Hello again! This is Jenny.
I’ve been in Dubai for a couple of days now, and it’s all been great! The plane ride had some turbulence, the flights were long hours, and we all were jet lagged, but we quickly forgot about everything once we started to see the skyscrapers throughout the city. Everyday we’ve been able to see various attractions and presentations that have allowed us to be more knowledgeable about the beautiful Dubai.
One presentation that we’ve seen so far that really caught my attention was the Nakheel presentation. They work with the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) to determine how many tourists come each year and how much they expect for the years to come. Currently, Dubai has 12 million tourists a year and they expect to have 20 million by the year 2020. Seeing such rapid growth happening in Dubai, Nakheel is constantly looking for new developments that will make a contribution to the improvement of people’s lives, therefore making them want to come to Dubai. They explained a little bit about their projects such as the “World Islands,” which part of is currently under construction. What interested me the most is that whoever wants to have a property has to present their plan/ motive for construction and must abide regulations which can be turned down by Nakheel. Their World Islands also vary by density; the lower the density the smaller the development has to be.
The World islands, view from Burj Khalifa
We were able to go to the Burj Al Arab which is not exactly how I imagined it to be. It’s known to be the world’s only seven-star hotel so I expected it to be extremely luxurious, but it wasn’t as I expected it to be. Yes, there was gold all over the hotel and inside the staterooms, and the amenities and view included in the room were amazing. However, to me it felt like we were in a cruise ship, I think this was mostly due to it being surrounded by water all around. A unique thing they had was that the check-in to your stateroom was in the same floor that you would be staying at, so you wouldn’t necessarily check-in at the lobby. Also, the stores inside the hotel were very luxurious and the customer service from the employees was exceptional.
Both of the activities I experienced will enhance my global citizenship altogether. In the Nakheel presentation I learned that you have to be smart when proposing a business plan; you want to be able to come up with a product that is new and exciting to people but at the same time abide by the regulations given. In the Burj Al Arab, I discovered not all things are what they seem and everyone views things differently.
No matter where you work, I would want for all of my guests/customers to be satisfied with the product given. These aspects will help me become a more successful industry professional because I would constantly be making sure that the customers’ needs always come first and that they are content with what they are receiving.
Until next time!