Khaleej Times, Monday, Feb 06, 2023 | Rajab 15, 1444
New visas, Dubai landmarks: 3 reasons why tourism is booming in the emirate
Emirates:
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.”