New visas, Dubai landmarks: 3 reasons why tourism is booming in the emirate

Tourism in Dubai is booming, and how! According to the latest statistics released by Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), the Emirate is closing in on its pre-Covid visitor numbers. The Emirate received 14.36 million visitors in 2022, while hotels recorded 73 per cent average occupancy. There are multiple factors that drove Dubai’s tourism success last year. 1. New visas, entry procedures Dubai continues to unveil strong regulatory initiatives to promote the growth of the tourism sector. Hassle-free entry procedures for business and leisure travellers include a 60-day tourist visa available from September 2022, and a five-year multi-entry visa for employees of multinational companies. The city also has a 10-year Golden Visa residency scheme, permits for virtual work, and retire in Dubai programmes. In 2022, Dubai was selected as one of 20 destinations globally under Airbnb’s Live and Work Anywhere initiative to identify the world’s most remote worker-friendly destinations. 2. New landmarks, attractions In 2022, a number of new attractions and initiatives were launched. These include the Museum of the Future, dubbed the most beautiful building in the world. Dubai also unveiled Expo City, the dynamic legacy of Expo 2020; and Atlantis The Royal, said to be the world’s most ultra-luxury resort. 3. Celebrity-led campaigns Dubai pulled off global campaigns in collaboration with regional and international celebrities, opinion leaders, influencers and community personalities. One such campaign is Dubai Presents, which takes a novel approach to global destination marketing, using a highly-stylised movie approach to create engaging content. Shot against the backdrop of some of Dubai’s most iconic landmarks and unique hidden locations, these short films feature Hollywood stars like Jessica Alba and Zac Efron. The ‘Where the World Celebrates’ global campaign that coincided with the Fifa World Cup in Qatar featured French football star Karim Benzema. Top officials vow to continue momentum Helal Saeed Almarri, director-general of DET, said the effectiveness of Dubai’s strategies and initiatives “gives us the confidence to tap new growth opportunities in the global travel and business sectors over the next few decades”. “As the fastest growing city in the Middle East, Dubai’s continuous growth has been made possible by the unwavering support of our stakeholders and partners and a raft of strategic investments and federal policy reforms that have led to a steady flow of global entrepreneurs, talent, investors, and business and leisure travellers. “We will continue to accelerate momentum throughout 2023 and beyond by focusing on all the key elements that have placed Dubai at the forefront of the world’s leading travel destinations – a diversified approach to markets, an evolving multifaceted destination proposition, continuous collaboration with our partners, all of which have enabled us to deliver exceptional value to visitors from around the world.” Issam Kazim, CEO of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing, said the “sheer diversity” of the destination proposition and Dubai’s growing profile as a safe, open and accessible destination saw the city being chosen as the No.1 global destination for the second year in a row, in the Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards 2023. “The exceptional support of our public and private sector stakeholders and partners will be instrumental in raising our ability to showcase our unmatched offering, designed to meet the diverse preferences and budgets of international travellers, as we gear up to welcome more visitors to Dubai in 2023.” Copyright © 2022 Khaleej Times. All Rights Reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).

New visas, Dubai landmarks: 3 reasons why tourism is booming in the emirate

DISCOVER MORE

Vietnam artist in race to ensure 'heroic mothers' not forgotten

Pakistani artists create stunning portraits of Sheikh Hamdan, Shah Rukh Khan in sand

Experience the thrills of desert safari and the cool charm of Hatta tour from Dubai

Sharjah: House of Wisdom welcomes visitors to Ramadaniyat outdoor bazaar

Sharks, tourists jostle for space around Thai destination island

UAE: 5 planets to align, be visible in night skies tomorrow

SeaWorld Abu Dhabi unveils new themes

India-UAE travel alert: Airline announces changes to flight timings; all passengers advised to reconfirm

Five African cities hold more than 50% of continent's private wealth

AI may affect 300mln full-time jobs: Goldman Sachs

Maldives airport temporarily shut down after Flydubai aircraft suffers tire burst on landing

Real GDP growth in the GCC region will slow to 3.5% in 2023

UAE approves 24 national initiatives to double re-export industry

Number of RAK tourists set to reach 5.5mln by 2030: report

China returns to Arabian Travel Market after 3 years

UAE-India flights: Major airline cancels several routes, causes spike in ticket prices

MakeMyTrip expands tie-ups with hotels across Mideast

Mena tourism ministers discuss investment exchanges

LATEST VIDEO

VIDEO: Why is China's Belt and Road Initiative facing setbacks?

ZAWYA COVERAGE

Saudi Al Rajhi Bank raises $1bln in Islamic bonds

Dubai’s Empower approves $115mln dividend

Aldar and Mubadala to launch JV to develop ADGM office tower

Abu Dhabi's ADNOC Gas posts 2022 net profit of $4.9bln on higher prices

Saudi bus crash: 18 Bangladeshis among 22 Umrah pilgrims killed in accident

Gold prices edge lower in Dubai as concerns ease about global banking system

Chinese loan rollover of $2bln to Pakistan in process -govt source

Thai exports drop less than expected, rebound not seen until H2

Spain inflation falls more than expected to 3.3% in March

THE BRI REPORT

China is reshaping the Belt and Road Initiative ahead of a post-pandemic era

DISCOVER MORE

LATEST VIDEO

ZAWYA NEWSLETTERS

ZAWYA COVERAGE