Dubai officials have been stepping up efforts to increase the number of visitors to the emirate from North America.
The Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) and Dubai Convention and Events Bureau are hosting a conference - which concludes today - for 500 members of the American Society of Travel Agents (Asta).
The aim is to help the industry to gain knowledge about the city to promote the destination, said the DTCM director general Hilal Saeed Al Marri.
"Travel agents are important in the value chain," he said. "It is important that they understand the city."
North America is Dubai's fourth-largest source market for travellers, Mr Al Marri said.
Last year, Dubai received 586,000 travellers from North America.
"We are expecting double-digit growth" this year, he said.
Of all the Emirates Airline passengers from North America, 75 per cent transit through Dubai and 25 per cent get into Dubai, Mr Al Marri added.
At the exhibition, travel agents from the global organisation Asta represented 23 countries.
The UAE is a small but growing market when it comes to inbound travel to the United States, most of which is for health related travel.
