operators and ticket distributors in order to reach international consumers.”

He added that, “our existing partnership with dnata, the Dubai-headquartered operator that is one of the world’s largest travel and tourism specialists, is yielding many benefits. dnata’s network covers key international markets including UK, Europe, Australia, and Africa, with more than 200 direct outlets alone in the Middle East and India – and we are working together to create tailor-made visitor packages for each region,” he said.

Meanwhile, recently published statistics from the DTCM indicate that, despite the global financial unrest, international visitor numbers to Dubai continue to grow, reaching 14.2 million in 2015, a 7.5 percent increase from 2014, led by a more than 20 percent increase in visitors from markets such as China and India.

“Therefore, our efforts in 2015 were concentrated on working with the DTCM sales trips to key Dubai source markets, as well as bringing overseas tour operators to the destination. We also took the decision to open representative offices in China and India in 2016, demonstrating our marketing efforts in these key markets,” he said.

Dubai Parks and Resorts is the biggest multi-themed leisure and entertainment destination in the Middle East, comprising Motiongate Dubai, Legoland Dubai, Legoland Water Parks and Bollywood Parks. On October 31, the park will throw its gates open to the public and will feature over 100 mind-blowing thrill rides, spread across the spectacular four themed parks, each unique in their offerings and experiences.

Wakanow is one of Africa’s leading online travel portals, providing seamless services in Flights, Hotels, Travel deals and Holiday packages to millions of travelers in Africa and beyond. Wakanow has grown from a strong but small beginning to now being recognized by industry watchers, as one of the travel companies to be reckoned with in Africa.